Barn Finds At The Amelia Island Concours
While the Amelia Island Concours is a few weeks past its expiration date, it’s still worth revisiting the cars that came home as the big winners in the 2024 running of this annual event. The Amelia has undergone a significant rebranding in recent years, with Hagerty Insurance taking a starring role in its rebirth as one of the highlights of the winter season in Florida. With numerous events catering to enthusiasts of all ages but certainly focused on a very specific income bracket, the Amelia attracts some truly stunning automobiles. Case in point were this year’s Concours winners, the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO owned by David McNeil and the 1947 Delahaye 135MS Narval Cabriolet. Read more here on Hagerty.
A 250 GTO in any flavor is a car worth celebrating, but this particular example has an incredible competition history. Notable, the Ferrari took an overall victory at the 1964 Tour de France and achieved 4th overall and 2nd in class at the 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans. You simply cannot put a price on a storied race car with notable wins at some of the racing world’s most prestigious events, so it makes sense that McNeil chose to invest in a no-holds-barred restoration of this very special car. Even so, you’d be forgiven for losing it among the throngs of vintage exotics on the show field.
Thankfully, plenty of original, unrestored vehicles were also in attendance, including this delightfully ratty Ford Mustang Shelby GT350. There will come a time when we see fewer and fewer of these unrestored cars making an appearance, so we certainly appreciate Hagerty keeping the flame alive for as long as possible. Speaking of, it’s worth noting that the other Concours winners, the Delahaye, likely deserved every penny of its restoration considering it is one of just six “Narval” cabriolets built. Thankfully, it was repainted in its original color of Orange Brule.
When you realize the parking corral is just as impressive as the Concours field (and I realize that’s a slight exaggeration), that’s really telling you something about the scale of the field that the Amelia attracts. While it can be seen solely as a playground for the world’s elite, it’s also one of the best opportunities to see cars traditionally held under lock and key out in the flesh. For attendees of every age and background, there’s an opportunity to find common ground on a shared love of beautiful machines with colorful histories, a rare alignment that is incredibly fleeting in modern society.
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Comments
A black Lusso! To me the most beautiful car ever built.
Always prefer the lusso, 250SWB etc. over the GTO but that silver one well, maybe I just don’t like red cars.
I’ve never been a real big fan red cars fan black dark blue silver gray but not red
I’m going to the Power Piston Show, next weekend. With a lot of cars that are just as beautiful. But there won’t be any Cabernet Sauvignon and brie.
The Amelia Concours “was” the Best on the east coast foe 20 years. However, it was sold to Hagertys a couple of years ago and it is anything but now! The attendance dropped off of the cliff and after the last two years that I attended, I can see why. It was a fun ride while it lasted.
More like sign of the times to me.
Bill Warner really knew how to run that show! He had connections and resources that no one else has.
I agree. I drove up from Greater Miami every year from 1999 to 2019. When I started seeing the same cars and motorcycles every other year, winning the same trophies, I realized it was no longer a real concours – if it ever was. And it got very crowded and very expensive.
I’m no longer interested in going again. Ever.
Car show attendance is down every where. There are many reasons why. I am 68 years old. Most guys my age don’t give two s$&ts about old cars. Secondly, many my age are in poor health and third, they are dying. I have lost 16 classmates in a class of 109 kids and we graduated 50 years ago this June. Rare cars have gotten so expensive, no one but the wealthy can afford them. Nobody drives old cars any distance anymore due to the horrible drivers of today flying in SUV junk glued to a phone. Think I’m wrong. Take a look sometime. I used to enjoy driving. Now it is a chore and I cannot wait to get home. I am selling my 50 plus year old Corvette because it is not worth getting run over by a soccer mom on her 11th cup of Starbucks racing some where in a Kia mini van. It just isn’t worth it anymore. The roads here in PA are terrible and there is too much traffic every freaking day. I was talking to a fellow Corvette friend at the gym yesterday. He is in his mid 70s, very fit, but facing back surgery. He is selling all of his Corvettes and tons of parts. He said, “I can’t do the work anymore. I am done.” It’s the cycle of life.
Am 69; had our 50 year HS reunion this past September. Out of 400+ graduates, 68 were deceased, many attendees were in poor health / grossly overweight. Sad but the way of the world. I kind of view the old car hobby now as one of opportunity: 20-30 years ago, I would look at some of these cars (restored and unrestored) and think ‘would love to have but too pricey’. Now those cars are more affordable as the market has softened. A guy who has a collection of 1900’s – 1920’s cars passes, his family has no knowledge / interest in them, sell them for whatever they can get. Not all cars fall into that category as a number of the marque brands still command higher prices. And I still think they’re cool and desirable.
It would be interesting if BF could do a demographics of the subscribers. Are the Baby Boomers the main audience?
It is said that the popular cars are the ones we wished for in high school. If that is the same for the subs, then it is a dying breed, especially the early boomers. The later boomers are just beginning to shed their cars and I wonder if the malise era is going to keep paying the price?
I like Vettes, am in PA, and have money burning a hole in my pocket. I’d like to see what he has. oldtimeharleys at gmail.
Car shows have changed quite a bit in the last 15-20 years. The old time car guys, who were into old cars because they thought they were cool, have been replaced by buyers-and-sellers of old cars who don’t care about old cars unless they can make a buck with them. Started talking with somebody once about their mid-1920’s Buick; was obvious he hardly knew the make and year. Just ‘do you want to make an offer?’. Could have been selling used washing machines for all he cared.
I mostly agree with your comment in that regard.
BUT, I saw the 20 Grand Duesenberg at Amelia several years ago. It won Best of Show that year. After speaking with Mr and Mrs Nethercutt, owners of Merle Norman Cosmetics, they informed me that they had spent close to 1 million dollars to restore it to factory original condition. It was further mentioned that they will NEVER see it being sold for that price and that they had no intention of selling it. They were Stewards of it, not really the owners, lol.
I turned to my friend and snarkily and humorously mentioned that it must be nice to be able to “buy” a Best of Show trophy every other year.
He immediately told me that it could have been chopped and channeled and a big block crate motor installed by a redneck! Rendering it worthless.
I immediately turned to the Nethercutts and profusely thanked them for their service to the collector/antique automobile hobby.
I could never afford such a car at anytime so far in my life, but really enjoyed seeing history preserved.
To me and some in the hobby, it really is ALL about “The Car”.
GT350… https://youtu.be/f_aZP3ImTv8?si=OC4FD7FOKRnOrM2G
Patina perhaps, but rusted from the factory? That’s no Fiat! 😂
The sight of the Mustang broke my heart. The mid 60s ‘stangs were my favorite, and I wish this one would have been taken better care of. Would make a great restoration though.
Played golf at Amelia Island several years back. Some guy had a house overlooking the course and the ocean with a swimming pool in the shape of Texas.