Thousands of people annually attend The Amelia concours d'elegance outside the Ritz-Carlton, viewing 250-plus classic, speciality and race cars like this 1970's Alfa Romeo Montreal. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
Published on March 5, 2025 at 12:14 pm
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Florida’s largest classic car event hits a milestone this weekend: 30 years since The Amelia concours d’elegance first graced the fairways around the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island with everything from Allards to Zephyrs.
Continuing the tradition laid down by concours founder Bill Warner, The Amelia will honor another iconic race car driver — 4-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves. (He won Dancing with the Stars too.)
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An estimated 25,000 to 30,000 people will attend the concours, from its opening party Thursday through its classic car display Sunday. Concours Vice Chairman Matt Orendac said 275 vehicles in 35 classes will grace the grass.
“We have an incredible group of former racers, influencers and celebrities coming, and it is just going to be an incredible party. There is something for everybody,” he said. “We have this great opportunity that we are trying to a little bit for everybody so people can enjoy themselves. It’s just a party you don’t want to miss.”
The honoree says he’s looking forward to the four-day event as well.
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“There’s clearly a synergy between people who love racing and those who love concours, and The Amelia is the intersection of both those passions, each of which I hold dearly,” Castroneves said in an emailt. “To be honoree of the event during its 30th year is also an honor and so special, and I look forward to celebrating with The Amelia community.”
Warner, a Jacksonville businessman, car collector and photographer, founded the concours in 1996. The event is always held at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, and the 10th and nearby fairways at the Golf Club of Amelia Island. Hagerty acquired the concours’ rights in 2021.
“It’s a fantastic celebration of all those years,” Orendac said. “It is so sentimental to think and talk about how it started — somebody from the Ritz wanting him to add to the community and have this event, and Bill is probably the perfect person to start and grow an event to what it’s become … and what it has meant not only to the community, to the car world, but just in general.”
The event’s economic impact is estimated at close to $30 million a year, filling hotel rooms from Jacksonville to Georgia. The event also has generated more than $4 million in donations made to Community Hospice & Palliative Care, Spina Bifida of Jacksonville and other charities.
This weekend schedule includes:
- Friday’s Eight Flags Road Tour of Amelia Island will bring many of the classics for display Sunday on Fernandina Beach’s Centre Street from 7 to 9 a.m., before setting off to tour Northeast Florida.
- At 1 p.m. Friday at Main Beach Park, the Classic Motorsports Magazine’s Amelia Island Kickoff will show 150 local and regional cars. It is free for spectators. The Concours d’Lemons will also take place at the park at 14 North Fletcher Ave.
- Porsche Club’s Werks Reunion Amelia Island car show will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday at the Amelia River Club, 4477 Buccaneer Trail.
- Broad Arrow’s classic car auction is scheduled Friday and Saturday, including a 1954 Jaguar D-Type – $6.5 million-$8.5 million sales estimate. Gooding and Co.‘s annual auction will be Thursday and Friday at the Omni Amelia Island Racquet Club.
- Cars and Community is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, with 500 classic and collector cars from around the region on the main show field and the RADwood display. Admission is $30 for ages 13 to 22 and $55 for adults.
The Amelia also hosts seminars at the Ritz-Carlton:
- Behind the Mic: 3 p.m. Friday at the Ritz-Carlton; $35 admission.
- Back on Track: 7 p.m. Friday, film presentation with actor/racer Patrick Dempsey’s new docuseries. $15 admission.
- Best of 30 years of The Amelia: 10:30 a.m. Saturday, with past honorees of the concours. $35 admission.
Then comes The Amelia’s 30th concours from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Orendac says the display of race cars that Castroneves competed in will be phenomenal, including his past Indy 500 winners and a sleek 2007 Porsche RS Spyder American Le Mans racer. Inviting Castroneves as honoree “was a no-brainer,” Orendac said.
“Just look at the four Indy wins, and the three Rolex 24 wins and everything else he’s done. Plus the guy lights up — he could power a small city with that smile,” Orendac said. “His energy is infectious, and he’s just a wonderful guy.”
Other classes include Porsche: 50 years of Turbo; Supercars; Formula 1; Dragsters; and Critter Cars.
“We do have a couple of incredible pre-war Alfa Romeo cars; they are very significant, coming from significant collections,” Orendac said. “You are going to see the great classics, like a 540K Mercedes; some former class-winning Pebble Beach cars like a Packard and Phantom II Rolls-Royce. You will also see mid-engine Porsches that are phenomenal.”
If you go to The Amelia
Parking is banned on roads adjacent to the concours, but parking is available for $20 to $40 a day at lots at the airport and the Golf Club of Amelia Island off Amelia Island Parkway.
Tickets for the Sunday concours are $150 for adults, $75 for the military and $65 for those ages 13 to 22.
The full schedule for The Amelia is here.
