Amelia Island, on the east coast of Florida has come to rank with the west coast’s Pebble Beach as the two most prestigious Concours d’Elegance in the US. The one-day-only show is held on the beautiful tree-shaded, manicured golf course adjoining the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island. Ample parking, even for RV’s, is available at the nearby private airport. The concours theme changes every year but what doesn’t change is the caliber of the 250 invitation-only cars that are displayed. The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance always presents a number of cars you have never seen before, and its list of judges is a virtual who’s-who of automotive writers, racers and designers.    

 Surrounded by the finest racecars of America and Europe, Corvettes with a history of winning decades ago won again this year, with awards and lavish attention. The 1969 BF Goodrich “Stars & Stripes” Corvette, owned by John T. Thompson of Atherton, CA, won the overall award for “Best Paint by Design.” This car competed in both the 12 hours of Sebring and the 24 hours of Daytona. Those two endurance races and the 24 hours of LeMans are regarded as the trifecta of sports car racing. Powered by the legendary ZL-1, it set the GT class speed record of 215 miles an hour at LeMans on the Mulsanne Straight during qualifying. In its racing career, it was piloted by Dick Smothers, Don Yenko, John Greendyke, Robert R. Johnson and John Greenwood.

#49 started out as a street car, if that description can be applied to a factory L-88 with a Stars and Stripes paint scheme. However, when one of the two original BF Goodrich race cars was crashed before an important race, the street car was commandeered to race temporarily. The L-88 was replaced with the all-aluminum 427 cubic inch Chevrolet race motor that produced 750 horsepower at 6,500 RPM. In 1972, it took first place in the GT class at the 6-hour Watkins Glen driven by Dick Smothers and John Greenwood. #49 became a permanent member of the team cars sponsored by BF Goodrich, which grew to three during the1971-1973 seasons. In 1973, it ran the 12 hours of Sebring and set the class speed record in qualifying at the 24 hours of LeMans -- before being crashed by Yenko while taking a passenger for an exhibition ride. The car just finished restoration to its original specifications and markings by noted Corvette restorer Kevin Mackay of Corvette Repair Inc. in Valley Stream, NY.

The [David E Davis] Award for “Best Post-War American Car” at this year’s event went to the 1962 Gulf Oil race car now owned by Paul and Chris Andrews, Jr. of Fort Worth, Texas. This car is among the most successful cars in Corvette racing history. It was dominant in the 1962 SCCA races driven by Dr. Dick Thompson, nicknamed “The Flying Dentist,” winning its class in 12 of 14 races. In addition to winning at Daytona and Sebring, it won the overall 1962 A-Production Championship.  Also of note, it is the only straight axle car to win Daytona and Sebring back-to-back. There were only two 1962 Gulf Oil race cars and thewhereabouts of the second car is not known -- good reason to keep looking in barns and under tarps.

At the close of the 1962 racing season, this car was sold to Tony Denman who raced it through 1963. Even though its competition now included the newer IRS Corvettes, Porsches and Ferrari GTO’s, it still took second in its class at Daytona. At the end of that season, the racing parts were removed and it was sold as a street car. Nearly two decades later and painted red, it was a college student’s daily driver when discovered by Rev. Mike Ernst. The car has now been reunited with its factory-installed racing options: the rare RPO 678 package of heavy duty brakes, heavy duty steering and heavy duty suspension, plus its original engine and 37 gallon gas tank. In August 2008, this piece of racing history sold for $1,485,000 at the Gooding Auction in Pebble Beach, CA. Kevin Mackay completed the restoration back to its racing colors and equipment in 2009.

Amelia Island Concours visitors also had the chance to see the car that gave Corvette racing a huge jump-start. In early 1957, the first factory-built race cars available to the public for serious competition rolled off the assembly line. Forty three cars were equipped with RPO 579D, the legendary AIRBOX fuel injected Corvettes that featured cold air induction and the breakthrough of one horsepower per cubic inch. RPO 684 added a host of heavy duty suspension and brake components, including air ducting to the brakes. On display was the earliest known 1957 factory-built AIRBOX racecar. The original owner, Bill Howe, picked it up at St. Louis factory and drove through the night to its first race, the National SCCA in Cumberland MD, where it placed in the top three along with Carroll Shelby and Dick Thompson. After its racing career, it sat in a barn for thirty years and now has undergone an extensive three-year restoration. Current owners are Bill Connell and Joel Lauman of Cincinnati Ohio.

The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is going on its 15th year and has raised nearly two million dollars for charities including Community Hospice and the Spina Bifida Association. The Amelia Concours also gives attendees the chance to view modern masterpieces such as the Bugatti Veyron and the Cadillac 16. Another popular offering is the Vintage Fashion Show where models in period dress are paired with cars of different eras, illustrating the concurrent automotive and fashion trends of the past. For info on the event, go to their website at www.ameliaconcours.org.

Text & Photos: John Pfanstiehl