The Amelia Island Concours 2018 was held March 8-10 on the 10th and 18th fairways of the Golf Club of Amelia Island adjacent to the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, Florida. The 23rd anniversary of the Concours attracted capacity crowds and a diverse selection of more than 300 cars and motorcycles. For the second year in a row, the Concours was moved up a day to Saturday in advance of a rainy forecast on the traditional Sunday event date.
With “look over there!” activity at every turn, the Amelia Island Concours team passionately led by Chairman and Founder Bill Warner again surpassed the dynamic pace of previous events. From classic Auburns to N.A.R.T Ferraris and from the wild creations of Ed ‘Big Daddy’ Roth to ground-hugging IMSA GTP cars, there was tremendous variety among the more than 300 cars on the picturesque show field.
“With every passing year, the Amelia Island Concours continues to grow,” Warner said. “It is magical to see the wide variety of vehicles that appear on the green each year. Their stories and history truly allow us to celebrate the automobile industry in a number of ways.”
Double Formula 1 World Champion and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi kicked off the 2018 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance by driving onto the field in the McLaren-Cosworth M23 he drove to victory at Argentina and Silverstone in 1975. A further selection of Fittipaldi’s racers were among the highlights of the ‘Race Cars of Emerson Fittipaldi’ class, such as the John Player Special 1970 Lotus 72/5; 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR IROC and 1986 March 86C.
In addition to the race cars of Emerson Fittipaldi, the Amelia Island Concours 2018 also celebrated the Cars of Martini Racing; Cars of ‘Big Daddy’ Ed Roth; the 50th anniversary of the Ferrari Daytona; IMSA Grand Touring Prototypes; Jaguar E-Type; the 70th anniversary of N.A.R.T; Pre-War MGs; Auburn and much more.
The iconic red and double-blue stripes and the famed “bar-and-ball” of the Martini International Racing Team was headlined by the Le Mans-winning Porsche 917K that set speed records that took four decades to beat. Other highlights included the Revs Institute’s Porsche 917K proudly wearing battles scars from circuits across the globe, the Targa Florio-winning Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 2.8 ‘Mary Stuart’, Jerry Seinfeld’s 1976 Porsche 935-001 and several Lancia racers.
If that wasn’t enough to stop you in your tracks, then the incredible class celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (N.A.R.T) was another show stopper. 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. That winning 275 was joined by the sole Ferrari 196S Dino produced; the Ferrari 250 TRI/61 that won Le Mans driven by Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebien; the Ferrari 365 P-3 ‘Tre Posti’ and the Ferrari 512 M driven Sam Posey and Tony Adamowicz to third overall at Le Mans.
The Best of Show Concours de Sport was awarded to the 1963 Ferrari 250/275P from the JSL Motorsports Collection in Redwood City, California and Best of Show Concours of Elegance at the 2018 Amelia Island Concours went to the 1929 Duesenberg Model J/SJ Convertible owned by Harry Yeaggy from Cincinnati, Ohio.
The 24th annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance will be held March 8-10, 2019. The show’s Foundation has donated over $3.2 million to Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, Inc. and other charities on Florida’s First Coast since its inception in 1996.
If you didn’t make it to Amelia Island, don’t worry we’ve got you covered. Similar to 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, Sports Car Digest also documented this year’s banner event with the following selection from the fairways of the Golf Club of Amelia Island.
Amelia Island Concours 2018 – Photo Gallery (photos: Sports Car Digest)
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[Source: Sports Car Digest]
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