Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance held in March

Visit Amelia Island and marvel at some of the world’s most glamorous vehicles, from Detroit muscle cars to Bentley  to Rolls-Royce, to race cars. Picture in your mind the lush green fairway of Summer Beach, lined with millions of dollars worth of gleaming, glitzy collector automobiles, dubbed the "Field of Dreams." The backdrop is the ocean and in the limelight is a stunning assembly of elite vehicles brought together for this Amelia Island event, one of the top collector car shows in the world.  About 250 rare vehicles are on display, some from seldom-viewed private collections.

Even if you are not a car buff, you will be amazed at the eye candy on the fairway and enjoy the ambiance of this special event on Amelia Island. Don’t forget to bring your camera -- this is one photo-taking opportunity you don’t want to miss!

Race Car, Concours d'Elegance

The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance will be held March 7-9, 2008 at the Ritz-Carlton and Golf Club of Amelia, Summer Beach. Featured at the event in 2008 will be cars of the 1966 to 1972 Trans-Am Series. Celebrations of the 100^th anniversary of General Motors, as well as the 100^th anniversary of the Ford Model T will be held at the Concours this year. Also to be commemorated this year is the 100^th anniversary of the New York to Paris Automobile Race.

The Trans-Am series will be the topic of Saturday, March 8th’s seminar, with some of the series’ top drivers speaking about their experiences and a Q&A will follow. In addition to Parnelli Jones (the 1970 series champion), others to participate are: Dan Gurney, George Follmer, Sam Posey, and John Morton, the series’ under 2.5 liter champion, to the Ritz-Carlton seminar.

Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance

The 2008 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance will honor Parnelli Jones, and benefit the Community Hospice of Northeast Florida. Parnelli Jones won the Indy 500 in 1963 and has raced a diverse variety of cars, including stock cars, off-road vehicles, Indy cars, sports cars, sprint cars and midget racers.

The New York to Paris race-winning Thomas Flyer will be at the Sunday event for viewing (no doubt you’ll be amazed how people made it around the globe in such “primitive equipment”). A seminar is being offered on Friday, March 7, about the New York to Paris race, given by the great grandson of George Schuster, one of the drivers of the winning car.

HERE ARE LAST YEAR'S WINNERS

2007 Winners of Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance

Pictured are last year’s show winners. In 2007 the top award for best in show (Concours de Sport category) was a 1953 Ferrari 375 MM. The best in show Concours d’Elegance 2007 was a 1937 Talbot Lago T 150-C-SS.

Attend the car show on Sunday, March 9, 2008 and other events held throughout the weekend – cocktail receptions, dinners, seminars, the car auction (see more below about RM Auctions' vintage car sale), and more. It’s an especially thrilling agenda for car enthusiasts.

See for yourself what you'll experience at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance by viewing this video clip taken at last year's event -- go to Amelia Island Living's Social network to view Amelia Island videos, photos, and read Amelia Island blog.

RM AUCTIONS VINTAGE MOTOR CAR SALE

The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, considered one of North America's finest collector car events showcasing some of the world's most rare vehicles, also features a vintage motor car auction, presented by RM Auctions.  Star attractions, according to RM Auctions, this year are a pair of historic Model J Dusenbergs.  RM Auctions will hold its sale on March 8, 2008, with auction preview on March 7th.  Just to offer a small glimpse of the fine autos to be auctioned at Amelia Island, here's a sampling:

-- 1958 Daimler DS 420 Limousine

-- 1958 Porsche 356A Speedster

-- 1966 Jaguar E-Series I Roadster

-- 1966 Ford Thunderbird Convertible

-- 1912 Ford Model T

-- 1931 Cadillac V16 Sport Paeton

To attend the auction, registration is required, along with purchase of the $80 auction catalog which admits two.  For complete details of the vintage motor car auction, and to print the complete auction list of rare autos for sale, go to the RM Auctions web site at http://www.rmauctions.com

The Sunday, March 9, 2008 main Concours d'Elegance event, the showcasing of elite vehicles along the Golf Club of Amelia fairway, requires purchase of tickets -- $40 per adult advance purchase ($50 day of event), $20 student, kids under 12 free.  Prices vary for other events. The show is held rain or shine (vehicles moved into tents if it rains), no refunds. Show parking is available at the Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport on Saturday and Sunday of show weekend. Parking is $10 per car and includes shuttle service to The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island. (The airport lot will close at 8 pm on Saturday and Sunday.)

For further details about the complete event schedule for the weekend, and to purchase tickets in advance online, please visit the official web site at http://www.ameliaconcours.org

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