Category Archives: Car Shows

Photo galleries from places we’ve been and events we’ve attended

1935 Duesenberg SJ553 at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

April 7, 2014 ndubs77 2 Comments

Lifestyles of the rich and the famous indeed. Back in 1935 this one-off Duesenberg SJ553 cost a hefty $20,000 at a time when the average car cost $625 and the average house cost around $3,400. Proportionally, something like this Duesenberg would cost nearly $1 million today, however luxury cars of this magnitude are a thing of the past. The closest thing still around would be a Rolls Royce Phantom, but even that costs about half as much as this Duesie would.

This SJ553 was commissioned by Mars Candy Company heiress, Ethel Mars, and served as the ultimate status symbol of its day. It was even featured in Time Magazine in 1936 being hailed as the costliest car in the United States. Similar to a Bugatti Veyron today, supercharged Duesenbergs were some of the most powerful cars of their era. This SJ553 is one of only 36 factory supercharged Duesenbergs built, with an impressive 320hp being produced by its 420ci (6.9L) dual overhead cam Straight 8 engine.

In addition to its staggering price and performance, the SJ553 was one of the most elegantly styled Duesenbergs around. Its sinister Art Deco bodywork appears to have been draped gently over the underpinnings of its massive frame. The SJ553 was a sight to be seen, even surrounded by other stunning Duesenbergs at the 2014 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Let it serve as a glimpse into the wonders of a bygone era of the automobile.

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Car Shows

1965 Chevrolet Corvette at the Radnor Hunt Concours, 2013

April 1, 2014 Albert S. Davis 2 Comments

American muscle cars were certainly well represented at the Radnor Hunt Concours late last summer, and this 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray coupe was a straight, well-kept example. Despite packing the base 327ci V8, this black-on-red stunner featured a great assortment of options not often seen on mid-Sixties Corvettes, such as a power antenna, power windows, power brakes, and power steering. The 1965 model also featured four-wheel disc brakes, a first on the Corvette as a standard item. Purchased by a wife for her husband as a 65th birthday present, this gorgeous ‘Vette still looked a million bucks on the grass at Radnor. Enjoy the photos.

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Car Shows

Porsche 918 Spyder at Amelia Island

March 31, 2014 ndubs77 4 Comments

During the festivities of the Amelia Island Concours weekend, Porsche had their new 918 Spyder hypercar shown off prominently in the VIP parking section at the Ritz Carlton resort. Naturally it drew tons of attention from drooling spectators, as most of us Americans have yet to lay eyes on a 918 in person.

For those unfamiliar with the Porsche 918 Spyder, it is Porsche’s new flagship model. It utilizes a hybrid powertrain that nets 887hp at 8500rpm and will do 214mph, but get this, Porsche also claims it is capable of up to 78mpg if driven gently (not that anyone will ever want to do that). If, somehow, this is news to you, and you find your interest has been piqued, a 918 Spyder can be yours for the low, low price of just $845,000!!!

The more I learn about the 918 Spyder, the more I consider it my favorite among the current crop of hybrid hypercars, at least for road use anyway. We still don’t know which of the three is the “fastest,” but we do know that a 918 Spyder Weissach Edition made it around the Nurburgring in 6 minutes and 57 seconds, which certainly makes the 918 fast enough to get to work on time…. not that people who are buying this car have a boss to answer to. Until McLaren decides to just spill the beans on the P1’s Ring time, and until Ferrari stops hiding the LaFerrari from any form of objective scrutiny whatsoever, we will have to wait to see which one is “best.”

The Porsche is an incredible machine, though, and I think the fact that they haven’t held anything back about the 918 says everything that needs to be said.

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Car Shows

1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS396 at Cars and Coffee Amelia Island

March 27, 2014 Albert S. Davis Leave a comment

The day before the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, the Ritz Carlton on the island opened up their golf course for anyone with an interesting classic to show up and park among their peers across the fairway. While talking to a few people and enjoying the sun-kissed weather, I found a car bathed in enough sunlight to make the world shine. Enter this eye-catching yellow 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS396. This happens to be done up exactly how I’d want it on the outside. The sunflower yellow paint was free of faults, and the whole package (with the Magnum 500 wheels and white-letter tires, along with the black stripe and shined up chrome) looked just as smart now as it probably did back in the days of Richard Nixon, Woodstock, and free love. Of course, this car would be happier leaving tire tracks all over Main Street, USA than ferrying drugged up hippies to and from an enormous rock concert, but I bet it would be fun for anyone in the era. I was glad to see one this nice that morning, and my eyes are still stinging from that yellow. Enjoy the photos.

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Car Shows, SHOWCASE

Custom Pickup Truck at the Festivals of Speed, Amelia Island

March 25, 2014 Albert S. Davis 7 Comments

Nick was far too busy photographing a nifty Volkswagen parked at the back of the show to take fair notice of something that was even cooler just next to it. This custom pickup truck is too insane for words. The frame is out of Toyota Pickup, the engine is a Chevrolet LT-1 V8 from the early Nineties, and the interior is completely custom-made, with a No Smoking sign forming the backdrop panel for the radio and a custom instrument panel. Meanwhile, the body is a cream-and-brown 1954 Dodge stepside regular cab, and the entire thing is fitted with an adjustable air suspension. I spoke to some buddies of the owner who said that some passerby snickered and said “What’s this doing here?”, smirking the entire time. In my opinion, the joke is on them–this is one of the coolest customs I’ve ever seen and absolutely belonged in the show. Note some of the more quirky touches, such as the set of ratchet wrenches standing in for a gas pedal and a sculptured middle finger in place of a rear view mirror. All in all, this custom pickup truck at the Festivals of Speed is one of the coolest customs I’ve ever seen. Enjoy the photos.

