16th Amelia Island Concours d`Elegance

photo by Ken Vendley
photo by Ken Vendley
Display of Honorary Chairman Bobby Rahal’s cars, the Ritz Carlton Resort in the background.
Honorary
Chairman
Bobby
Rahal.
16th Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance
North America’s Best Show For Sports Racing Cars, Performance
Cars, Indy Cars, Classic Cars and Racing Celebrities
Amelia Island, FL
that captures the demanding auto enthusiast as Southern California where the hot rod culture
March 11-13, 2011
-story by Ken Vendley
The annual spring automobile wake-up call
was sounded again this March at the 16th Amelia
Island Concours d’Elegance. This remarkable
event serves as an action call to rekindle all
thoughts automotive and come forth in one
great four day celebration. Based at the Ritz
Carlton Resort hotel and adjoining Golf Club of
Amelia Island at Summer Beach, it is a stunning
mixture of classic, collectable performance and
racing cars, automotive art, parties, celebrities,
auctions and racers.
The impressive venue lures all those still numb
from months of snow, ice and cold to come,
shake it off and yell: “I can’t take it anymore.”
And more is the key word to describe this
major event’s yearly success which continues
to promise and deliver an all inclusive spectrum
of subjects automotive. It is for that reason that
keeps them coming back and the “them” is a
who’s who of the auto world.
Bill Warner, the creator of this extravaganza,
has orchestrated attractions each year that
satisfy the many, yet finds that niche subject
photo by Ken Vendley
Dan Gurney and Sir Stirling
Moss join in a book signing.
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May 2011
• Victory Lane
well. With Warner’s inclination towards racing,
he has always featured a guest of honor who
represents that subject. Bobby Rahal, three-time
CART Champion, winner of many major road
racing events and an Indy 500 winner, served as
honorary chairman and shared all his experiences
in racing and related promotions with great
enthusiasm.
This is much more than just a concours.
Subjects range from important personalities in
discussions and seminars, drivers, a winemakers
dinner, the Automotive Fine Arts Society art
show, test drives, a silent auction, receptions,
books and poster signings, and a lavish dinner,
dazzling the fortunate ones who come for it
all. Also included in conjunction with the
Concours, RM Auctions held its major sale at
the Ritz Carlton Resort while Gooding Auctions
conducted their activities at near-by Amelia
Island Plantation. Needless to say, it is a very
busy weekend agenda.
The popular seminars or bench racing
panel discussions that occur on Friday and
Saturday are always great. The Friday morning
seminar “Women in Racing” opened the three
seminars. The panel was Lyn St. James, Denise
McCluggage, Janet Guthrie, Judy Stropus,
Jessica Brunelli and Erin Crocker. The early
pioneers discussed the barriers they surmounted
to race as equals, which they all achieved. The
recent racers noted some barriers remain but
racing is now largely gender blind.
The Friday afternoon seminar was “Hot Rod
Lifestyle” which captured an entirely unique
time and racing endeavor. The panel included
Alex Xydias, TV Tommy Ivo, Don Prudhomme
and Dean Jeffries. They recounted all the wild
tales from the street, the strips, the lakes and
a few from the bars and motels. I grew up in
was big and it really brought back memories to
me and those who filled the room. What a gas!
This year the famous “Cannonball Run
Revisited” was featured on Saturday morning
and included participants Dan Gurney and
Brock Yates who won the first race in a Ferrari
(L) Concours d’Sport winner 1935 Duesenberg SJ Speedster
“Mormon Meteor”.
Daytona in which Dan Gurney was quoted as,
“We never exceeded 175 mph,” recounting their
1971 adventure in the first semi-secret, illegal,
cross country road race. Other participants in this
and later years joining in this fun seminar were
Pete Brock, Tony Aruntunoff, Bill Brodrick,
Oscar Kovaleski, Judy Stropus, Pam Yates, Bill
Warner, Tim Considine and Amelia’s own chief
judge William Jeanes. This was one of the best
seminars ever. Concours founder Bill Warner
also added his own experience in the 1971
race. In the pioneering years the racers drove
a wide variety of cars including a van filled
with 55 gallon drums of fuel, a limousine, an
ambulance and even an RV. The stories were
hilarious as was the later Hollywood movie
about this event.
With all this activity and more on the schedule,
it eventually leads to the “Piece de Resistance”,
the Sunday Concours. This world class event
yearly benefits the Community Hospice of
Northeast Florida and commands international
recognition within the Concours community. It
is one of only five who send their winners to the
Louis Vuitton Concours in Paris each year.
