24Th Annual Amelia Concours Motorcycle Class Stars Rare Vintage American, British And Continental Icons
February 19, 2019 by Amelia Island Concours
Jacksonville, FL - It is a class of motorcycle royalty from the era when the motorcycle with a sidecar was a viable alternative to an economy automobile.
The oldest and the rarest of the Amelia's 'Queens of the Highway' motorcycle class is the 1930 Opel Motoclub, a 500cc single made before General Motors bought Opel in 1929 and ceased motorcycle production in favor of automobiles.
'These extraordinary motorcycles are not mere basic transportation or substitutes for the automobile,' said John Duss, The Amelia's resident motorcycle expert and collector. 'They are the royalty of the highways. To their lucky owners power, performance and speed were the coin of the realm.'
The newest of The Amelia's 2019 motorcycle class are Vincents: the legendary 1950 Vincent Black Shadow, is still renowned for its performance. Even today the muscular British V-twin is considered the first 'superbike', long before the term became a common part of the motorcyclist's vocabulary. The Black Shadow is one of two legendary Vincents to grace The Amelia's 24th annual show field: a 1951 Touring Rapide will also be part of The Amelia's 2019 two-wheel class.
Britain also contributes the 1938 Brough SS100. The Nottingham-built machines were known as the Rolls-Royce of motorcycles and each one was designed to meet specific customer requirements. A Superior was guaranteed to achieve at least 100 mph.
Representing America is the 1939 Indian 'World's Fair' four-cylinder, another Amelia rarity that will share the class with a 1940 Indian 440 and a Henderson KJ.
The Danish-built Nimbus Luxus is still considered an advanced design with its 45 cubic inch in-line four-cylinder overhead valve engine and shaft drive. Front suspension was by telescopic forks, unusual and very advanced for the Depression-wracked 1930s. The Nimbus' frame was an unusual yet sturdy channel steel rail design rather than the more popular and common round tube frames. Nimbus was active from 1920, survived the war and lasted through 1957.
'We wanted to assemble something extraordinary, an exclusive motorcycle class without compromise,' said Duss. 'To offer something exceptional that had never before been ass
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embled at Amelia.' About The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance THE AMELIA will be held March 7-10, 2019 at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island and The Golf Club of Amelia Island. For the Amelia's full events schedule, including Saturday's Cars & Coffee at the Concours and Sunday's premier Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, visit www.ameliaconcours.org. The show's Foundation has donated over $3.45 million to Community Hospice & Palliative Care and other charities on Florida's First Coast since its inception in 1996.
posted on conceptcarz.com
