Highlights of 2023 ‘The Amelia’ Concours d’Elegance

The 28th annual gathering at The Amelia saw 25,000 enthusiasts gather for featured auctions, driving events and a two-day show on the grounds of The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island.

The big show brought shiny cars zipping around winding island streets. Hotels had no vacancies, bars and restaurants were packed all weekend, a traveling circus’ worth of tents were put up on The Golf Club of Amelia Island, and cars were getting driven and trailered in by the dozens. By the end of the weekend, Amelia Island saw $178 million worth of cars change hands, with a few hundred more cars in town just for show.

The attitude in town started to change early in the week of The Amelia, as classic cars peeked out of garages, parked on Centre Street and cruised down A1A. Thursday brought the first auctions and previews, and by Friday, Amelia Island was overrun with motoring enthusiasts. Every car had a story, and every car owner had a story about a car.

Jim Schumaker’s 1986 BMW M3 came to him as half a car and a pile of parts. Pulling up the carpet revealed holes in the floorboard, and the leather was cracked after over a decade of sitting still. It took a week to take apart each and every nut and bolt and another year to clean and restore every piece to like-new condition and put it all back together again.

“There’s a lot of sweat equity in it,” said Schumaker.

Unlike most cars on display, he didn’t restore his BMW to pristine condition. Most of the car is original, and it looks like it. The interior has a couple of scratches, there are some chips in the paint, and Schumaker doesn’t “over restore” his cars like others striving for the spotless show car.

“Look at that,” he says, pointing to a small scratch on the back window. “That means it’s been driven.”

Schumaker has a shop where his lovingly restored cars stand as achievements, but other car owners like Chuck Best like to make people smile. 

“I like taking my car out because there’s not many of them around. It’s like people have never seen it before, they always ask what it is,” said Best.

Best had been shopping for an older pickup that would stand out, and he scrolled across what would become his own 1982 Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup. The only problem was that the truck was in Germany. After flying out for 10 days just to drive the truck, Best brought it home with him.

People came from all over to be here on Amelia Island and look at cars. Different media members spoke in different languages, accents could be heard chatting about pre-war French cars.

Crowned Best in Show at The Amelia Concours d'Elegance were the 1935 Voisin Aerodyne, owned by a couple in Oxnard, Calif., and a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM.

Despite all the visitors, local man Mike Gilleland was beaming.

“I love it. I think it's well worthwhile. I think it stimulates the businesses, and it’s a good clientele,” said Gilleland.

Other locals had similar things to say on Friday on Centre Street at an exhibition of some of the weekend’s best offerings. Karen Worling has been here 22 years and says it’s only gotten better since she’s been here.

“Every year it’s a big surprise to see what we’re going to see,” said Worling. 

That surprise is in the hands of people like Bill Cost and Tom Wheeling, two classic car owners who are made happy just by other people looking at their cars. Cost’s 1968 Pontiac GTO and Wheeling’s 1954 GMC Pickup looked almost like an old-time comedy duo sitting next to each other; a skinny fast car and a fat slow one. Both cars were brought out for the same reason.

Standing next to his Pontiac, Cost says, “To me, it’s a trophy just to bring the car for other people to look at and enjoy. The gratification of people saying, ‘Hey, that's a beautiful car,’ that's the best feeling in the world.”

Wheeling shared the sentiment and reflected on what the whole weekend meant to him.

“If they’re not out on the road, our enjoyment of cars dies. Whether they're old, new or resto mod, it doesn’t matter, get out there and have fun.”