Mother Nature and the global pandemic threw nasty punches at 'The Amelia' over the past several years, but show organizers were able to 'Bob and Weave' the best that they could dish out. The former was solved by moving the event forward a day, and although it messed with travel plans and meant the cancelation of the 'Cars and Coffee' event, the show went on. In regards to the pandemic, the event was held on 'the bookends' - just before and after the lockdown. The words 'lucky' and 'blessed' come to mind in both scenarios. Instead of conversations about honorees and special classes (vehicle classes at the event), many of the conversations centered around 'will it happen?' In a similar fashion, much attention for the 2022 event focused on 'new ownership.'
The 27th annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance was significant as it was the first year under new stewardship. After time and careful consideration, Founder and Chairman Bill Warner handed the reins for this world-class event to McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty Insurance. Leading up to the event, many car enthusiasts wondered, 'what would change and what would stay the same?'
The 2022 event was different than in the past (more than just the new logo) - as it blended the visions of the past with those of the future. Hagerty is fueled by its goal 'to save driving and car culture' and to that end, they added innovative experiences for new audiences, most notably its youth initiatives, 'Kids Zone,' and first-ever Supercar Celebration. Events leading up to the event included the RADwood display (a celebration of 80s and 90s car culture), a Concours d'Lemons, and a curated Cars & Caffeine. It was a weekend of automobile preservation, information, and education that catered to every age group. 'The goal this year was to honor The Amelia's many traditions while offering innovative experiences for new audiences. Thanks to a dedicated team, I believe we did,' said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty. 'We received a lot of great feedback from attendees, vendors, local officials and participants that will help us make next year's Amelia even better.'
There were 215 vehicles on Sunday's show field, fewer than in the past, which resulted in more space between vehicles, a more relaxed atmosphere, and less pressure to see everything. For visitors seeking 'quantity,' Saturday's event had over 450 vehicles over three fairways of The Golf Club of Amelia Island. With all of the car auctions and events happening on the island leading up to Sunday's event, there was no shortage of sheet metal to admire.
And now, the cars.
Honoree and Celebrated Classes
The Amelia's 2022 honoree was driver and championship race team owner, Chip Ganassi. In celebration, eight of the cars that Chip Ganassi Racing competed with throughout his career were displayed on the showfield, including the Dallara which won the 2010 Indianapolis 500 and the Chevrolet Impala which won the 2010 Daytona 500.
Motorsports has always been paramount at the Amelia Island Concours, and the Hagerty team has kept this as a foundation of the event, and an integral part of its DNA. Racecars from the 60th Anniversary of the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 70th Anniversary of Sebring were joined on the field by some of the finest examples in the Race Cars Pre-War, NASCAR and Gurney Eagle show groups. The Rare Aluminum Porsche Race Car genre highlighted the earliest competition efforts from the then-young sports car manufacturer and included a 1951 Le Mans class winner.
The aluminum 1949 356/2 entry owned by Cameron Healey and restored by Rod Emory, was one of the first three Porsches to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1951, the world's oldest endurance race. Class winner at Le Mans, the car set the table for the longest stretch of consecutive la Sarthe entries that continues to this day.
Other featured classes included selections from Waterhouse Coachworks highlighting the small Custom Coach Builder from Webster, Massachusetts whose run was cut short after only five years thanks to the Great Depression. The 90th Anniversary of the 1932 Ford display was anchored with one of the earliest examples of the genre, the 'Doane Spencer Roadster' owned by Bruce Meyer. Rick and Elaine Schmidt's 1924 Lincoln L, with its 90 horsepower 358 Cubic Inch L-Head V8, helped commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Lincoln.
A triple-carbureted, 4.5-liter in-line six-cylinder powered 1953 Delahaye 178 helped fill out the Sports and GT Cars 1958-1972 class, the largest at The Amelia with 22 cars. This example featured coachwork by Henri Chapron of Paris and a four-speed electromechanical transmission that allowed the driver to shift without using the clutch. The car was on display courtesy of the Petersen Automotive Museum.
The class of Davis vehicles celebrated the 3-wheel aerodynamic vehicles produced by Gary Davis. During its production lifespan, a total of 2 prototypes, 11 Divans and 3 military Jeeps were built. No fewer than six Davis vehicles were on display at The Amelia.
Best in Show
The Amelia Island Concours awards two Best of Show trophies, one for elegance and another for sport.
