Amelia Island Concours d’Elégance
March 13-15, 2009
This is the 14th annual Concours for Amelia Island. One of the anniversaries being celebrated is for Southern California coachbuilder Bohman & Swartz who will have their own class for two special 1959 race cars. Another that everyone is looking forward to seeing is the one-of-a-kind 1938 Phantom Corsair originally put together for Rust Heinz of the Heinz food empire. Vetran racer David Hobbs will be the honoree of the Concours this year and will no doubt share some of his stories from his Formula One racing days.
Visit Amelia Island this year and you’ll be able to marvel at some of the world’s most glamorous vehicles. Everything from Detroit muscle cars to Ferrari and Duesenberg will be presented. The event happens on the lush green fairway of Summer Beach, where millions of dollars worth of gleaming cars, some of them one of a kind will be presented. The backdrop for the display is the ocean. But what everyone is there to see are the cars. This year there should be about 250 rare vehicles are on display.
Even if you are not usually a car nut, you can’t help yourself from being dazzled by the flash and eye candy adorning the fairway. The Amelia Island event has really come into its own as a Concours and with the respect comes more and more fantastic cars. Bring your camera.
1941 Chrysler Newport Dual Cowl Phaeton; estimated to sell between $800,000-$1,200,000.
The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is now considered one of North America’s finest car events and showcases some of the world’s most rare vehicles. There is also a vintage motor car auction which is presented by RM Auctions. The auction is still a new addition for the Concours, the cars that go on the block though are legendary. To attend the auction a pre-registration is required along with purchase of the $80 auction catalog which admits two. For more information go to the RM Auctions web site at http://www.rmauctions.com
1963 AC Cobra; estimated auction $1,000,000-$1,400,000.
1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder; estimated auction $2,400,000-$2,900,000.
If you’re a real car nut then I suggest slapping down the $80 and going though the pre-registration just to watch these truly legendary cars go on the auction block for perhaps the last time in this lifetime. These cars very rarely come out of the private collections. If you’re not a nut and just a car buff then go to the Concours for some high end browsing. There isn’t a better backdrop in the country. For further details about the complete event schedule for the weekend, and to purchase tickets in advance online, please visit the official web site at http://ameliaconcours.org and look for me hanging out around the Ferraris and the Porsches.
