The Amelia Island Concours (The Amelia / Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance) is the most influential classic car extravaganza on the US East Coast, standing alongside the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance as North America's two premier concours events. Founded in 1996 by motoring journalist and photographer Bill Warner, the event was officially rebranded as "The Amelia" following its acquisition by Hagerty in 2021. The 31st edition in 2026 took place from 5 to 8 March on Amelia Island, Florida, featuring 275 handpicked vehicles on the showfield.
The defining distinction between the Amelia Island Concours and Pebble Beach lies in its deep-rooted motorsport heritage. Since 2005, the event has featured a standalone "Concours de Sport" class dedicated to celebrating historic racing machinery with significant competition pedigree, allowing pre-war coachbuilt classics and legendary race cars to share the same limelight. Every year, the event honours a motorsport icon, starting with Sir Stirling Moss as the inaugural honouree, followed by luminaries such as Carroll Shelby, Roger Penske, Chip Ganassi, Jacky Ickx, and Jeff Gordon.
Best of Show – Concours d'Elegance was awarded to the 1931 Duesenberg Model J “Tapertail” Speedster by Weymann, presented by the William Lyon family from California. Built on a short-wheelbase chassis (chassis No. 2450) with bespoke coachwork designed by Gordon Buehrig and crafted by Weymann American, it showcases an unmistakable "Tapertail" profile. Its original owner was San Francisco entrepreneur and aviator Walter Varney, whose airmail venture subsequently evolved into United Airlines.
Best of Show – Concours de Sport went to the iconic 1969 McLaren M8B (chassis No. 2), the standout challenger from the legendary "Bruce and Denny Show" of the 1969 Can-Am season, driven by Bruce McLaren himself to capture that year's Drivers' Championship.
Auction proceedings over the Amelia Island weekend were spearheaded by Broad Arrow and Gooding Christie’s. Gooding Christie’s garnered RM72,670,000, successfully hammering away the vast majority of its 148 lots from 155 entries. The star of the sale was a 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider, which fetched a whopping RM18,400,000, setting an all-time auction record for the Amelia Island Concours. As one of only 37 SWB California Spiders factory-equipped with covered headlamps, this example originally debuted at the New York International Auto Show in a metallic blue finish. Meanwhile, Broad Arrow clocked over RM107,000,000 in total sales, anchored by a 2003 Ferrari Enzo that crossed the block for RM13,800,000, significantly outperforming its market median valuation of around RM6,900,000.
Since its inaugural edition in 1996, the Amelia Island Concours has set itself apart by telling competition-led stories from a racer's perspective, rather than focusing purely on traditional luxury coachbuilders. Philanthropy remains an equally vital cornerstone, with the event having contributed over RM4,000,000 to various charitable organisations to date. The 2027 edition is slated for March, with exact dates to be announced officially. For classic car collectors and automotive enthusiasts alike, the Amelia Island Concours remains an indispensable benchmark for US East Coast collecting tastes, racing heritage, and collector car market trends.
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