As I strolled out on the field early to watch the
roll on, the large Concours’ field was already a
vast showing of everything that my imagination
would wish in a Concours. There were 100s
of great classics including the featured marque
Duesenberg and all their history of elegance,
engineering, and racing. My racing interest
was sparked by the featured Allards of all types.
Sydney Allard’s contribution to racing, both in
England and particularly in the United States
was on full display. The featured Kurtis cars of
American Frank Kurtis and his winning Indy
and Midget Cars took me back to my Southern
California youth. The show was spectacular.
The Sunday Concours formal program mid
morning started with honorary chairman Bobby
Rahal entering the grounds driving down the
car lined fairways and ending at a display of
his famous cars. The show continued with
many unique and outstanding features like
fashions matching cars of the time, and cars of
Hot Rod Magazine’s covers and motorcycles
of BMW’s history. A display honoring the
100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway had a vast showing of racing cars
ranging from the revolutionary turbine car
to Jimmy Clark’s winning 1965 Lotus Ford.
Mercedes Benz, celebrating 125 years of the
automobile, brought the first motorized version
by Carl Benz to the lawn.
The award ceremony began at noon with
the introductory of the judges which included
auto manufacturer designers, museum curators,
marque experts, racing luminaries, writers and
publishers including our own Dan Davis. Next
the award winners rolled up to the judging stand
in the large horseshoe shaped parade and were
presented with a corporate or class award. The
suspense grew till the Best of Show Awards.
Unique at Amelia Island, a double Best of
Show award is given: Best of Show: Concours
d’Sports and Best of Show Concours d’Elegance
which represents the wide spectrum of varied
vehicles deserving recognition.
This year’s winners were quite a surprise
with Duesenberg capturing both titles. For the
Sport Class, it was the 1935 SJ Speedster Ab
photo by Ken Vendley
(R) Concours d’Elegance winner - 1933 Duesenberg
SJN Arlington Torpedo “20 Grand” sedan.
photo by Madeline Davis
“The Women of Racing” seminar.
(L to R) Lyn St. James, Jessica
Brunelli, Erin Crocker, Judy
Stropus, Janet Guthrie and
Denise McCluggage.
Jenkins “Mormon Meteor” owned by Harry
Yeaggy, and the Elegance Class winner was a
1933 Duesenberg SJN Arlington Torpedo Sedan
known as “20 Grand” owned by the Nethercutt
Collection, Sylmar California.
For the 16th year, the Amelia Island Concours
again captured and impressed the automobile
community from all directions and is a high
recommendation on anyone’s list of must do’s.
Florida shines this time of the year, so combine
your visit to the Concours with the many other
activities that happen in the fascinating and
historic Amelia Island and North Florida.
photo by Ken Vendley
Amelia Island Best of Show Winning car owners.
(L to R) Harry Yeaggy, Concours d’Sport”,
Bill Warner (Concours Chairman), Helen and
Jack Nethercutt, Concours d’Elegance.
photo by Ken Vendley
A record crowd for the Sunday Concours attracted by the variety of cars and Florida Spring weather.
www.victorylane.com
Victory Lane
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May 2011
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photo by Ken Vendley
Former Amelia honoree and Le Mans winner Dan
Gurney returns for a “Cannonball Run Revisited”
seminar to celebrate his and Brock Yates win of
the First Cannonball in the Ferrari Daytona
(L to R) Pam Yates, Brock Yates, Dan Gurney,
Oscar Kovaleski, Peter Brock, Judy Stropus,
Bill Brodrick, William Jeanes, Bill Warner, Tim
Considine. Winning Ferrari Daytona in front of past
participants.
photo by Ken Vendley
Kurtis Kraft display, a Featured Marque.
photo by Ken Vendley
100 Years Indianapolis Speedway, #82 1965 Lotus
65 Indy winner Ford - Jimmy Clark - winner, Henry
Ford Musuem; #34 1980 Chaparral 2K - 02 Johnny
Rutherford winner, Indianapolis Museum.
photo by Ken Vendley
A Feature exhibit, Griffith.
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• Victory Lane
photo by Ken Vendley
100 years Chevrolet Racing: 1931
Chevrolet Beach Racer Randy Kimberly
and Bill Warner.
photo by Ken Vendley
Allard Display, a Featured Marque.