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CONCOURS CARS PAMPERED AND PREPPED LIKE HIGH DOLLAR FASHION RUNWAY STARS
$40 Million Worth of Them to Compete at Charity Event
Collectors Employ Aides Full Time for Rare Vehicles
AMELIA ISLAND, FL (February 6, 1997) - If you think a high fashion model is prepared meticulously for her prance down the runways of Paris, New York or Milan, you don't know about meticulous preparation. The rare vintage and special interest automobiles entered in the March 8th Ritz- Carlton, Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance presented by Mercedes-Benz to benefit Hospice Northeast are examples of what meticulous means.
When the approximately 160 vehicles, valued at an estimated $40 million, gather for judging on the manicured fairway of the Golf Club of Amelia Island, each will have been fussed over far more than any model of the needle trade. In fact, chairman Bill Warner of Jacksonville claims as many as 50 entries will have full-time preparation experts present. Warner says these highly paid people make sure the car in question is polished inside and out and are as perfect as a newly printed $10,000 bill.
Road racing immortal Phil Hill is coming from California as honorary chair of this beauty contest for cars. Hill is the first American to win the World Driving Championship and is a collector himself.
"With time, the right materials and an impeccable knowledge of the rules, I suppose anyone could create a 99 point entry (100 is perfect)," Warner says, "but the celebrities and executives who own these vehicles have other things to do besides polishing their possessions. If they can afford to keep these machines in climate-controlled environments most of the time, they can afford someone to prep them."
The two experts noted that some of these vehicles are "trailer queens," meaning they spend very little time with their wheels on the road. But, Warner emphasizes, to win at Amelia Island, they must be driven on the field to be judged. And that often is the greater problem in Concours preparation.
"If they have been sitting around for months, the liquids must be drained and replaced, sometimes the engine must be hand-turned to start it without damage to irreplaceable internal parts and then carburetors and other mechanicals must be adjusted," Warner explained. "Polishing and cleaning the exteriors is the easy part."
Each pro has his own secrets on how to make these show cars glisten and sparkle, sometimes involving rare earth clays to rid the surface of minute scratches and swirls and brushes made of boar's hair and camel fur and exotic wax combinations and specially tanned goat hides. Often the preparation depends upon the vintage of the vehicle and the state of paint and brightwork technology at that time. For instance, Warner says, the 1914 Mercer Raceabout of Jerry Foley, Jacksonville, Florida, has vast amounts of brass as its main challenge, while the 365 GTB4 Ferrari Daytona owned by Ed Henning of Charleston, South Carolina, presents intricately sculpted sheet metal. Ferrari is the honored marque at this year's event because that's the car Hill drove to his title over 30 years ago.
The pros and ultimately the judges at the Concours must look out for what is called over- restoration. The vehicles must be as close to original form as possible and, for instance, an enthusiastic owner may have chromed the wire wheels when authentically they should be painted. Each concours d'elegance -- from Pebble Beach in California to the Bagatelle in France -- defines "authenticity" differently, Hill noted.
There is no prize money for winning at a charity concours like the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island event -- only trophies, but Warner states there is more than enough satisfaction to go around. He thinks that's true even for the spectators who will pay the $20 admission fee for the 10 am to 4 pm chance to examine motor vehicle history up close. The $20 includes a 75-page souvenir program.
Incidentally, the $40 million may be low as an estimate of the concours field, Warner admits, because many vehicles are sole survivors. He mentioned, for instance, a 1908 Mercedes Brooklands Grand Prix racer lent by the Indianapolis Speedway Museum and an Alfa Nardi Grand Prix from 1947. No one else has a car like these.
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
