2019 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance Festivities Begin Today

Amelia Concours is a bucket-list event with four days of auctions, driving events, celebrities and car shows, March 7-10.

There are only a handful of Concours d’Elegance events held in the United States each year and of that elite group, the show held on Amelia Island in Florida is one of the best of the best, happening March 7-10. The centerpiece of the weekend-long automotive festival is the actual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, held on the 10^th and 18^th fairways of the island’s lavish golf course, but there is a schedule of events for each day that will keep you busy from sun-up to well past sunset.

Concours d’Elegance

If you have never been to an Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, it is truly a remarkable experience. This is not simply a car show with very high end cars; each vehicle is selected by a team of experts to create the most impressive field possible. While the vehicles on display vary from show to show, these events bring the most significant machines in the history of the automobile to one place, creating a collection that is like nothing else.

While the field is diverse, there is generally a heavy European presence with an assortment of American cars joining in with the “younger” classes. In many cases, the showstoppers are from brands that went out of business years ago and with some of these cars nearing 100-years old, you aren’t likely to see them at your local Cars & Coffee. You will see cars from Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar and other modern brands, but you will also see vehicles from Packard, Auburn, Duesenberg and other long-gone brands.

Weekend Schedule

The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance itself is held on Sunday, but the festivities begin on the Thursday before the show.

Thursday’s events include a preview of the RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island Auction, the Amelia Island Concours Silent Auction and the Guardians of Porsche Winemaker’s Dinner.

On Friday, there is the Porsche Driving Experience, the Reliable Carriers’ Eight Flags Road Tour, another preview of the Sotheby’s auction, test drive opportunities from a handful of automakers at the Ritz-Carlton, celebrity appearances at the hotel, another silent auction and a seminar titled “The Unfair Advantage: Racing Around the Rules Seminar.”

Saturday’s events include the MotorXpo car show, a Cars & Coffee that is sure to be unbelievable, more test drives, more silent auction and a seminar titled “The Porsche 962 Dynasty.” Saturday also brings the first day of the RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island Auction and the day ends with the Mercedes-Benz Cocktail Reception and Gala Dinner.

Finally, there are some other events going on in the area, but if you are an automotive enthusiast in the Amelia Island area on Sunday, you want to go to the Concours d’Elegance. Tickets are $150 at the door, but we promise, it is worth every cent, as this is literally the greatest car show that you will ever attend.

At least, until you attend another Concours d’Elegance.

Photos: Amelia Concours d’Elegance, DeremerStudios.com, RM Sotheby’s

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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