A classic Mercedes-Benz 540K Roadster (front) heads a row of classic cars surrounded by crowds at The Amelia Concours d'Elegance last year. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
Published on July 28, 2025 at 11:32 am
Free local news and info, in your inbox at 6 a.m. M-F. Sign up for the Jacksonville Today newsletter.
Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti spent last Saturday wrestling the No. 1 Tricon Garage Toyota in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in St. Petersburg.
But this weekend, the 4-time IndyCar champion’s time will be spent as honoree at the 31st Amelia Concours d’Elegance in and around the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
And for the first time, the region’s largest classic car event has scheduled its main display on Saturday, and not on its traditional Sunday time.
The event, held by Hagerty, shows 250 vehicles across 36 classes, including Corvette at Sebring, Alfa Romeos of the 1930’s, and Formula 1 Cars from 1950 to the present. The 2012 Dallara DW12 Franchitti drove to victory at the 2012 Indianapolis 500 is also part of the “Cars of the Honoree” class.
“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,” the 52-year-old Scotsman said in a news release. “ … My love for all things automotive continues to grow every day, and I’m thrilled to share that passion with thousands of fellow enthusiasts.”
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
Moving the centerpiece display to Saturday has been done a few times in the past when rain was forecast for those Sundays. But this official shift to Saturday comes after suggestions from attendees, Hagerty Chief Marketing Officer Marc Burns told Jacksonville Today.
“That was one of the things that people expressed to us, that it would be more convenient for them to have the concours on Saturday, especially for those people who travel in,” Burns said. “So it is born from feedback, so we are doing it for that reason – first year we’ve done it like that, and we will see how that goes. We are also excited to have Cars & Caffeine on Sunday, with over 350 more local enthusiasts vehicles.”
Jacksonville car collector and photographer Bill Warner founded The Amelia in 1996. The event is always held the first weekend of March at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island and fairways at the Golf Club of Amelia Island. The event annually honors a famous racer, from Stirling Moss and Roger Penske to four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves last March. Hagerty, an automotive lifestyle company that started as a classic car insurance company, acquired the concours’ rights in mid-2021.
The concours annually sees more than 20,000 attendees, its economic impact estimated at close to $30 million a year as it fills hotels from Jacksonville to Camden County, officials said. The event has also generated more than $4 million in donations to Community Hospice & Palliative Care, Spina Bifida of Jacksonville and Shop with Cops.
“The event has become something special over all that time,” Burns said.
Along with classic car showcase, Broad Arrow Auctions holds its two-day event Friday and Saturday. Among its 160 lots is a 2003 Ferrari Enzo estimated to sell for up to $16 million, plus cars from the collection of Wellington Morton III, who lived in St. Johns and died in June. One is a 1927 Kissel Model 55 “Gold Bug” Speedster, one of about 40 left and estimated to sell at $125,000 to $175,000, Broad Arrow said.
Multiple free events are on Friday, starting with the 8 Flags Road Tour display from 7 to 9 a.m. on Centre Street in Fernandina Beach. Many of the historic cars shown on Saturday will line up for public viewing before departing on a tour of the region.
Then Main Beach Park off Atlantic Avenue in Fernandina Beach is home to two events. The Classic Motorsports Amelia Island Kickoff will show about 150 local and regional collector cars from 1 to 5 p.m.. Also on the same site is the Concours d’Lemons Amelia Island, a tongue-in-cheek collection of the weird and rusted, set from noon to 5 p.m.
The main event is from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, tickets $180 for adults, and $75 for seniors and teens. Franchitti, who won the Indy 500 in 2007, 2010 and 2012, will have multiple cars he has raced in one area.
“One of the reasons he’s been selected is because of his passion for driving and racing is still so much a part of him and in his blood,” Burns said. “He is one of the most decorated of his kind, and it’s great that Dario is coming.”
A rare 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster once owned by Baroness Gisela von Krieger is set for the show field, along with other special groupings that Burns said represents “quite the spectrum of vehicles.”
“We’ve got Ferrari competition cars; there will be IMSA and Can-Am racers. We have a class around Porsche super street cars like the GTs, 918s and that type,” Burns said. “Aluminum-bodied Porsche race cars will be there. One that people love is organized around Corvettes. We have a class of the very best mid- to late-1960’s Corvettes, with some big-engined cars. You can expect a range of hypercars from Saleen, Pagani, Bugatti and Lamborghini.”
Cars of customizer Chip Foose will be there. So will a class called “One-Off,” including the 1954 Gregory Roadster. Designed by Ben Gregory in Kansas City, it is the only one made after funding dried up, now owned by The Lane Motor Museum in Nashville.
Also part of Saturday’s display is the RADwood celebration of 250 cars of the 1980s and 1990s, on a third fairway on the west side of Amelia Island Parkway.
The weekend concludes with Cars & Community from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, with the Cars & Caffeine display of regionally-owned cars and area car clubs on the show fields. Tickets are $65 per person, or $35 for military and teens, and include access to four racing seminars in the hotel.
More details on all Amelia events are at ameliaconcours.com.
