Voisin, Ferrari The Amelia’s Best in Show
AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. – A 1935 Voisin C25 Aerodyne and a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM were crowned Best in Show at the 28th annual The Amelia Concours d’Elegance on March 5. The 2023 event, now known simply as The Amelia, hosted many accomplished competition cars and drivers at the Golf Club of Amelia Island and the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island. Honored at this year’s event was Jeff Gordon, fourtime NASCAR Cup Series champion and Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsport.
“Racing is where drivers and machines meet in their purest form — and The Amelia is where the best of both gather,” said McKeel Hagerty, Chairman of The Amelia and CEO of Hagerty. “We would like to congratulate Merle and Peter Mullin and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum team on their well-earned honors. Thank you to all of our guests, entrants and volunteers for helping us celebrate the belief that certain cars are just super important, deserving of celebration and recognition.”
The 1935 Voisin C25 Aerodyne that was awarded the Best in Show Concours d’Elegance Trophy was displayed by Merle and Peter Mullin of Oxnard, Calif.
The Aerodyne was Voisin’s “Car of the Future,” an automobile that sought to capitalize upon the public’s growing fascination with streamlining and aerodynamics. It was rst shown in October 1934 at the 28th Paris Salon de ‘Automobile and was considered avant-garde, even in an era of progressive design. In total, 28 C25s were produced which included six Aerodynes, four of which survive.
“We had some serious contenders and I am honored that they chose us to win,” said Best in Show – Concours d’Elegance winner Merle Mullin. “I have the blessing of being married to a passionate collector who has never restored a car with an eye to winning a prize. His intention is always to restore a car to its historical correctness. But winning a prize is always greatly validating.”
The Best in Show Concours de Sport was awarded to a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM displayed by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum of Indianapolis. While most of the attention at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1965 focused on the battle between the “factory” team entries of Ferrari and Ford, it was the privately entered, one-year-old 3.3-liter V-12 Ferrari 250 LM that caused a major upset by winning when the favored entries encountered dif culties. Entered by Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (NART), American Masten Gregory partnered with future world champion Jochen Rindt of Austria for the unexpected win. This victory was the last time a Ferrari won overall at Le Mans. This 250 LM also competed at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1966 and 1968. It returned to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1968 and 1969 before its nal race at the 1970 24 Hours of Daytona, where it nished seventh. Shortly after its nal race, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum acquired the Ferrari 250 LM.