Concours d’Élegance in Fernandina Beach

I wrote this last year, but now the Concours is back!  May 20-23.  The huge tents are up and the cars are already arriving.  It you missed this fabulous and world famous car show, don't miss it this year!  There may be some admission prices during the auction days, but on May 23, there are no fees.  But beware of deep traffic.  You may have to park aways and make a stiff walk.  It'll be worth it!

Fernandina Beach’s yearly Concours d’Élegance in every way matches it’s twin in sunny Carmel, California.  An extravaganza!  What exactly is an extravaganza?   Allow me to clutter your mind with a word picture.

Huge tents sprung up across the multitudinous acres of both the Ritz Carlton and the Omni International, each large enough to hold several hundred cars.  You know of these resorts?  Just to give you an idea, the Omni stretches for several miles along route A1A, with golf courses and a massive hotel, massive neighborhoods, both public and private, The Sanctuary, where I presume the celebs hide out on their visits to the island, and more enclaves I’ve yet to discover.  I’ve been around the world and never have I seen resorts of the magnitude of the Ritz and the Omni.  It’s not an exaggeration to suggest they are the size of med-sized towns.

Back to the prep for the Concours.  Huge trucks and trailers brought million dollar cars to the island.  Normally lightly trafficked roads were jammed. The municipal airport was crammed with executive jets, parked wingtip to wingtip.  At times, roads approaching the venues were closed to normal traffic. State and local police guarded intersections, directing traffic.  Highways had miles of yellow no-parking tape and accompanying signs.  Even businesses sold parking spaces.  Spots for RVs had been sold out for over a year ahead.  On one day, dozens of the cars had a parade through the streets.  People with cameras jammed the sides of the roads.

There was also a parade of show cars that parked on the closed off streets downtown, allowing you to see the cars up close and talk to the owners.

So, what was the big deal?  The cars. And if you’re not a car person, or at least an admirer of the beauty and design of automobiles from the beginning of the horseless carriages to today’s multi-million dollar autos, then you’re right, it was no big deal.  But for the rest of us, whose numbers span the globe, Concours d’Élegance was a very big deal.  Name a famous car and I’ll assure you it was there.

While the auctions required a ticket in the range of $100-$150, there were many displays and open houses that cost nothing.  You could roam the golf course at the Ritz, for example, and view automobiles you’ve only dreamed of and seen photos of.

This short exchange took place at the Lotus exhibit:

Me:  What a great looking car!

Guy standing beside me:  Well, for 2.5 mil it should look good.

Me:  For 2.5 mil it should come with a thousand sexual favors.

Guy:  I think that’s one of the options.

Before I show you some cars and the venues, I know you want to know some prices at auction.  The most expensive I saw from Gooding and Co, was a 1914 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost that went for a paltry $2,205,000.

A 1932 Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport Roster auctioned by Bonham, sold for $7.1 million.  As a matter of interest, Steve McQueen’s car from The Thomas Crown Affair, something called a 1967 Con-Ferr Buggy Myers Manx, took in $456,000.  Overall, Bonham sold 84% of their auctioned cars.  Interestingly, a 1952 Jaguar C-type sports racing two-seater failed to sell, despite a bit of $5.4 million!

The 1932 Bugatti Type 55.  7.1 Million bucks!

Steve McQueen's beach car from The Thomas Crown Affair

I could go on and on, but it’s time to show you some interesting cars, many of which I cannot name, even if I know the brand.

Putting' on the Ritz!

By the way, on Saturday at the Ritz golf course, mixed drinks sold for $12, but to lessen the pain, they were served in large to-go cups and the barkeeps poured until you told them to stop.  I think I had a thimble full of grapefruit juice in my spiced rum.  

But, oh those cars were beautiful and they got even more beautiful!  Must have been the grapefruit juice.

The Concours d’Élegance at Fernandina Beach was an extravaganza and a celebration of cars, past and present that filled the streets and the town.  An event for everyone and damn near everyone was there!