Built in April of 1953, this Fish Silver Grey Pre A 356 has the original engine/transmission as well as body panels. Factory options included such luxuries as a radio, gas gauge, and reclining seats.
The early Friday morning Porsche Club of America (PCA) Werks Reunion was held on the Amelia River Golf Course and drew over 3,000 spectators. Car enthusiasts could watch 175 Porches being judged and view an additional 479 parked in the ‘Porsche Coral.’ PCA judging is not ‘points’ based, but based on if the vehicle was ‘lovingly maintained’ and how well ‘it presented itself on the field.” This approach makes for spirited judging and for owners to dig into and present the history of their cars. The PCA is over 69 years old and has 165,000 members. Although PCA membership is not required to participate in this event, annual membership dues are a modest $46, which, in my opinion, is a bargain.
Celebrating 75 years in America, Volkswagen displayed their 2025 ID. Buzz all electric van. With styling cues from their 1960s Microbus, this van has 3 rows of seats, a range of 210 miles and a top speed of 90MPH.
A partly sunny Saturday morning arrived to welcome the ‘Cars and Caffeine” event on the show field of the Amelia Island Ritz-Carlton Hotel Golf Course. Over 350 cars representing all makes and models were on display. In addition, Ford Motor Company and Volkswagen had factory displays highlighting specialty vehicles. This does draw an ‘interesting’ mix of vehicles, even a few competed in Sunday’s ‘Amelia.’ Also available to the public on Saturday (late morning) is the opportunity to view about 100 cars that will be offered in the Broad Arrow Auction (which is held at the Ritz Carlton that afternoon). This is a terrific opportunity to examine some exceedingly rare cars and is basically a car show in itself.
Produced for only 1 year, this American-manufactured 1954 Kaiser Darren is one of 435 built. This fiberglass-bodied car was designed to compete with European roadsters and had sliding pocket doors.
With heavy rains Saturday evening, completing the set-up for Sunday’s concourse proved a challenge for some owners. Sunday’s skies began with a welcoming peek of sunshine, and unfortunately, around 11:00, the rain clouds opened with the consistency of a kitchen sink faucet. Car covers appeared with some thinning of spectators.
This year’s honoree was former race car driver, current NASCAR team owner, and mega-car dealer Rick Hendrick. Buying his first car at 14 for $250, Rick has grown his love of cars into the 7th largest car dealer network in America. He is also an avid car collector with over 300 in his collection; 147 Corvettes.
Saturday night rain forced last-minute Sunday morning ‘stagging’ of honoree Rick Hendrick’s race cars.
The show field held 275 cars broken into 33 classes. Beginning with 95 points spread over 20 categories, teams of 3 judges assessed each car. There was also an opportunity for judges to ‘add’ up to 5 points for prominence. This judging system eliminated the chance of a car earning over 100 points.
A judge carefully tallies points as he assesses the engine bay of this 1960 Ferrari 250 GT (Grand Touring). Being ‘unrestored’ makes this very rare Ferrari unique.
This is the third year Hagerty has owned The Amelia event. Early February weather in Northern Florida is extremely unpredictable, and it undoubtedly played a major part in this weekend. Next year, The Amelia will be a week later in hopes of better weather. I commend all participants for displaying their cars, knowing heavy rain was forecast. Even with the rain and rain-saturated show fields, it was a great weekend, and I recommend all return in 2025.
Chris Mulvihill founded Classiccaradvisors.com in 2007. His passion for cars began as a young boy walking the service area of his grandfather’s Oldsmobile dealership. After graduating from Indiana University, his automobile knowledge expanded to the factory side as a Ford Motor Company Field Manager based in Los Angeles. During his time on the West Coast, he began attending vintage car events, where he established deep-rooted friendships in the classic car industry. His interests are in the history of cars, restoration, and maximizing driving enjoyment.
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