Amelia Island Concours Best of Show
By: Amelia Concours
The 2017 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance Best of Show was awarded to a 1935 Duesenberg SJ owned by Terence Adderley of Bloomfields Hills, Mi.
The Model J was produced in Indianapolis from 1929 until 1937 with a 420 cubic-inch DOHC engine producing 265 horsepower in stock form and 320 horsepower in supercharged form. Each of the chassis sold received custom coachwork built to the whims of the owner. Prices ranged from $13,500 to $25,000. Five torpedo Phaetons were built to Gordon Buehrig's design. The first body was produced by Brunn and two subsequent bodies were built by Weymann.
This car is one of the last two Torpedo Phaetons, which were built by the A.J. Walker Company to the Gordon Buehrig design specifications. It was originally delivered new to E.L. King of Winona, Wisconsin as J-558 on chassis #2558. Mr. King was apparently not satisfied with the car and Duesenberg agreed to replace the complete chassis and engine. The original body was installed on chassis #2608 with engine J-582.
The 2017 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance Best of Show Concours d'Sport was awarded to a 1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider owned by the A. Dano Davis Collection.
In the 1930s, the 8C 2900 Alfa was not a mere sports car but was the most advanced, modern and compelling sports car money could buy. Approximately 32 of the 2.9 chassis were made and it is believed only 12 are Touring Spiders, seven of which are the long chassis like this car. This car's known history starts in 1949. In February 1949 it was raced in Sao Paulo by amateur driver Mario Tavares Leite who had the car imported from Italy to Brazil. Mario won races with the car in 1949 and 1950 after which the car disappeared. Later it had a Corvette engine installed and the chassis was modified. It is possible this car traveled to Brazil from Argentina in the mid-to-late 1950s, without the Touring body and with the Corvette V8 only to be reunited with the original Touring coachwork years later.
Photo credit: conceptcarz.composted on conceptcarz.com
