Every winter I dream of attending the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. My reasons are several. For starters, Amelia Island is in Florida, the event is held around mid-March, and thus the combination of warm sunshine and beautiful classic cars is enticing. And then there’s the Concours itself, which honours a famous driver each year and includes seminars, test drives, art exhibits and, for the lucky ones, receptions and gala dinners. Well, friends, I haven’t made it yet, Florida being too darn far from the Pacific Northwest, and I probably won’t be there this year either. But next summer I’m moving back home to Toronto and so, in 2011, Amelia finally will be mine to enjoy. But enough about me, as the saying goes, and a suggestion for you.
Go there in 2010, for Gooding & Company will be holding their inaugural Amelia Island auction on Friday, March 12, on the grounds of the Amelia Island Plantation. This is a company that usually offers a selection of very rare and ultra-desireable automobiles. For openers they’ve already obtained this Best of Show-winning 1931 Voisin C20 “Mylord” Demi-Berline. It is powered by one of only five extraordinarily intricate Voisin 12-cylinder sleeve valve engines known to have been built, and the interior draws heavily from Gabriel Voisin’s aviation background with myriad controls and exposed mechanical components. To be fair I should also mention that RM Auctions has produced an Amelia Island action for several years and will be there again in 2010.