Off to Amelia Island…

It’s late at night, there is laundry everywhere, and I’m packing my bags like a madman. It’s time to head over to the little enclave of Amelia Island, Florida where I’m honored to be a judge at their amazing Concours d’Elegance. Bill Warner knows how to put on a very good show, and as the former owner of Edsel Ford’s ’34 Model 40 Speedster, he’s got some special stuff coming once again. What am I most excited about seeing this year? Three particular famous cars that were lost for many years, and are all making their re-debut at Amelia:

1. Elvis Presley’s 1957 BMW 507 Roadster. “E” took delivery of his second-hand 507 in December of 1958 while stationed in Germany during his US Army service. Rumor has it that Elvis actually wanted a Porsche 550 Spyder like James Dean had, but there wasn’t one available at the time. Still, with only 253 BMW 507s ever made, this car is cool and rare enough as is.
2. 1953 Woodill Wildfire from ‘Johnny Dark’ Tony Curtis stared in the 1954 film about a young and rebellious racer, and the fiberglass Woodill roadster was the featured car of the film called the “Idaho Special”. Although it was powered by a measly Willys 4 banger, the sound effects and film speed made it look like a real hot rod. The whole story of this car can be read here.
3. 1957 Chevrolet Corvette ‘Super Sport’, which by any estimation is the rarest Corvette ever built. The Super Sport prototype was created for GM’s 1957 Motorama, and hasn’t been seen in the 60 years since then. The unique features of this car are the twin pod seating with individual windshields, cast aluminum air scoops on the doors, and one-off taillights.