New name, same high standards
The 27th annual Amelia Island Concours d’elegance returned to its usual early spring date, falling on 3-5 March, after its temporary shift to May last year. The big change, however, was a rebrand to ‘The Amelia’ for the inaugural show under the stewardship of Hagerty – although founder Bill Warner retains his position as chairman.
Particular to 2022 were classes for the 90th anniversary of the ’32 Ford; the 60th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Daytona; and for the Davis Divan, a streamlined oddity of American post-war optimism. Honoree Floyd ‘Chip’ Ganassi was joined by a selection of eight racers tracing his career, and the left-field Concours d’lemons was also on hand to lower the tone.
The award for Best in Show: Concours d’elegance went to Harry Yeaggy’s 1934 Duesenberg, onced owned by businesswoman and philanthropist Marjorie Merriweather. Described by chief judge David Schultz as “stately, dramatic and elegant”, the J-531 was a unanimous choice. The trophy for Best in Show: Concours de Sport, meanwhile, was awarded to the 2017 Cadillac DPI-VR on loan from the Jackson Collection.
Many of the most fascinating cars weren’t winners, such as the 1932 Ford Ray Brown Roadster, an icon of the early hot-rod scene. There was no gong for the Ferrari 75th Anniversary class, but a 1949 Ferrari 166MM did take a Specialty Award for The Spirit of the 1000 Miglia. Among the sports cars, the pre-war best was a 1935 SS1, while 1958-’72 Sports and GT honours went to a ’65 Aston Martin DB5.
A 1967 Toyota 2000GT landed the Rare Japanese Sports Cars class, but it was the ’69 Hino Contessa 1300S and ’70 Isuzu Bellett GT-R that really caught our attention.