2010 Amelia Island Concours

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Great weekend at Amelia, an automobile extravaganza! Weather was dodgy at first but cleared and the place was packed. Mercedes had a display and daily test drives available at the entrance to the hotel; when we arrived there were a dozen cars arranged for viewing including a 300SL next to the new AMG, which made an interesting comparison. Having already viewed the AMG up close, I still prefer the classic.

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The large private collection of John O'Quinn was a large part of RM's auction list and included some extraordinary autos. The preview tent was just outside our room, and as the cars were rotated (over 140) for viewing it was hard not to keep going back to see what was next. Results were impressive... rather than try to post photos and sales, here's a link: RM AUCTIONS

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A handful of microcars caught my attention, particularly a BMW 600. Speaking with the owner, a pleasant gentleman from Colorado, we agreed the 600 was undervalued and much rarer than the popular-cute Isetta. We also agreed it would be great if it sold above $30K or so. Sitting next to him when bidding raced off, I gave him a thumbs up when it hit $40,000... he called his wife to give her the good news. And the bidding continued to an amazing $67,500!

We all were astonished, and Dave was damn near giddy. A world record! His very nice little Bianchina did well too. And my old friend's white 850 Abarth surpassed estimate by $30K! Small is IN.

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On the Concours lawn, a veritable feast was presented by organizer Bill Warner. Dream cars included Harley Earl's most famous creation:

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Behold the diminutive and fascinating turbine-powered Ghia Streamline, which ran well... smelling like a kerosene garage heater.

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And no turbine car display would be complete without THE Firebird!

[cmcpokey]

looks like it was a great show again. went there a few years back, and it was great if not a bit overwhelming.

[csl177]

That's Smokey Yunick's 1964 Hurst Shifter Special, Henk. From a time when Indy racers still experimented:
:: 1964 Smokey Yunick Side Car, Hurst Shifter Special ::

"1964 Smokey Yunick Side Car, Hurst Shifter Special
Perhaps the most unusual car ever to compete at Indy, Smokey teamed up with George Hurst to field the Hurst Floor Shift Spl. featuring an outboard driver capsule. In 1964, Yunick showed up at the track with one of the most radical cars ever to enter the 500-mile race. Called the Hurst Floor Shift Special, it featured a catamaran-like layout with the driver placed in a pod adjacent to a second pod containing the engine, front and rear suspension, fuel tank, and radiator. Unfortunately, his driver Bobby Johns—the guy who almost won the Daytona 500 with Smokey’s Pontiac in 1960—had trouble adjusting to the car’s handling characteristics and eventually backed it into the wall during the last day of qualifying."

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Some Etceterini...

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A few of the Ferraris...

[kvisser]

I spoke with the owner, restorer and former owner/author about this gorgeous Birdcage. It had been campaigned by Stirling Moss and others with great success. It ended up a used, unloved old racing car that was sawed in half to install a v-8 into. That never happened and was lovingly restored in the 70s to its former glory with the larger 2.9 liter motor installed. The car was crashed and went thru a significant restoration 30 years later. This time, with the advance of knowledge, many earlier decisions were corrected.

[Dino Scuderia]

The Birdcage won the Best of Show – Concours de Sport award at this show.

[wwgkd]

That williams speedster in post #11 has surprisingly compact suspension. Anyone know if it worked well, or why that particular setup was chosen in the first place?

[csl177]

Nice pics, kvisser... with other UCP folks in attendance it would have been cool to meet! Maybe we should wear a badge or hat to identify one another. Do you know if it is the #22 Sebring car Moss shared (seems impossible, but true) with Dan Gurney in 1960, chassis #2457? It had a crowd around it so unfortunately I didn't get to read the card. Here are a couple of detail photos:

[henk4]

Nice pics, kvisser... with other UCP folks in attendance it would have been cool to meet! Maybe we should wear a badge or hat to identify one another. Do you know if it is the #22 Sebring car Moss shared (seems impossible, but true) with Dan Gurney in 1960, chassis #2457? It had a crowd around it so unfortunately I didn't get to read the card. Here are a couple of detail photos:

makes the decision to cancel our trip even more regrettable...I think the Birdcage is #2458, at least it looks pretty much like this one, which raced at the Historics last year, as well as in 2008 and 2007, but a good paint job does wonders..I have no pictures of 2457.