This year's Best in Show Concours d'Elegance trophy was awarded to a 1934 Duesenberg J-531 displayed by Harry Yeaggy of Cincinnati, Ohio. It was one of the last Duesenbergs produced and was originally owned by Marjorie Merriweather Post (General Mills founder, businesswoman, socialite, philanthropist and collector of fine art - and the world's wealthiest woman). This 'Duesie' was used as her Long Island summer house car until 1962.
The Duesenberg is a LaGrande Convertible Coupe that was recently restored to its original specifications. This is the fourth time in the past five years that a Duesenberg has won the Top Award at The Amelia.
The Best in Show Concours de Sport trophy was bestowed upon the 2017 Cadillac DPi-V.R displayed by the Jackson Collection, of Ellicott City, Maryland. After a 14-year absence, the Cadillac DPi-V.R was purpose-built to compete in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. This Wayne Taylor Racing chassis featured a race-prepared, normally aspirated series-limited 600hp Cadillac 5.5-liter V-8 engine and was the overall winner of the 2018 Petit Le Mans with lead driver Jordan Taylor, Renger van der Zande and Ryan Hunter-Reay. This was followed up by winning the 2019 Rolex 24 At Daytona overall with lead driver and double F1 World Champion Fernando Alonzo, Renger van der Zande, Jordon Taylor and Kamui Kobayashi.
'Congratulations to this year's Best in Show winners and to all of the collectors who shared their cars at The Amelia,' said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty. 'These incredible cars and their owners make The Amelia what it is: one of the most eagerly anticipated events on the automotive calendar every year. This was Hagerty's first time operating the show, and we are enormously grateful for the hard work and support of our amazing sponsors, our volunteers who come back year after year, the entire car community and, of course, Bill Warner, our Chairman Emeritus.'
Founded in 1996, The Amelia is an award-winning motoring event held the first full weekend of March at The Golf Club of Amelia Island and The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island. The Amelia's collection of motoring events will be held next on March 2-5, 2023. Jeff Gordon, NASCAR Hall of Famer and Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, will serve as the 2023 Honoree of The Amelia.
Giving back to the community
The event's economic impact to Florida is estimated to be close to $30 million a year and the charitable giving aspect of the show has grown as well, with over $4 million donated to charities to date. The charitable component lives on in 2022, with a portion of the proceeds from The Amelia going to Community Hospice & Palliative Care, Spina Bifida of Jacksonville and Shop with Cops.
Be sure to view the collection of images of the event from the 'Gallery' tab above. Also, here are images of this year's Amelia Concours : Reliable Carriers Eight Flags Road Tour.
The 27th annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance was significant as it was the first year under new stewardship. After time and careful consideration, Founder and Chairman Bill Warner handed the reins for this world-class event to McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty Insurance. Leading up to the event, many car enthusiasts wondered, 'what would change and what would stay the same?'
The 2022 event was different than in the past (more than just the new logo) - as it blended the visions of the past with those of the future. Hagerty is fueled by its goal 'to save driving and car culture' and to that end, they added innovative experiences for new audiences, most notably its youth initiatives, 'Kids Zone,' and first-ever Supercar Celebration. Events leading up to the event included the RADwood display (a celebration of 80s and 90s car culture), a Concours d'Lemons, and a curated Cars & Caffeine. It was a weekend of automobile preservation, information, and education that catered to every age group. 'The goal this year was to honor The Amelia's many traditions while offering innovative experiences for new audiences. Thanks to a dedicated team, I believe we did,' said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty. 'We received a lot of great feedback from attendees, vendors, local officials and participants that will help us make next year's Amelia even better.'
There were 215 vehicles on Sunday's show field, fewer than in the past, which resulted in more space between vehicles, a more relaxed atmosphere, and less pressure to see everything. For visitors seeking 'quantity,' Saturday's event had over 450 vehicles over three fairways of The Golf Club of Amelia Island. With all of the car auctions and events happening on the island leading up to Sunday's event, there was no shortage of sheet metal to admire.
And now, the cars.
Honoree and Celebrated Classes
The Amelia's 2022 honoree was driver and championship race team owner, Chip Ganassi. In celebration, eight of the cars that Chip Ganassi Racing competed with throughout his career were displayed on the showfield, including the Dallara which won the 2010 Indianapolis 500 and the Chevrolet Impala which won the 2010 Daytona 500.
