The 23rd annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance will host 11 special classes at its 2018 renewal, scheduled for March 9-11 on the grounds of The Golf Club of Amelia Island and the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, Florida. The classes will cover a wide range of automotive interests and are listed below:
FERRARI DAYTONA 50th ANNIVERSARY – The last pure “Enzo” Ferrari, the big, long-legged, front-engined Grand Touring coupes (above) and spiders celebrate a half-century of speed and traditional Italian style at The Amelia in 2018.
N.A.R.T at 70 – Luigi Chinetti, the founder of NART, the North American Racing Team, was the driving force behind Ferrari in North America. The three-time Le Mans winner was also a major power behind the creation of Ferrari’s Grand Touring cars. The New York-based team was the author of Ferrari’s ninth and final overall victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1965.
IMSA GTP: 1981-1993 – A quarter century has passed since the IMSA GTPs — Grand Touring Prototypes — last raced in anger. By the end of their final season they had eclipsed most of the lofty lap records set by the fabled and unlimited Can-Am cars. The revolutionary GTP racers not only set speed and distance records, they redefined automotive performance, forced technological progress and brought a fresh generation of fans to the sport.
PORSCHE CARRERA – A year after scoring stunning overall finishes and class victories in La Carrera Panamericana, Porsche named its top performers “Carrera” to honor those performances in Mexico’s World Championship five-day, border-to-border open road race. Three decades of Porsche’s fastest will comprise The Amelia’s special Porsche Carrera Class.
AUBURN – A pure Classic from America’s heartland, Auburn was founded early in the 20th century and became the foundation of the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg empire in 1924. Auburn’s iconic boattail Speedster is still the defining silhouette for a special age of classic cars, and an emblem for America’s Jazz Age.
JAGUAR XKE – Redefining the terms “sports car” and “grand touring,” Jaguar’s XKE changed all the rules, upped the ante, won races and championships and launched the era known as “Cool Britannia.” The XKE’s timeless shape continues to turn heads, and its exhaust note still summons memories of victories at Le Mans six decades after its creation.
HUNTING CARS – Among the rarest of the custom coachwork cars, none are more specialized, exotic and hardworking than those created especially for hunters and owners of large estates. Assembled under the term “hunting cars,” the class will offer an uncommon look at extraordinarily rare machines seldom seen outside their specialized work environments. The centerpiece of “The Amelia’s” hunting car class will be the King Ranch Buick.
THE CARS OF “BIG DADDY” ED ROTH – His landmark Beatnik Bandit solidified Roth’s position in the pantheon of California customizers, but there was much more to his twisted design genius. Roth’s “Rat Fink” artwork, T-shirts and Revell plastic models turned the King of “Kustom Kulture” into a counter culture icon.
THE CARS OF MARTINI RACING – Since the 1960s Martini’s legendary red-blue-and-black stripes have been worn by World Champion racing and rally cars and even powerboats. A special class of racers wearing Martini’s iconic stripes will awaken memories of Le Mans, Monte Carlo and Formula One in 2018.
PREWAR MGs – The fabled marque that delivered America’s postwar sports car boom also enjoyed an enviable and robust sporting tradition before World War II. A select class of the cars from Morris Garages will celebrate America’s love affair with the lithe and agile British sports cars.
ELECTRIC CAR PIONEERS – The electric car is hardly contemporary. More than a century ago great engineers such as Ferdinand Porsche designed and built electric and hybrid cars. The 23rd Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance will honor the infancy of today’s electrically powered vehicles.
The 23rd annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is scheduled for March 9-11, 2018. For more information, please visit www.ameliaconcours.orghttp://www.ameliaconcours.org
