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CONCOURS CARS TAKE PATIENCE TO RESTORE
Owners Spend Up to 30 Years to Rebuild Some of the Entries in
March 8th Amelia Island Charity Concours
AMELIA ISLAND, FL (February 6, 1997) - The people who attend The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance here March 8th will view about 175 rare and special interest vehicles, many from private collections, but all with their own piece of history, according to Bob Crolic, vice president of Mercedes-Benz of North America, the presenting sponsor.
Some were owned by captains of industry, some were rescued from rust and ruin and took decades to restore by committed hobbyists. Put them all together and "history and hard work come alive," Crolic declared.
For instance, there is a 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Roadster built for the Berlin Auto Show and later in the U.S. to movie mogul Jack Warner. And then there is "Penelope," a 1927 Rolls Royce Phantom I, owned by Bob Musante of Roseland, Florida. Musante found Penelope in the woods behind a car dealership sporting a 1940 Packard convertible body. A sapling was growing through the front floorboards. Musante acquired a suitable Rolls Royce body and restored every detail personally, receiving professional aid only for the upholstery, he says. The vehicle is so named because this Penelope waited 30 years for her "'Ulysses' to return her to the highway..."
There is also another 20 year restoration, a 1932 Auburn 12-160A Speedster, one of only 25 known to exist. Bill and Jack Lucarelli of Duluth, Georgia purchased it in 1975 and completed the restoration in the fall of 1996. John and Carol Apen of Stone Mountain, Georgia purchased a '64 Ferrari 275 GTB in 1980. Their son used it to drive to high school; he had two parking lot accidents where others allegedly backed into him. Restoration was begun in 1985 and six years and 30 craftsmen later it was winning Best in Shows.
The Seymours of Green Cove Springs -- Kenneth, Paul and Linda -- have an equally impressive story. Their 1937 Bentley was discovered buried underneath a collapsed shed in England. They purchased the remains and completed the restoration five years later in Canada with the exception of an aluminum body built by M and G Restorations. Co-chairman Bill Warner noted that such a major substitution is allowed as long as the owner has an authentic manufactures plate.
The final example of many in the Concours is a 1949 Cadillac fastback owned and restored by Ron Van Golderen of Dalton, Georgia. This is a rare manual transmission example of the fastback Caddy model. Van Golderen says its better than new.
Presented by Mercedes-Benz as a charity event to benefit Hospice Northeast, The Ritz- Carlton, Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance has vaulted into the top echelon of such competitive beauty shows virtually overnight. Tickets for the March 8th event are $20 including a program.
For additional media information, please contact:
Bill Ussery
Mercedes-Benz of North America
phone: (904) 443-2135
email: ussery@usa.mercedes-benz.com
wwweb: http://www.classiccarshow.com
