The second weekend in March was home to the 11th annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, held at the Ritz-Carlton and on the Golf Club of Amelia Island. It proved to be nothing less than spectacular, displaying unique, rarely seen, unusual, and historic automobiles. The weather was wonderful; the field of cars were evidence of the hard work and dedication done by the volunteers, committee members, participants, enthusiasts, and everyone who had a role in making this show one of the greatest automotive events in the United States. The Concours benefits the Community Hospice of Northern Florida, donating over 1.4 million since the Concours inception.

This year's show benefitted Habitat for Humanity and was very exciting. A wide variety of exotics were featured, making the voting tough.

The event was held at the Memphis Botanic Gardens, which has beautiful lawns and 23 unique botanical gardens. This setting is great for families and kids plus adds a touch of class to the venue.

Exhibitors included: Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Aston Martin, Jaguars, Lotus, Porsche, and Corvette.

By Bob Spruck
MotorMouth/south

Once again, the annual Atlanta Italian Car Day Show was an exciting affair. Any time you amass a bunch of Ferrari’s, Lamborghinis, Maseratis, or any of the other Italian marques for that matter, the result is invariably an exciting affair. As it has in past years, Kurt’s Restaurant in Norcross provided the perfect background on October 7th for the 10th annual showcasing of some beautiful cars. The strong sunshine reflecting off the deep paint jobs and high polishes wonderfully accentuated the voluptuous lines all Italian cars seem to have. Since so many Italian cars are bright red, the effect was even more impressive. A testament to the fact that the members of the Atlanta area car clubs, including the Ferrari Club, the Alfa Romeo Club, and Fiat Lancia Unlimited, look forward to this event was exemplified by the display of more than 100 clean, polished, and well prepared cars, inside and out, top to bottom. The show was hosted by the Atlanta Chapter of Fiat Lancia Unlimited and included in the registration package a free ticket for the raffle of some of the goodies provided by the twenty-three vendors and sponsors. Another nice touch provided to each entrant was an 8”x10” digital color photo of his or her individual car. John Montgomery, the national president of FLU, coordinated his seventh annual event and puts together a better show each year. Contact John (864-304-1337, bertoneman@aol.com) or the website (www.flu.org) to learn more or to join this very active and fun group. As always with the Italian cars, not only is the visual aspect exciting, but the aural is also. It helped of course that the owners, driving down a long driveway across an open meadow onto the show field, blipped their throttles, ostensibly to clear the carbs or prevent fouled plugs, but really to announce their arrival. You could easily tell the difference between a Ferrari V-12, a Lamborghini, an Alfa, and a Fiat by the engine noise and the exhaust sound. The presumably inadvertent technique worked as a very effective greeting, since all ears and eyes homed in to the source of the sound like radar locked on to a target to check out the new arrival. And, believe it or not, everyone behaved himself and there were no squealing tires! There were a few out-of-the-ordinary cars at the show. Alan White brought his newly acquired 1976 Alfetta. In many people’s opinion, this is one of the most beautiful Alfas and Alan’s car is a very, very nice original and un-restored example. Kirk Stevenson’s 1967 Muira P400 was another model seldom seen on the road and won 2nd place in the Lamborghini class. Paul Nichols’ 1965 Alfa Romeo Duetto was a fine example of this early version. Ivan Ruiz drove his 1968 Maserati Mistral to the show and impressed many people with its beautiful lines and impressive engine. He garnered 2nd Place in the Maserati class. Ty Kennedy‘s shapely 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale attracted much attention and placed 1st in the Alfa Romeo class.

This is a show well worth attending, not only for the exotic and ordinary Italian cars, but also for the beautiful and scenic venue, the hospitality of host Kurt’s Restaurant, the superb organization, the many vendor displays, and the ambiance that seems to accompany Italian cars and Italo-philes. Put it on your calendar for next year!

The 5th Anniversary of the Hilton Head Island Concours, held on the grounds of the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn Hilton Head Island, SC, occurred during the early part of November, 2006. This years event paid tribute to the Cars of Indiana and Indianapolis Pace Cars. The concours was the last event of a busy weekend which included Vintage Track Days, Worldwide Group Auction, VIP Reception, Southern Belle Fashion Show, a concert which was 'A Salute to Frank Sinatra', seminars, art previews, Car Club Jamboree, two driving tours, BMW's Ride and Drive, and more.

The grounds of Honey Horn provide an excellent location for the Concours. The beautiful Charter Oak trees, historic buildings, and grassy pastoral setting create a peaceful atmosphere and a feeling of tranquility. The weather was enjoyable and the sun seemed just as happy to see the cars as did the spectators.