Thousands of people attended the 30th annual Amelia concours d'elegance in March, many looking at race cars of 2025 honoree Helio Castroneves. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
Published on July 28, 2025 at 11:32 am
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Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti will be the honoree at The Amelia concours d’elegance in early March.
And for the first time in its 31 years, the centerpiece of the region’s largest classic car event weekend is set for a Saturday on the fairways next to the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island and not its traditional Sunday display.
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The event, held by Hagerty, continues into its fourth decade with a few other changes. But as honoree for what has always known as the racer’s concours, Franchitti has the credentials. Along with winning the Indy 500 in 2007, 2010 and 2012, he is a four-time IndyCar champion, 2008 Rolex 24 at Daytona winner and a member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame.
“I’ve been coming to The Amelia for many years, not just to admire the incredible cars, but also to celebrate those who’ve been honored before me,” Franchitti said in a news release. “I feel incredibly fortunate to have experienced the success I have, made possible in large part by the talented people I’ve worked with and the incredible cars I’ve driven. My love for all things automotive continues to grow every day, and I’m thrilled to share that passion with thousands of fellow enthusiasts in March.”
The weekend shift for the concours has been done in only a few years when rain threatened. The scheduled shift comes from the wishes of those who attend, said Hagerty CEO McKeel Hagerty,
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“As an event shaped by enthusiasts, we’ve listened closely to the guests who attend The Amelia year-after-year,” Hagerty said. “Hosting The Amelia Concours on Saturday will allow for an improved experience, while creating room for a bigger-than-ever Cars & Community on Sunday.”
Bill Warner, a Jacksonville businessman, car collector and magazine photographer, founded The Amelia in 1996. The automotive charity event is always held the first weekend of March at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island and the 10th and 18th fairways of the Golf Club of Amelia Island.
Hagerty, a classic car lifestyle company that started as a classic car insurance company, acquired the concours’ rights in mid-2021.
The event annually honors a famous racer and his cars, from Stirling Moss and Roger Penske to multiple NASCAR champ Jeff Gordon and four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves this past March.
The concours display on the Golf Club of Amelia Island’s fairways showcases classic marques, antiques and muscle cars to crowds numbering more than 25,000. Its economic impact is estimated at close to $30 million-plus a year, filling hotel rooms from Jacksonville to Camden County, Georgia.
The event has generated more than $4 million in donations to Community Hospice & Palliative Care, Spina Bifida of Jacksonville and Shop with Cops.
Along with moving the classic car showcase up a day, The Amelia now will begin with a March 5 event called Reverie. Hagerty’s Broad Arrow Auctions then will have its two-day auction on March 6 and 7, Friday and Saturday of that weekend.
The concours will start the morning of March 7, featuring 250 vehicles across 30 curated classes, including the expected display of the 2012 Dallara DW12 Franchitti drove to victory at the 2012 Indianapolis 500 as part of the traditional “Cars of the Honoree” class.
Other featured classes include Porsche aluminum-bodied Racers, Can-Am race cars, and Corvettes that used the famed L88 engine. The concours will be joined by the RADwood celebration of cars of the 1980s and 1990s, with another 200 vehicles displayed.
The weekend concludes with an expanded Cars & Community on Sunday, March 8, with hundreds of regionally-owned cars and area car clubs covering more show fields, Hagerty said.
More details and ticket pre-sales are at ameliaconcours.com.
