Calling the Concors d’Elegance a big deal to car nuts is not using words big enough.
There may not be any.
Each year for the past 17 years, the organizers have brought the history of the automobile to Greater Jacksonville.
Name a type of car manufactured before 1974, and you’re likely to find cherry examples of it at what is one of the biggest and most elegant car shows ever, anywhere.
Name a manufacturer of high performance cars, and you’ll find it represented at this year’s Concours.
And they offer test drives.
Nuts & Bolts
The 18th Annual Concours d'Elegance celebrates the 50th anniversaries of the Porsche 911, the Corvette Stingray, the Lamborghini and the Ford GT40.
This year’s honoree: Sam Posey – Born in New York City, Posey drove the Sunoco Chevrolet Camaro for Roger Penske in 1968 in the Trans Am series. Chevrolet won the championship based on the Penske team effort. Later Posey was the driver for Ray Caldwell's factory-backed Autodynamics Dodge Challenger, racing against Parnelli Jones, Dan Gurney, Mark Donohue and Jim Hall in what most racing historians regard as the greatest season of professional road racing in US history.
Posey also raced in the USAC Championship Car series in the 1969 and 1972-1974 seasons, with 12 career starts, including the 1972 Indianapolis 500. As an endurance racer, Posey appeared at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 10 times (1966, 1969–1973 and 1975–1978) and finished in the top 10 five times. He participated in the 1971 and 1972 United States Grand Prix Formula One world championships.
Past honorees include Vic Elford, Richard Petty, Parnelli Jones, the Bobbies Allison and Unser and Sir Stirling Moss.
Cars On Exhibit
Cars are exhibited (see schedule) at the Concours by invitation only.
Not just any jalopy gets shown.
And there are prizes, too, and the event’s judges are among car manufacturing and racing elite.
Some of this year’s entries include:
- Edsel Ford’s 1934 Speedster, foundation of the Lincoln Continental line, Sports Car Class
- 1964 ½ Ford Mustand, What Were They Thinking? Class
- Prinz Heinrich 50 HP Benz & Prinz Austor-Daimler 85 HP Benz, shown together for the first time
- Very first Cadillac Coupe de Villem first showing in 64 years
- 1955 Motorama LaSalle, first public showing in 57 years
About the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance Foundation, Inc.
A section 509(a)(2) and 501(c)(3) established in 1996, the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance Foundation, Inc. donates a portion of its proceeds to charity.
In the past 17 years, the Foundation has raised more than $2 million for Community Hospice of Northeast Florida. Community Hospice provides end-of-life care for hundreds of terminally ill children and adults in North Florida regardless of their ability to pay.
The Foundations other charities include:
- Navy Marine Corps Relief Society
- Shop with Cops & Cops n' Kids (Both Christmas programs help underprivileged kids in Nassau County)
- The Spina Bifida Association of Florida at Jacksonville (SBAJ)
- Community Hospice of Northeast Florida
18th Annual Amelia Island Concors d’Elegance
- Mar. 8-10, 10th & 18th Fairways, Golf Club of Amelia Island at Summer Beach adjacent to The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, Fla.
- Parking: $15 ,includes shuttle service to The Ritz-Carlton. Show parking is available at the Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport on Sunday of show weekend. The airport lot closes at 8 pm on Sunday.
- 4750 Amelia Island Pkwy.
- Amelia Island, Fla. 32034
- Phone: 904-277-1100
- Fax: 904-261-9064
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OFFICIAL BIO: K Truitt is a second-generation, native Floridian born in Jacksonville. Truitt worked in public higher education for 25 years and knows newspaper publishing, printing and graphic design. Contact: kt.4examiner@yahoo.com
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