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Car Shows

Fiat Dino Spider at Amelia Island

March 24, 2014 ndubs77 1 Comment

We caught this blue Fiat Dino Spider at the cars and coffee event during the Amelia Island car weekend. This is a rare car with the same Ferrari V6 under its hood as found in the Dino 206, and Dino 246 for later models. We did a post featuring Petrolicious’ video on the Fiat Dino a few months ago, and it was awesome to get to see one up close in person.

-Nick

Car Shows

2014 Festivals of Speed Amelia Island

March 19, 2014 ndubs77 1 Comment

The only street legal Tumbler Batmobile around. This one IS a car!

We attended the 2014 Festivals of Speed at Amelia Island. There were some major cars in attendance with flavors to suit all tastes, everything from classic Ferraris to slammed VWs to the Batmobile you see above. These are the highlights of the event, and there is a lot more where this came from. Enjoy!

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Auto Idolatry, Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

1958 Scarab: Best of Show, Concours d’Sport, 2014 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

March 18, 2014 Albert S. Davis 3 Comments

The other Best of Show award at Amelia this year was designated as the Concours d’Sport, an award to go to the best racing car on the field that day. I wasn’t sure what had the chops to sway the judges this year. While I was taking pictures along a wall during the awards ceremony, this blue 1958 Scarab destroyed my eardrums and stole my attention for a little while. Little did I know until I saw it waiting on the side that it was to recieve a Best of Show. My eardrums were again destroyed, but this time, I was fine with it. This little Scarab deserved its win and looked head and shoulders above much of the other racers in the field this year. Enjoy the photos.

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Car Shows

Alpine A110 1600S at Amelia Island

March 17, 2014 ndubs77 3 Comments

This is an Alpine A110 1600S, often referred to as the “Renault Alpine,” though Renault did not actually own Alpine until 1978. The Alpine A110 was produced from 1961 to 1977, and saw major rally success in the early 1970s. In fact, the Alpine A110 holds the honor as the first World Rally Champion, winning the inaugural WRC season in 1973.

The “Renault Alpine” designation comes from the fact that Alpine used Renault engines in the A110. The top-spec 1600S model you see here had a 1.6L inline-four producing 138hp. That may not sound like a lot, but at just around 1,600lbs the A110 1600S was capable of doing 130mph. Keep in mind, this is a rally car, not a supercar, and 130mph is a lot of speed on a winding rally stage.

We caught this classic french rally car at the cars and coffee event held during the Amelia Island car weekend. This car actually flew past us the night before, but all we could see then was its yellow headlights and enjoy the sound its lovely engine echoing off the trees as it disappeared into the dark abyss. I was thrilled to see the Alpine in daylight the next day, and it was great to get some shots of it. Enjoy!

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Car Shows

Highlights from the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance (Post 1950)

March 14, 2014 ndubs77 4 Comments

Here is the second part of our highlight reel from the 2014 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. It includes everything from the magnificent Ferrari 330 P3/4 you see above to the brand new McLaren P1 and Lamborghini Huracan. Also featured are the best in show award winners, a Horch 853 and a Scarab Mark II. The cars at this year’s show were truly incredible, and we literally were shooting photos from sunrise to sunset.

Enjoy the photo gallery.

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Auto Idolatry, Car Shows, SHOWCASE

1938 Horch 853 by Voll & Ruhrbeck: Best of Show, Concours d’Elegance at the Amelia Island Concours

March 13, 2014 Albert S. Davis 1 Comment

This year, two awards for Best of Show were given out at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. The best race car received the Concours d’Sport (a 1958 Scarab), and the best classic recieved the Concours d’Elegance. The Elegance award went to this absolutely stunning 1938 Horch 853 Cabriolet, which came all the way from Sparks, Nevada, owned by Bob and Ann Brockinton Lee. The silver-gray paint was immaculate and the restoration was top-rate. The 853 was a car of the aristocracy of Europe for some time before WWII and is sought after today as a great example of German craftsmanship from the Thirties. This one is one of only two ever bodied by Voll & Ruhrbeck, and was fully restored recently to an incredibly high standard. The chrome was second to none, the accessories looked better than new, and no stone was left un-turned. Despite the fact that I had other favorites and somewhat overlooked this car at the show on Sunday, I can see why the judges made their decision and I am inclined to agree about its high standard. Enjoy the photos. The Scarab will be posted to the site in the coming days.

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Car Shows

Highlights from the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance (Pre 1950)

March 12, 2014 ndubs77 2 Comments

We attended the 2014 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance last weekend and were absolutely blown away by the quality of the cars that were present. This post is a highlight feature on the pre-1950 era cars that caught my eye at the show. The post-1950 era highlights will go up on Friday and there are many more individual features to come.

Enjoy gazing at these magnificent automobiles.

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