The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance returned to the fairways of the Golf Club of Amelia Island on Sunday, March 11, 2012. The 17th annual Amelia Concours saw nearly 300 cars displayed on the show field, coming from many of the world’s most prominent corporate, public and private collections.
“We couldn’t be more thankful to those who participate at our event each year, and we’re thrilled to have attracted such a high caliber of display cars for this year’s show,” said Amelia Island Concours Chairman, Bill Warner.
As with other top events, the stringent process of putting together the selection of cars for the Amelia Concours means that acceptance into the event places an automobile among the finest of its kind. Then the judging process occurs, singling out Best in Class based on originality, authenticity, and appropriate and exceptional preservation or restoration. The exercise ends when the judges choose “Best of Show” from the winners of the respective classes.
Amelia Island was the first Concours to establish two Best in Show awards: Concours d’Elegance and Concours de Sport, which recognize the top traditional vehicle and top sports and racing vehicle, respectively.
The 2012 Amelia Island Concours “Best of Show” Concours d’Elegance was won by the 1938 Bugatti Type 57 from the Off Brothers Collection. One of three surviving Aravis Drophead Coupes bodied by Gangloff, the car arrived in the U.S. in 1961 and was fully restored in 2009. Bugatti produced the Type 57 between 1934 and 1939, ceasing production of the world’s fastest stock production car shortly after the beginning of WWII.
The 1962 Ferrari 330 LM, or “3765” GTO, owned by Jim Jaeger from Indian Hill, Ohio took home the overall Concours de Sport award at the 2012 Amelia Island Concours. The 330 GTOs were Ferrari’s in-house hot rods: prototype Grand Touring cars with four-liter V-12 engines instead of the GTO’s traditional 3-liter V-12. Just two were built – a cross between a pure prototype and a road-going Grand Touring car. Assigned to Ferrari Engineer and racer Mike Parkes and factory F1 and sports car ace Lorenzo Bandini, Jim Jaeger’s 4-liter GTO appears as it did on June 23, 1962 when gridded seventh at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Amelia Island Concours de Sport 2012 – Best in Class Winners
50th Anniversary of Daytona 24 Hours, 1969 Porsche 917K, Canepa Motorsports Museum – Scotts Valley, CAFerrari, 1964 Ferrari 400 SuperAmerica, Lammot duPont – McLean, VAFerrari 250 GTO, 1962 Ferrari 330LM, Jim Jaeger – Indian Hill, OH (Best of Show, Concours de Sport)Mercedes-Benz, 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster, Terri Henning – Charleston, SCRace Cars (Pre-War) 1929 Tracta “A”, Tampa Bay Automobile Museum – Pinellas Park, FLRace Cars (Post War – 1963), 1947 Cisitalia 202 SMM Spyder Nuvolari, Bruce Rudin – Montchanin, DERace Cars (1964 – 1982), 1966 Ford GT40, Henry Davis – Omaha, NEMotorcycles, 1950 Vincent Black Shadow, P.H. Cowart – Butler, TNCover Cars of Road and Track, 1973 Momo Mirage, Peter S. Kalikow – New York, NY
Sports Cars (Pre-War), 1930 Alfa Romeo 1750 Grand Sport, The Cantore Family – Oak Brook, ILSports and GT Cars (Post War – 1955), 1953 Cunningham C-3 Continental Coupe, Don and Carol Murray – Laguna Beach, CASports and GT Cars (1956 – 1962), 1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato, David and Ginny Sydorick – Beverly Hills, CASports and GT Cars (1963 – 1972), 1968 Shelby GT500 KR, Rick and Elaine Schmidt – Ocala, FLShelby Cobras, 1962 Ford Cobra, Bruce Meyer – Beverly Hills, CASports Car MGs, 1938 MG TA Tickford Drop Head Coupe, Jack and Gwen Simpson – Dallas, TXSebring MG, 1960 MGA Twin Cam, Steve Woodyard – West Linn, ORStyling Studio Corvettes, 1959 Chevrolet Scaglietti Corvette, J.W. “Bill” Marriott, Jr. – Washington, DCCars of Vic Elford, 1971 Porsche 917K Martini, The Revs Institute for Automotive Research at The Collier Collection, Naples, FL
Duesenberg, 1931 Duesenberg Derham Tourster, Joseph and Margie Cassini, III – West Orange, NJEuropean Custom Coachwork French, 1938 Bugatti Type 57, Off Brothers Collection – Richland, MI (Best of Show, Concours d’Elegance)European Classic Pre-War (1930 – 1935), 1932 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Croydon Drophead Coupe, Dan and Cathie Mouton – Beaumont, TXEuropean Classic Pre-War (1936 – 1938), 1937 Railton 4 Door Saloon, Eldon and Esta Hostetler – Middlebury, INHorseless Carriage (1895 – 1915), 1903 Oldsmobile Curved Dash, John and Elizabeth Garnett – Spotsylvania, VAHorseless Carriage (40+ Horsepower), 1911 Pope Hartford Portola, Dick and Marcia King – Redding, CTLandaulet, 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, Richard Atwell – Fredericksburg, TXRolls-Royce Silver Ghost, 1925 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, Robert Pass – St. Louis, MOVintage (1915 – 1923), 1920 Packard Twin Six 335, Ed and Judy Schoenthaler – Naples, FL
[Source: Amelia Island Concours; photo credit: Al Wolford]