Motorsports has always been paramount at the Amelia Island Concours, and the Hagerty team has kept this as a foundation of the event, and an integral part of its DNA. Racecars from the 60th Anniversary of the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 70th Anniversary of Sebring were joined on the field by some of the finest examples in the Race Cars Pre-War, NASCAR and Gurney Eagle show groups. The Rare Aluminum Porsche Race Car genre highlighted the earliest competition efforts from the then-young sports car manufacturer and included a 1951 Le Mans class winner.
The aluminum 1949 356/2 entry owned by Cameron Healey and restored by Rod Emory, was one of the first three Porsches to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1951, the world's oldest endurance race. Class winner at Le Mans, the car set the table for the longest stretch of consecutive la Sarthe entries that continues to this day.
Other featured classes included selections from Waterhouse Coachworks highlighting the small Custom Coach Builder from Webster, Massachusetts whose run was cut short after only five years thanks to the Great Depression. The 90th Anniversary of the 1932 Ford display was anchored with one of the earliest examples of the genre, the 'Doane Spencer Roadster' owned by Bruce Meyer. Rick and Elaine Schmidt's 1924 Lincoln L, with its 90 horsepower 358 Cubic Inch L-Head V8, helped commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Lincoln.
A triple-carbureted, 4.5-liter in-line six-cylinder powered 1953 Delahaye 178 helped fill out the Sports and GT Cars 1958-1972 class, the largest at The Amelia with 22 cars. This example featured coachwork by Henri Chapron of Paris and a four-speed electromechanical transmission that allowed the driver to shift without using the clutch. The car was on display courtesy of the Petersen Automotive Museum.
The class of Davis vehicles celebrated the 3-wheel aerodynamic vehicles produced by Gary Davis. During its production lifespan, a total of 2 prototypes, 11 Divans and 3 military Jeeps were built. No fewer than six Davis vehicles were on display at The Amelia.
Best in Show
The Amelia Island Concours awards two Best of Show trophies, one for elegance and another for sport.
This year's Best in Show Concours d'Elegance trophy was awarded to a 1934 Duesenberg J-531 displayed by Harry Yeaggy of Cincinnati, Ohio. It was one of the last Duesenbergs produced and was originally owned by Marjorie Merriweather Post (General Mills founder, businesswoman, socialite, philanthropist and collector of fine art - and the world's wealthiest woman). This 'Duesie' was used as her Long Island summer house car until 1962.
The Duesenberg is a LaGrande Convertible Coupe that was recently restored to its original specifications. This is the fourth time in the past five years that a Duesenberg has won the Top Award at The Amelia.
The Best in Show Concours de Sport trophy was bestowed upon the 2017 Cadillac DPi-V.R displayed by the Jackson Collection, of Ellicott City, Maryland. After a 14-year absence, the Cadillac DPi-V.R was purpose-built to compete in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. This Wayne Taylor Racing chassis featured a race-prepared, normally aspirated series-limited 600hp Cadillac 5.5-liter V-8 engine and was the overall winner of the 2018 Petit Le Mans with lead driver Jordan Taylor, Renger van der Zande and Ryan Hunter-Reay. This was followed up by winning the 2019 Rolex 24 At Daytona overall with lead driver and double F1 World Champion Fernando Alonzo, Renger van der Zande, Jordon Taylor and Kamui Kobayashi.
'Congratulations to this year's Best in Show winners and to all of the collectors who shared their cars at The Amelia,' said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty. 'These incredible cars and their owners make The Amelia what it is: one of the most eagerly anticipated events on the automotive calendar every year. This was Hagerty's first time operating the show, and we are enormously grateful for the hard work and support of our amazing sponsors, our volunteers who come back year after year, the entire car community and, of course, Bill Warner, our Chairman Emeritus.'
Founded in 1996, The Amelia is an award-winning motoring event held the first full weekend of March at The Golf Club of Amelia Island and The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island. The Amelia's collection of motoring events will be held next on March 2-5, 2023. Jeff Gordon, NASCAR Hall of Famer and Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, will serve as the 2023 Honoree of The Amelia.
Giving back to the community
The event's economic impact to Florida is estimated to be close to $30 million a year and the charitable giving aspect of the show has grown as well, with over $4 million donated to charities to date. The charitable component lives on in 2022, with a portion of the proceeds from The Amelia going to Community Hospice & Palliative Care, Spina Bifida of Jacksonville and Shop with Cops.
Be sure to view the collection of images of the event from the 'Gallery' tab above. Also, here are images of this year's Amelia Concours : Reliable Carriers Eight Flags Road Tour.
