Amelia Island, Florida, March 9 - 11, 2018
The Amelia Island Concours d Elegance is one of the best automobile enthusiast events in the world. The event consists of many different activities revolving around classic and collector cars; some of the finest cars in the world. Cars are transported from all corners of the globe to be shown at Amelia. There are five different auctions held on the island, including the RM Sotheby's auction on the grounds and inside the Ritz Carlton Hotel. The 1931 Marmon Sixteen Coupe above was one of the cars in the RM Auction. Beautiful car. It did sell - $1,050,000.
A wide variety of years, styles, and types of cars are in the RM auction, from kids pedal cars (which sell in the 1000s of dollars), to 21 window VW buses, to desirable Ferraris. This 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB was sure desirable to someone. They paid $2,205,000 for the privilege of owning this car. Just the car auctions are more than one can fully see over the three-day event.
Many car people are at Amelia - design studio heads from various manufacturers, race drivers, magazine publishers, and some of the biggest names in the classic car world. Pictured here is Lynn St. James, a pioneer of women in automobile racing. She has raced multiple times in Indianapolis 500 and many years in sports car racing, with two Daytona 24 Hours wins and a 12 Hours of Sebring win on her resume.
There are workshops with experts sharing their experiences and knowledge with the attendees. One of the 2018 workshops focused on the early years of IMSA prototype racing and the cars. Drivers, car owners, and IMSA officials discussed the days of prototype racing with wisdom and humor. The ballroom was also host to some of the cars they drove. (Dave Sanders photos)
New cars are on display. Porsche, Jaguar, Lamborghini, and McLaren even offer potential customers drives in various models. Then, there are new cars that you will not see in your local dealerships, not even in the largest cities. Yes, this car is legal for street use in the U.S.
Then there is the show itself. Over 300 cars are displayed on the golf course of the Ritz Carlton. Classes of cars vary from year to year, so different cars are in attendance each year. One class this year was pre-WWI Rolls Royce Silver Ghosts. All are more beautiful than the day they left the factory. This 1911 car had a model in period costume to enhance the presentation.
The couple who own this 1908 Silver Ghost created a detailed display, including dressing in period They have driven this car on a rally around England.
Looking at the beautiful engine in this 1912 Silver Ghost demonstrates why cars of this period are known as Brass Era Cars.
The fact that there was a prewar (as in WWII in this case) MG class was reason enough to attend the 2018 Amelia. This image was made on the afternoon before the show as the cars were moved into place on the golf course.
1930 MG M-Type. The production of the M-Type began in 1928. It was small, lightweight and an immediate success in both sales and performance. The boat-tailed design with a fabric-skinned body was an immediate hit with racers and the casual but enthusiastic driver. MG began production in 1924.
This 1933 L1 Magna was is one of eight L1 cars built as a police car, this one for the Lancashire Constabulary. The car has recently been restored to its original livery with a black body, blue leather upholstery, and blue wheels. It was an award winner in class.
1934 MG J2. This model was often raced, with success, and was instrumental in building the reputation of MG as a performance car. This car is a true "barn find," discovered in a hayloft in pieces. It has been restored to its original condition including the duo red paint of Carmine and Saratoga reds. The J2 featured an 847cc four-cylinder overhead cam engine with a cross-flow, eight-port cylinder head.
SU carbs have been the mainstay fuel mixer for MG since the company's beginning. MG moved away from racing and more costly overhead cam engines in 1935 to cost-saving efforts during the difficult economic times of the Great Depression.
1935 MG NA Special. An MG set up for racing. The term "Special" has traditionally been applied to MGs prepared for racing. This car has cycle fenders replacing the swooping standard wings for weight reduction and a pair of very knobby tires for better performance in hill climbs. The custom aluminum, doorless body was built on a bare NA chassis for a female rally driver, Doreen Evans, when she was 18 years old. The car's supercharged engine produces 120 hp, a very high power to weight ratio for this time period.
A view of the face of the NA reveals many aspects of the car. The headlights are covered with screens to protect from breakage by rocks while on rallies on unpaved roads The lump in the front valence covers a supercharger driven off the front of the crankshaft. The top of the SU carb feeding the supercharger can be seen rising out of the enclosure to the right. Those are cables running to the front brakes as the brake actuation is mechanical, not hydraulic. The round, shiny parts on either side of the valence are the shock absorbers, in this case, friction shocks. They dampen the suspension movements through the friction of multiple metal and fiber plates rubbing together. The shocks can be adjusted by tightening the wing nut in the center, increasing or decreasing the pressure on the friction plates.
1935 NB Magnette. The sweeping front wings standard on MGs can clearly be seen in this view of the Magnette. The NB Magnette was the big brother to the PB Midget, equipped with a six cylinder OHC engine rather than the midget's 4 cylinder. Only 298 of the cars were built as two-seaters. Production ran from 1934 to 1936. Two-tone paint was the norm at this time with duo red, duo green, duo blue, like this example, being offered from the factory. Black paint was also an option. It is easy to see how this styling was carried over to the postwar production of the MGTC.
The Magnette was an upscale model with fine touches in design applied. The door hinges (on the front of the doors) are works of art instead of a simple hinge. The vertical chrome piece in front of the door hinges is a trafficator, indicating the direction the driver was intending to turn A dash control made an arm extend out of the groove so that it could be seen by other cars both behind and in front.
1934 MG PA Supercharged. This immaculate example of the prewar MGs was truly stunning. It had been rebuilt from a rough example by the couple displaying the car.
The engine on a supercharged car appears quite different with a manifold piping the charged air to the head rather than the traditional pair of SU carburetors that normally reside on the head.
Rebuilding a prewar MG in America is difficult since the cars were not imported to the U.S. and there are no old parts to be found. The trafficators were missing on this PA. A long search through England was required to obtain replacements. The story is that many owners in the 1950s removed the trafficators, modernizing the cars by installing turn signal lights, with the original trafficators tossed under a bench in the garage.
1938 MG TA Tickford Drop Head Coupe - a custom-bodied MG by Salmons and Sons. After MG built the chassis, engine, and firewall forward at the factory in Abington, 250 TAs were then driven to this custom body manufacturer to build the drophead coupe. There they were equipped with the patented, three-position folding top, which is referred to as a drophead. The cleaver top design, straight doors with roll-up windows, and a fixed windscreen offered the convenience and protection of a hardtop with the thrills and excitement of an open road car.
Amelia Island Concurs d'Elegance is a wide variety of exciting and educational classic automotive experiences. This post is just a tiny glimpse into the event.
