Eight Flags Road Tour presented by Reliable Carriers
by Daniel Vaughan / conceptcarz.com | March 3, 2023
The Eight Flags Road Tour provided a first glimpse at some of the automobiles that will take to the Amelia Island Concours field on Sunday. This year's route traveled farther south than in previous years before circling back and taking a brief respite at Fort George Island Cultural State Park. The second and final stop of the day was in Fernandina Beach, Florida, where - in typical fashion - the entire town was on hand to enjoy these works of art. Noticeably absent was the stop at Fort Clinch State Park. As in the past, the cars participating in the tour were Concours Entrants and special guests.
Duesenbergs have claimed Best of Show honors at 'The Amelia' four out of the past five years, and with three examples participating in this year's tour, many onlookers wondered if they had witnessed this year's 'Best of Show.' Several other worthy contenders that took to the road included the Cadillac V16, a pair of Delahayes, a Lancia, and a Pierce-Arrow Salon Twelve (to name a few).
The Ferrari 195 Inter Coupe on the tour is believed to be the oldest Ghia-bodied Ferrari in existence. It is the first of six Ghia two-seaters built on the Ferrari chassis with the 195 engine. The MG Cooper Barchetta was given a highly modified MG engine and given the British road registration 'Joy 500.' The body was copied from Touring's coachwork on the Ferrari 166 chassis. The post-war Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 is a one-off, high-performance Berlinetta with coachwork by Carrozzeria Riva. It entered the Venice Grand Prix Concours d'Elegance in 1950 and - competing against Pinin Farina, Touring, Bertone, Castagna, and Ghia - the Serenissima won Best in Show.
This year's 'The Amelia' welcomes Jeff Gordon as its 2023 Honoree. During his racing career, he amassed four NASCAR Cup Series championships, 93 race wins, and 81 pole positions. A curated selection of cars raced by Jeff Gordon is expected to be at this year's concours, along with 250 historically significant vehicles in 32 classes, including Le Mans Winners, Porsche Fiberglass Racing Spyders, and the 120th Anniversary of Buick.
Gordon joins a long line of racing royalty honorees including Sir Stirling Moss (1996 & 2015), Richard Petty (2010), Roger Penske (2020) and Chip Ganassi (2022). Gordon's former crew chief, Ray Evernham, is an Amelia regular. This year he will lead a discussion on Gordon's incredible career at Saturday's seminar 'Jeff Gordon: The Hendrick Motorsports Years.'
Photo credit: Daniel Vaughan / conceptcarz.com
posted on conceptcarz.com
One of this year's celebrated classes is '75 Years of Denzel,' a small sports car manufacturer from Vienna, Austria. Wolfgang Denzel opened his small workshop in the immediate post-war era and remained in business through 1960, with approximately 62 roadsters built. Four aluminum-bodied roadsters were on the tour, whetting the appetite for this weekend's gathering.
Now in its 28th year, The Amelia is a multiple award-winning motoring event held March 2-5, 2023 at The Golf Club of Amelia Island and The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island.
posted on conceptcarz.com
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