Event Recap: The Amelia
This year marked the 27th annual Amelia Island Concours and the first organized by its new owner, Hagerty. Revs Institute has been a long-time attendee of the event and we were pleased to be invited back for this year’s installment. There were some truly iconic cars on display along with an impressive variety of machinery that covered a wide swath of the automotive spectrum. Adding to that variety were four examples from the Miles Collier Collections, the 1959 Porsche 718 RSK, 1952 Cunningham C-4R, 1967 AAR Gurney Eagle Weslake Mk 1 Formula 1, and 1974 Jorgensen Eagle.
Along with the main concours event on Sunday, a “Cars and Community” took place on Saturday, in which the 1960 Fiat Multipla took part. While not necessarily a high-profile, ultra-rare collectible, the charming Fiat garners an impressive amount of attention. Its friendly face brings back memories for those who owned or encountered one in the past. Not to mention the vast majority of people who stopped and asked what it is, which end is the front, and posed in front of it for photos after falling completely in love with it.
As ever, concours morning started with dew-coated car covers and quiet reverence, slowly transforming as the sun rose into a packed field full of gleaming cars (and motorcycles). While concours events are not known for the same level of action and excitement as the racetrack, they offer an experience all their own. Attendees can get up close and personal with a large gathering of carefully curated cars that they simply would not see anywhere else.
By the afternoon, the judges have tallied their scores, ribbons are distributed, and it’s time for the awards. We were fortunate to win awards for each of the four cars entered in the event. The awards are as follows: Class award in the Porsche Rare Aluminum class (Porsche 718 RSK), The Spirit of Sebring Award in the 70th Anniversary of the 12 Hours of Sebring class (Cunningham C4-R), Best in Class in the Gurney Eagles class (AAR Gurney Eagle Weslake Mk 1 Formula 1), and The Indianapolis Motor Speedway/Tony Hulman Award in the Gurney Eagles class (Jorgensen Eagle).
Regardless of whether it’s a high-end concours, early morning cars and coffee, or long day at the racetrack, our mission to share these cars at events remains the same: to expose people from every background and interest level to meaningful cars in an engaging way. Conversations abound as event attendees share stories or inquire about the history of a particular car. These conversations and the impressions these cars can make on the next generation are what make it all worthwhile.
