A Great Day at Amelia Island

By Greg Peek

Forget Spring Skiing. The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is the place to be in March. The Concours is quickly becoming one of the most prestigious in the country, rivaling Pebble Beach for the quality of the cars, if not the beauty of the surroundings.  Amelia, I’m told, lacks the snobbery often associated with Pebble Beach , which makes it all the more enjoyable.  The only question mark this year was the date chosen by the organizers.  Northern Florida weather can be tricky in early March.

Just ask Jack Kahler.  Jack and Nancy endured rough weather and high winds as they drove their motor home south, towing the Double 12. A nasty cold front was working its way through just as the Kahlers had Florida in sight.  “We had to wait out the storm for a day,” Jack told me. “The winds were blowing the motor home all around.”

Bob Rittenhouse and I made our approach from Tampa , driving my ‘71 B. We made it as far as Gainesville before the floodgates opened. In Florida , the average rain is more like a deluge, and this one was especially nasty. Overnight, the weather cleared, and with just one day left before the show, it couldn’t have happened sooner.  Jack and Nancy had arrived safely in the Jacksonville area.  Jack attended the RM auction on Saturday afternoon while Bob and I drove the final stint up the state.  Meanwhile, the water began to recede from the field where Jack had been directed by the organizers to park his trailer. No harm done.

That night, we all met at an Irish pub in nearby Fernandina Beach , nearly 40 MGers in all, from all over, including Tom Metcalf, Dick Knudson, Tom & Marge Keller, Hank Rippert, Chris Nowlan, and Craig Peck among others. Phil Shires and his son Don rounded out the Colorado contingent.

Sunday, the day of the show, was picture perfect.  Sixteen entrants competed for six awards in two MG-specific classes, racing and production.  Overall, more than 600 entries were invited to compete in 35 classes this year.

 Jack competed against seven other MG racers, including a 1934 MG K3 Magnette owned by the Collier brothers. The K3 is one of more than 30 examples built based on three cars commissioned for, and raced by a team put together by Lord Howe for the 1934 Mille Miglia. This particular K3 is a later model, distinguished by its aluminum body and pointed tail.

 The K3 won Best in Class, while Jack’s Double 12 won the Amelia Award.

Michael and Ron Eaton's 1957 MGA Sebring Special won the “Spirit of Sebring” Award,

which rounded out the MG racing category. The Eaton brothers are based in Virginia.

In the production class, Len and Suzie Star ( Hudson , Ohio ) won Best in Class for their gray duotone 1935 NB Magnette.  The Amelia Award for MG production cars went to Bill and Sarah Richey of Bowling Green , Kentucky for their 1933 L1 Magna, complete with period correct Police livery. The Richey’s car originally saw service with the Lancashire Constabulary in Preston . Sarah accepted the award wearing handcuffs, which brought a hearty round of applause from the crowd. I can’t help wondering how that would have gone over with the folks at Pebble Beach!

Barb and Jerry Andres of Richmond , Virginia won the “Buddy Palumbo” Award, given each year to the car restored by, then driven to the Concours by its owner.  Given the bad weather a few days earlier, it’s a relief they made it at all.

Happy with their prestigious Amelia Award, Jack and Nancy loaded the trailer and rolled south to Melbourne for the Antique Automobile Club of America’s Grand National Meet, where Jack was awarded First Grand National status for the Double 12.

All in all, a highly successful trip for the Kahlers, and for all of us lucky enough to attend the Amelia Concours this year.

A final word of thanks to Tom Metcalf.  Tom is largely responsible for getting Concours organizer Bill Warner interested in MGs, and helping him create the two MG categories for this year.