Jacksonville, FL - No formal definition or classification exists for the term 'Supercar.' No matter. They are well named and exotic corporate statements created to deliver bragging rights; maximum automobiles with high entertainment value and somewhat less utility. But they summon powerful emotions when seen on the road or from the cockpit, and that's most important component of the nonexistent supercar definition.
Politically, Supercars are proof that capitalism works. Supercars are the stuff of fantasies. In 2021, The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance will gather some of the greatest examples from the 1980s and 1990s in a grandiose display. Comprised of automobiles that many of our staff grew up dreaming about, maybe the class is best described as 'a real-life gathering of childhood poster cars.'
What better way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Lamborghini Countach than to bring what is arguably the most iconic Countach in existence, the 81/82 Monaco Grand Prix Safety Car?
The 26th annual Amelia's Supercar Class is also scheduled to include the majestic Ferrari supercar trio of the 288 GTO, F40 and F50. And if that's not enough prancing horses for you, we invited the most famous 1980s Testarossa of them all, VIN 63259, the actual screen-shot car from the television series Miami Vice.
Germany will be well-represented with immaculate versions of BMW's M1, a Porsche 959 and the show-stopping Mercedes-AMG CLK GTR. AMG, the performance wing of Mercedes, would design, build, and test the CLK GTR in 128 days. The resultant supercar would win at the A-1 Ring, Suzuka, Donington, Sebring and Laguna Seca.
Great Britain's supercar ambassadors include a stunning Jaguar XJR-15 and the iconic McLaren F1. Both represent what is possible when a manufacturers only apparent directive is, 'do what needs to be done.' The Jaguar is the first road car to feature a carbon-fiber chassis and body. The F1 would hold the title of 'fastest production car' for more than a decade.
What happens when an ex-Lamborghini engineer (Claudio Zampolli), a disco and electronic music pioneer (Giorgio Moroder) and a legendary automotive designer (Marcello Gandini) join forces? A radically styled 1990s supercar powered by a transversely mounted 540 horsepower sixteen-cylinder engine or the Cizeta V16T. The Amelia is excited to invite chassis #101, the same supercar featured in Cizeta's press images and displayed at the 1993 Geneva Auto Show.
'It's impossible not to giggle when I look over the list of cars in the 2021 Supercars class,' says Chris Brewer, The Amelia's Director of Communications. 'Growing up in the 1980s these are the cars that I pushed diecast versions of around on my folk's kitchen floor. The same cars I built monuments to on my bedroom walls. We are thrilled to bring so many incredible examples together for this year's concours. Look for a surprise or two as well!'
Supercars will join The Amelia's celebration of Hispano-Suiza, Porsche 935, Chevy Thunder, Weird & Wonderful and others at the 26th Annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, May 20-23, 2021.