{"id":181499,"date":"2026-03-07T00:34:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T00:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/181499\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T00:34:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T00:34:39","slug":"the-amelia-classic-car-show-moves-to-saturday-for-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/181499\/","title":{"rendered":"The Amelia classic car show moves to Saturday for first time"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the first time, the Amelia Concours d\u2019Elegance<\/a> \u2014 the region\u2019s largest classic car event<\/a> \u2014 has scheduled its main display on Saturday and not on its traditional Sunday time.<\/p>\n

The event, held by Hagerty, shows 250 vehicles across 36 classes, including Corvette at Sebring, Alfa Romeos of the 1930s and Formula 1 Cars from 1950 to the present.<\/p>\n

The 2012 Dallara DW12 that Dario Franchitti drove to victory at the 2012 Indianapolis 500 is also part of the \u201cCars of the Honoree\u201d class.<\/p>\n

Franchitta, a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, spent last Saturday wrestling the No. 1 Tricon Garage Toyota in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race<\/a> in St. Petersburg. This weekend, the four-time IndyCar champion will spend his time as honoree at the 31st Amelia Concours d\u2019Elegance<\/a> in and around the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been coming to The Amelia for many years, not just to admire the incredible cars, but also to celebrate those who\u2019ve been honored before me,\u201d the 52-year-old Scotsman said in a news release. \u201cMy love for all things automotive continues to grow every day, and I\u2019m thrilled to share that passion with thousands of fellow enthusiasts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moving the centerpiece display to Saturday has been done a few times in the past when rain was forecast for those Sundays. But the official shift to Saturday comes after suggestions from attendees, Hagerty Chief Marketing Officer Marc Burns told Jacksonville Today.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was one of the things that people expressed to us, that it would be more convenient for them to have the concours on Saturday, especially for those people who travel in,\u201d Burns said. \u201cSo it is born from feedback, so we are doing it for that reason \u2014 first year we\u2019ve done it like that, and we will see how that goes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"A year ago, Amelia Concours chairman McKeel Hagerty, center, and 2025 honoree Helio Castroneves, right, honored the 2025 show winners, including a 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2.9, at far left, and 1967 Lotus 49. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today<\/p>\n

Jacksonville car collector and photographer Bill Warner founded The Amelia in 1996. The event is always held the first weekend of March at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island and fairways at the Golf Club of Amelia Island.<\/p>\n

The event annually honors a famous racer<\/a>, from Stirling Moss and Roger Penske to four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves<\/a> last March.<\/p>\n

Hagerty, an automotive lifestyle company,<\/a> started as a classic car insurance company. It acquired the concours\u2019 rights in mid-2021.<\/p>\n

The concours annually attracts more than 20,000 attendees. Its economic impact is estimated at close to $30 million a year as it fills hotels from Jacksonville to Camden County, officials said.<\/p>\n

The event also has generated more than $4 million in donations to Community Hospice & Palliative Care, Spina Bifida of Jacksonville and Shop with Cops.<\/p>\n

Along with the classic car showcase, Broad Arrow Auctions<\/a> will hold its two-day event Friday and Saturday. Among its 160 lots is a 2003 Ferrari Enzo estimated to sell for up to $16 million, plus cars from the collection of Wellington Morton III, who lived in St. Johns and died in June.<\/p>\n

One is a 1927 Kissel Model 55 \u201cGold Bug\u201d Speedster<\/a>, one of about 40 left and estimated to sell at $125,000 to $175,000, Broad Arrow said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Wellington Morton III brought his 1927 Kissel Model 55 \u201cGold Bug\u201d Speedster to a Caffeine & Octane cruise-in last year at The Avenues mall. It will be auctioned at The Amelia on Friday, March 6, 2026. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today<\/p>\n

Multiple free events are scheduled Friday, starting with the 8 Flags Road Tour display from 7 to 9 a.m. on Centre Street in Fernandina Beach. Many of the historic cars shown on Saturday will line up for public viewing before departing on a tour of the region.<\/p>\n

Then Main Beach Park off Atlantic Avenue in Fernandina Beach will be home to two events. The Classic Motorsports Amelia Island Kickoff<\/a> will show about 150 local and regional collector cars from 1 to 5 p.m. On the same site is the Concours d\u2019Lemons Amelia Island<\/a>, a tongue-in-cheek collection of the weird and rusted, set from noon to 5 p.m.<\/p>\n

\"\"One of the cars shown at last year\u2019s Concours d\u2019Lemons show was this replica of the Wagon Queen Family Truckster from the 1983 film, \u201cNational Lampoon\u2019s Vacation.\u201d | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today<\/p>\n

The main event is from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Tickets<\/a> cost $180 for adults and $75 for seniors and teens. Franchitti, who won the Indy 500 in 2007, 2010 and 2012, will have multiple cars he has raced in one area.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the reasons he\u2019s been selected is because of his passion for driving and racing is still so much a part of him and in his blood,\u201d Burns said. \u201cHe is one of the most decorated of his kind, and it\u2019s great that Dario is coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

A rare 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster once owned by Baroness Gisela von Krieger is set for the show field, along with other special groupings that Burns said represents \u201cquite the spectrum of vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got Ferrari competition cars. There will be IMSA and Can-Am racers. We have a class around Porsche super street cars like the GTs, 918s and that type,\u201d Burns said. \u201cAluminum-bodied Porsche race cars will be there. One that people love is organized around Corvettes. We have a class of the very best mid- to late-1960\u2019s Corvettes, with some big-engined cars. You can expect a range of hypercars from Saleen, Pagani, Bugatti and Lamborghini.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cars of customizer Chip Foose will be there. So will a class called \u201cOne-Off,\u201d including the 1954 Gregory Roadster. Designed by Ben Gregory in Kansas City, it is the only one made after funding dried up. It is now owned by The Lane Motor Museum<\/a> in Nashville.<\/p>\n

\"\"The Lane Motor Museum\u2019s 1954 Gregory Roadste is one of more than 200 classics and race cars set for The Amelia Concours on Saturday, March 7, 2026. | Lane Motor Museum<\/p>\n

Also part of Saturday\u2019s display is the RADwood celebration of 250 cars of the 1980s and 1990s, on a third fairway on the west side of Amelia Island Parkway.<\/p>\n

The weekend concludes with Cars & Community<\/a> from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, with the Cars & Caffeine display of regionally-owned cars<\/a> and area car clubs on the show fields. Tickets cost $65 per person or $35 for military and teens. They include access to four racing seminars in the hotel.<\/p>\n

More details about all Amelia events are at ameliaconcours.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For the first time, the Amelia Concours d\u2019Elegance \u2014 the region\u2019s largest classic car event \u2014 has scheduled…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":181500,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-181499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181499\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/181500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}