Amelia Island 2011 News
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Event:
The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance; March 11-13, 2011
Location:
The Golf Club of Amelia Island
4700/4750 Amelia Island Parkway
Amelia Island, Florida 32034 (45 minutes north of Jacksonville)
Website: www.ameliaconcours.org
In case you haven’t heard, Allard has been selected as one of the featured marques at the 2011 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, along with Duesenberg and Kurtis. The main Concours will take place Sunday March 13, but several events including lectures, tours, and dinners will occur the preceding Friday and Saturday. Amelia Island is one of the premier Concours events in the world; with a unique emphasis on motor sport design in addition to celebrating more traditional automotive styling. It is an incredible honor for the Allard marque to be featured at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance and the event is sure to attract a lot of attention to our beloved cars.
The Allard community is fortunate to have Island locals, Axle & Hanko Rosenblad that have graciously volunteered to serve as our social hosts for this exciting weekend. The Rosenblads own a Palm Beach Consul (#5018) and a recently acquired K2 (#1708). Additionally, we are grateful to Andy Picariello for working with event Chairman/Founder Bill Warner to get Allard selected as a featured marque. Andy will also serve as the Allard event coordinator for the weekend – one cannot thank Andy enough for the hard work he has put into supporting the Allard marque here in the States
By now, invitations to Concours participants have already gone out. There will be two Allard classes, one each for road and race cars; each class will have eight to ten cars. If you didn’t receive an invitation, you are more than welcome to bring your Allard, but I would recommend doing so only if you intend on using it as your car for the weekend. Unfortunately due to the layout and parking situation at the Concours site, there will be no special Allard parking.
With the schedule of events still shaping up, here’s a rough overview of the weekend, courtesy of Hanko Rosenblad:
Thursday, March 10 is arrival day for many exhibitors and guests. There are a few 'paid' dinners including the ‘Rolls Royce Wine Makers’ dinner at the Ritz-Carlton.
Friday, March 11 is tour and seminar day. There are several tours going on around the Island, including a tour for event participants that culminates in the old town for a luncheon. Additionally, there is the Porsche Driving Experience which is an all day event that includes a ‘poker run’ style rally that concludes at the Mayport Naval Station where participants will enjoy various activities to include a high-speed ride in the latest Porsche. The cost is $175 and tickets can be purchased from the Concours web site. Finally, a number of seminars will be hosted by the Concourse; with topics including ‘Women in Racing’ and the ‘Hot Rod Lifestyle’ – these seminars are very popular so come early to get a seat.
Saturday, March 12 is prep day for the Concours cars, as they prepare to roll them out on the golf course at daybreak on Sunday. The main event Saturday will be a cocktail party with hors d'oeuvres at the Rosenblads for all Allard owners (more details to come). Other Saturday events include a charity golf tournament, the RM auction at the Ritz-Carlton, additional seminars, book signings. Later in the evening there is the formal ‘Breitling Cocktail Reception’ followed by the ‘Mercedes Benz Gala Dinner’ (if you wish to attend that instead of the Allard dinner).
Sunday, March 13 is the main event. The cars will roll out onto the golf course at day break and the gates open to the public at 9:30am. Awards will be given in the afternoon and there will likely be a few informal parties forming up in the evening. Tickets are $45 if pre-ordered and $50 day of the show.
Air travelers should fly through Jacksonville International Air Port (JAX) which has flights from all the major carriers. All major rental car companies are represented at JAX as well. The airport is located about 25 miles from Amelia Island.
Hotels are booked fast, so make your reservations soon. The following hotels have been recommended by Hanko:
Ritz Carlton: (904) 277-1100
Marriott Residence Inn: 904 277-2440, 866 245-6099
Hampton Inn/Old town: 904 491-4911
Comfort Suites Amelia Island: 904 261-0193
Amelia Hotel At The Beach: 904 206-5200
Hampton Inn, Sadler Road: 904 321-1111
Seaside Amelia Inn: 904 206-5300
Other Hotels: Additionally there are a number of hotels off of Interstate 95, including Holiday Inn Express, Days Inn along with several others. The distance to the Concours is about 12 - 15 miles. These would be right at the exit off of 95 for Amelia Island , Yulee, CR 200.
Vacation & Condo Rentals: If you’d like to rent a house during the weekend, you can visit the following web sites: www.ameliaislandvacation.com, www.amelia.com, www.uniqueameliaisland.com.
The Island is not large, and as you would expect for a tourist location, there are numerous restaurants... some great, some mediocre and some marginal. Prices reflect the touristy venue and get crowded during Concours week. Weather can be anywhere from low 60's during the day to high 80's. Nights are cool, probably in the 50's or low 60's.
As you can imagine, there are many more details that need to be sorted out, but the weekend should be a great time. Allard owners will be travelling from all over the world to attend this event and we hope that you and hopefully your car(s) will be a part of it.
If you are interested in attending, please contact Andy Picariello at afpic@cape.com or Colin Warnes at cwarnes@sbcglobal.net. If you have questions about the area or are interested in storing your trailer with the Rosenblads, please email Hanko at LHANKR@aol.com.
We look forward to seeing you there!