Tag Archives: Amelia Island

Automobiles

Amelia Island 2013: 50 years of the Ferrari-slaying Ford GT40

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By Jeffrey N. Ross

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Originally developed with the sole purpose of being a Ferrari rival to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Ford GT40 became a prominent racing machine in the 1960s in both Europe and the US. Not wanting to leave such an important car out of the fun, the 2013 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance also took time out from its other celebrations to recognize the 50-year anniversary of the GT40.

Over its short lifespan, the GT40 was offered in a handful of configurations, but the classic short-tailed (Mk I and Mk II) bodystyles were well represented… especially in Gulf livery. James Glickenhaus (of Ferrari P4/5 fame) had his bright yellow Mk IV in the field, and there were several others in this bodystyle, including one that has seen plenty of time on the track judging by its chipped-up nose.

As a fitting statement for the car’s lengthy racing history, GT40 Chassis Number 1075 won this year’s Concours de Sport award. This car took home the checkered flag at Le Mans in 1968 and 1969, and racked up a total of six wins in just 11 races.

Amelia Island 2013: 50 years of the Ferrari-slaying Ford GT40 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Mar 2013 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amelia Island 2013: Lamborghini celebrates its golden anniversary

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By Jeffrey N. Ross

Lamborghini display on the lawn at the 2013 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance

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Lamborghini celebrated its 50th anniversary at the Geneva Motor Show with the introduction of the ultra-limited-production Veneno, but the 2013 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance had an even rarer Lambo on stage. Parked next to the all-new 2013 Aventador Roadster, Lamborghini displayed the world’s only Miura Roadster from 1968.

It wouldn’t be a Lamborghini display without the Countach, of course, but there were also some of Italian marque’s more unique models, including a 1971 Espada, a 1969 Islero and a 1966 350 with its exquisite backward-bent A-pillars. Lamborghini North America COO Michael Lock was also on hand at the show confirming that two of the three Veneno models have been sold to US buyers.

Amelia Island 2013: Lamborghini celebrates its golden anniversary originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Mar 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Automobiles

Amelia Island 2013: Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray from concepts to split windows

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By Jeffrey N. Ross

Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance 2013 - Corvette Sting Ray display

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While this year marks 60 years of the Chevrolet Corvette, the 2013 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance focused on one of the coupe’s most sought after models, the 1963 Sting Ray. General Motors design boss Ed Welburn was on hand to show off the all-new C7 Corvette, but even the hard-edged styling of the 2014 Stingray couldn’t take away from the beautiful 1963 models sitting out on the field.

In addition to the original Sting Ray and the 1959 Sting Ray Concept, some of the other classic ‘Vettes included “Big Tank” racecars, an interesting cutaway coupe, a right-hand-drive Z06 and the attention-grabbing 1963 Corvette Rondine by Pininfarina. Another impressive Corvette was the 1964 Corvette XP-819 rear-engine prototype. Owner Mike Yager had the car finished as a driving chassis for this year’s show, but promises the car will be back to its original glory in time for next year’s event.

Amelia Island 2013: Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray from concepts to split windows originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amelia Island 2013: Porsche 911 swarms the field marking 50 years of rear-engine goodness

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By Jeffrey N. Ross

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Perhaps one of the most iconic sports cars in the world, it was no surprise that the Porsche 911 showed up in numbers to the 2013 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Although the original 911 launched 50 years ago, the original and current models are instantly recognizable as 911s, and since the 911 has a storied racing background, there were probably just as many racing versions of the coupe as there were street-legal versions.

As the show’s 2013 honoree, one of the prime racing examples was a 1970 Porsche 911 S raced by Sam Posey. There were so many cars in attendance, we didn’t know where to look, but a 1985 911 Speedster concept and a Porsche-owned, rally-ready 911 Type 953 were definitely among the more impressive standouts. As an added bonus, Jacksonville-based Brumos Porsche had many of its classic racecars on display including a beautiful 959.

Amelia Island 2013: Porsche 911 swarms the field marking 50 years of rear-engine goodness originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Mar 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ETC: Experimental mid-engine XP-819 Corvette going up for auction

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By Jeffrey N. Ross

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It seems to be commonplace that when a new Corvette is in development, rumors swirl about a possible mid-engine layout. As is the case of Chevy’s most recent C7 Corvette, these rumors never pan out.

In any case, the idea for a ‘Vette with an engine mounted behind the driver can probably all be traced back to a single car, the 1964 XP-819 prototype. Built as an “engineering exercise” back in 1964, the prototype was designed with a rear-mounted engine. History tells us that the idea of a rear-engine Corvette fizzled, and the XP-819 was eventually cut up into pieces and stored at a shop in Daytona Beach, FL.

After sitting for untold years, a restoration project started on the car, and while it isn’t yet fully completed, the current owner of the car, Mid America Motorworks, will have the car on display at the 2013 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance as a “driveable chassis” with hopes of having a fully completed car ready to bring to next year’s show.

While we don’t know many of the details behind this car, we can obviously see that it wears strong C3 styling details four years before the third-generation Corvette ever launched. We will be on hand at Amelia Island next month, so we’ll bring you more coverage of this one-of-a-kind Corvette, but until then, check out the original images of the car above and the press release below.

Continue reading Experimental mid-engine XP-819 Corvette going up for auction

Experimental mid-engine XP-819 Corvette going up for auction originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 17 Feb 2013 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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