A 1929 Duesenberg J.SJ Convertible and 1963 Ferrari 250/275P have won the best of show awards on Saturday at the 23rd annual Amelia Island Concours d'élégeance.
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As in 2017, the Amelia Island Concours d'élégance was moved one day earlier, due to bad weather forecasts for Sunday. That late day change didn't scare off any visitors, with thousands of car enthousiasts attending the concours under sunny skies.
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Guest of honour this year was Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi, double Formula 1 World Champion and two-time winner of the Indy 500. The concours showcased some impressive racecars of Fittipaldi, including a 1970 Lotus 72/5, 1974 McLaren M23/5, 1974 Porsche 911 RSR IROC, Renault Dauphine "Gordini"and 1977 Chevrolet IROC Camaro Z28.
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More than 300 cars and motorcycles, split up into 35 classes were presented at the Amelia golf club. Highlights next to Fittipaldi's race cars was an impressive line-up of "Martini race cars", N.A.R.T Ferrari's, several one-off and unique automobiles, Steve McQueens original "Bullit" Mustang and an almost complete collection of Auburns.
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The highly valuated Best in Show Concours d’Elegance Trophy was presented to a 1929 Duesenberg J/SJ Convertible owned by Harry Yeaggy from Cincinnati, Ohio. This Duesenberg J/SJ Convertible has Murphy roadster-style coachwork that was restyled in period by Bohman & Schwartz of Pasadena, California. Styling changes included a lengthened hood, slotted fenders and more modern bumpers. One of the early owners of this car was Edward Beale McLean, who owned the Hope Diamond and whose family owned The Washington Post.
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A 1963 Ferrari 250/275P from The JSL Motorsports Collection in Redwood City, California, took home the prestigious Best in Show Concours de Sport Trophy. The winning Ferrari 250/275P won the overall at the 1963 ADAC Nurburgring 1,000Kms with John Surtees and Willy Mairesse and the 1964 Sebring 12 Hours with Mike Parkes and Umberto Maglioli driving. This car finished second at the 1963 Sebring event and won the first race at Mont Tremblant as a NART entry with Pedro Rodriguez driving. The car was campaigned as a NART entry in 1964 and 1965.
“I could not be more pleased with the judges’ decisions for the 2018 Amelia Island Concours winners,” said Bill Warner, Chairman and Founder of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. “We are overjoyed to present the Duesenberg and Ferrari with these honors. These cars are prime examples of automotive prestige and we are proud to recognize them.”
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In the power-driven age, a special class of electric horseless carriages highlighted the renewed enthusiasm for the 120 year old technology. IMSA GTP celebrated its GTP -- Grand Touring Prototype -- racers from the 1981 through the 1993 IMSA Championships. A quarter century has passed since IMSA’s GTPs last raced in anger. They were the spiritual descendants of the mighty, unlimited Can-Am racers of the 1960s and 1970s and the vanguard of a new generation of automotive performance and technology. By the end of the GTP era in 1993 they had eclipsed every major record the fabled Can-Am racers set. Another spectacular display was the collection of Martini race cars, including 2 Porsche 917's.
A few further impressions of this years concours at Amelia and an overview of some class winners and a rundown of Le Mans cars will be published in the upcoming days.
Kristof Vermeulen.
