When a racing season is over, the thrill of victory may have faded a bit and the money has likely been spent or invested, what remains besides the memories? The trophies, of course, and at this year’s Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance a selection of 11 of the sport’s more prominent trophies will be on display. Foremost among them will be the Borg-Warner Trophy (above, right), presented annually to the winner of the Indy 500, decorated as it is by miniature relief portraits of all the drivers who have won the 500 since 1911.
The “Borg” will be joined by one of its predecessors, the seven-foot-tall Wheeler-Schebler Trophy that was first awarded in 1909, the year the Speedway opened, and was last presented to Harry Hartz, owner of the car leading at the 400-mile mark of the 1932 Indy 500. That giant sterling silver Tiffany trophy will be the centerpiece of the 21st annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance on March 11-13 on the 10th and 18th fairways of The Golf Club of Amelia Island at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, Florida.
Also on display will be the Harley Earl Trophy (above, left), the massive monument to victory in NASCAR’s most important race, the Daytona 500, as well as the Maurice G. Bauer Trophy, emblematic of victory in the legendary Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash created by Car and Driver columnist Brock Yates in the late 1969s. This trophy is different from the others in that it was never awarded.
“To have these trophies and the cars that won them on Amelia’s concours field brings home the true spirit of racing,” said Bill Warner, the event’s founder and chairman. “It brings our long racing history and heritage into sharp focus.”
Among the cars scheduled for display with the various trophies are: Al Unser’s 1970 Indy 500-winning PJ Colt for the Borg-Warner trophy; a 1909 Buick known as “Old Nail” for Indy’s Wheeler Schebler Trophy; Richard Petty’s 1970 Daytona 500-winning Plymouth Roadrunner for the Harley Earl Trophy; the NART Ferrari 250 LM that was driven to victory at Le Mans in 1965 by Jochen Rindt and Masten Gregory for the Le Mans 24 Hour Trophy; and a Watson-Offenhauser roadster for the Race of Two Words Trophy from Monza in 1957. For a complete listing and further information about the event, please visit www.ameliaconcours.org
