The 2018 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

By Steve Wakefield

10th March 2018

From the racing cars of Emerson Fittipaldi, through the customs of ‘Big Daddy’ Ed Roth, to the Porsches and Lancias of the Martini Racing team, ‘something for everyone’ doesn’t do Bill Warner’s standard-setting event justice.

As an example, how about this? In place of the priceless trophies on display by the lake last year, this time there was a collection of Revell custom-car kit boxes, topped by ‘Rat Fink’ the subversive ‘lost cousin of Mickey Mouse’, another mad creation from the mind of Ed Roth?

Indy trophy 2017, Rat Fink 2018... that’s Amelia Island

The single-seaters of the great Emerson Fittipaldi enjoying the sun

Walk a short distance and you find class HTG, Hunting Cars. There’s a 1925 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Barker Tourer specially built for the Maharaja of Kotah, fully equipped with gun racks and ice chest. It even has an on-board safe so that money could be distributed to the families of the victims of man-eaters…

As usual, the field was split into two: modern and racing cars on one side, older entries on the other. The featured marque or model is displayed round the lake and this year it was Auburn (pictured, bottom) that took centre stage.

“There you go, darlin’, you hitch a ride with us...”

In celebration of five decades since the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 ‘Daytona’ was launched, a line-up of just about every significant car saw several Competiziones and good road cars, including the Brock Yates Cannonball Run car.

A stone’s throw away (don’t even think about it…) were the cars of the North American Racing Team, ‘NART’. Pick of that crop for most was Les Wexner’s Ferrari 196 S Dino presented by the irrepressible Stu Carpenter. It won the duPont Registry's People's Choice Award.

Roth’s famous Ford F-100 pick-up was restored in 2017

Mad Mysterion: two engines, one off-centre headlamp

And the K500 choice? It would have to be one of the Martini Racing cars. The ‘workshop-find’ silver 917K from the Collier Collection at the Revs Institute had to be the car to take home. Despite its patina, it started on the button and, like all cars (some 300), was presented to the knowledgeable audience on the show arena, happily rumbling along in first gear, its big engine-fan spinning and whistling away.

Stellar line-up of factory Lancia rally cars included a support truck

Do we really need to tell you to visit Amelia Island next year? Keep an eye on www.ameliaconcours.org for the dates, usually the second week in March. It’s not so easy to get to, but maybe all the better for that – an event for real connoisseurs.

Magnificent Rolls P1 fit for a Maharaja

You never know when the tiger might pounce..

For the record:

Best of Show Concours d’Elegance: 1929 Duesenberg J/SJ Convertible owned by Harry Yeaggy

Best of Show Concours de Sport: 1963 Ferrari 250/275P from The JSL Motorsports Collection