Dazzling Collector Autos, Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance
16th annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance To Be Held March 11-13, 2011
Want to experience one of the most amazing collector car shows in the USA? If so, start making plans to be on Amelia Island, Florida in March 2011.
A signature annual event on the island (every March), the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance typically features 250 rare automobiles. It’s a grand time to be on Amelia Island, so be sure to book hotel rooms as early as possible. Lodging typically becomes sold out.
A celebration of the unique heroes of motor sport, the Amelia Concours features legendary automotive celebrities and represents automotive enthusiasm at its best. Recently announced, the 2011 honoree is Bobby Rahal (last year NASCAR King, Richard Petty, came to Amelia Island).
Lush, green fairways of Summer Beach, Golf Club of Amelia, adjacent to the Ritz-Carlton, are 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 collection of rare vehicles brought together, one of the top collector auto shows in the world.
But the event is not just a display of collector cars. There are dinners, road tours, seminars, workshops, two auto auctions, a fine art show and more. Amelia Island has been dubbed “The Pebble Beach of the East Coast,” referring to the other top auto event held on California’s Monterey coast.
The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance weekend each year is a time when the Fernandina Beach Municipal airport on Amelia Island is lined with private jets and the city’s marina docks flanked with splendid yachts. Car enthusiasts come by air, by sea, or they just drive. But turn out they do, regardless of the mode of transportation. The attendance crowds seem to grow each year with over 15,000-plus arriving to see this world class display of the rarest of automobiles assembled together here on this tiny barrier island. Also, two auto auction companies hold sales on Amelia Island over the weekend (last year combined they sold over $35 million worth of collector vehicles in two days, see more below).
“I’m proud to announce that we have another great lined up to continue the Amelia tradition – Mr. Bobby Rahal, three-time CART champion and 1986 Indy 500 winner. With a career spanning F1, Can-Am, Le Mans/IMSA endurance racing, and open wheel, Rahal is one of racing’s biggest stars and we are very fortunate to have him with us for 2011,” said Bill Warner, Founder & Chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.
“He needs no introduction with a resume that includes three CART championships, Indy 500 winner, successful team owner, past president & CEO of CART, and successful businessman. Currently managing the rising career of his son Graham, Rahal maintains one of the sport’s most demanding schedules and we look forward to hearing what he has to say about U.S. racing’s present and future. As with previous honorees, we plan to have a wide selection of his cars on display.” See the official Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance website for further information and tickets.
RM Auctions’“Automobiles of Amelia” event is taking place on Saturday, March 12, 2011 at the Amelia Island Ritz-Carlton. The high sale at this past year’s auction was a 1930 Duesenberg Model J Sport Berline by Murphy that sold for $1,705,000. Total RM Auction sales at the one-day Amelia Island auction in 2010 surpassed $19 million (reportedly an 88% sell-through).
“RM Auctions is the world’s largest auction house for quality automobiles and holds four of the top five all time records for the most expensive motor cars sold at auction,” according to their website, see more at RM Auctions.
A second auction is also taking place during the Amelia Concours d’Elegance 2011, by Gooding & Company to be held at Omni Amelia Island Plantation on Friday, March 11, 2011. Gooding & Company auction sales at Amelia Island’s event last year in 2010 were over $16 million. The high sale for the one day auction a 1931 Voisin C20 V-12 Mylord Demi-Berline that sold for $2,750,000. Also visit GoodingCo.com for more information.
