Miami welcomes new show success

In direct competition with The Amelia concours for Floridaʼs glamorous classic car audience, RM Sothebyʼs and Modaevents organised a 250-car extravaganza in the grounds of the historic Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables on 1-2 March, with around 8000 visitors in attendance. A slightly more laid-back approach was taken for the Miami event, some 400 miles south of and running concurrently to its established rival.

There were ʻcollectionsʼ rather than strict classes, and awards were decided by fellow owners rather than a panel of judges.

Peopleʼs Choice was awarded to a 1998 Mclaren F1 LM, highlighting the large range of modern supercars at the show – which reached even greater proportions with the arrival of the ʻ100 Clubʼ on Sunday. As well as an impressive array of Lamborghinis (below), there were three Vectors, a Mercedes-benz CLK GTR and even a De Tomaso Guarà, the 1994-2002 Maserati prototype-based sports car using either a BMW or Ford V8.

There was also traditional glitz on show, with eight former Pebble Beach concours victors present. Among the winners of Modamiamiʼs popular vote were a 1932 Duesenberg Model J Sports Torpedo by Figoni, a Pinin Farinabodied ʼ36 Lancia Astura ʻTipo Boccaʼ Cabriolet and the 1935 Duesenberg Model Sj-based Mormon Meteor Land Speed Record machine. A 1946 Delahaye 135MS Coupé Pourtout wowed fans of streamlined design, but the ʼ37 Cadillac Series 90 V-16 with unique Hartmann coachwork was even more of a showstopper. Built for the brick-and-tile heir Philippe Barraud, it was laid up in 1939 but has since been restored.

Modamiamiʼs centrepiece was the 1954/ʼ55 Mercedes-benz W196 Grand Prix car (above) that took Juan Manuel Fangio to the second of his five World Championships and set an all-time auction record in 2013 when it sold for £19.6m. Mercedes delivered the car from its museum in Germany for the event. There was also a Modamiami cruise for 50 of the display cars to the nearby scenic Coconut Grove on the coast, while the various lots making up the concurrent RM Sothebyʼs sale (p173) were on display

alongside the main show stars.