A 1934 Duesenberg and 2017 Cadillac race car have won Best In Show honours at the 27th annual Amelia Concours d’Elegance, a major show for classic vehicles held in Amelia Island, Florida in early March.
For the first time, the show was presented by antique auto insurance company Hagerty, which had previously been a sponsor and partner. The concours show is part of the larger event, which also includes a Cars & Community event for local vehicle owners, and a car auction held by RM Sotheby’s.
The 1934 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Coupe is owned by Harry Yeaggy of Cincinnati, Ohio. The automaker was founded in 1920 in Indianapolis by brothers Fred and August Duesenberg. It later flourished when purchased by E.L. Cord as part of his Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg auto company, but that entire venture folded in 1937. Many consider the Duesenberg to be the finest American car ever built.
A 1934 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Coupe won Best in Show at the 2022 Amelia Concours d’Elegance Photo by Hagerty
2022 Amelia Concours d’Elegance Photo by Hagerty
2022 Amelia Concours d’Elegance Photo by Hagerty
2017 Cadillac DPi-V.R and 1934 Duesenberg took Best in Show at the 2022 Amelia Concours d’Elegance Photo by Hagerty
A display at the 2022 Amelia Concours d’Elegance honouring Chip Ganassi Racing Photo by Hagerty
Participants at the Lemons d’Elegance event, part of the 2022 Amelia Concours d’Elegance Photo by Hagerty
Participants at the Lemons d’Elegance event, part of the 2022 Amelia Concours d’Elegance Photo by Hagerty
Participants at the Lemons d’Elegance event, part of the 2022 Amelia Concours d’Elegance Photo by Hagerty
The champion car features a 420-cubic-inch (6.8-litre) V8 engine with dual carburetors, and was rated at a top speed of 185 km/h. It was originally purchased by Marjorie Merriweather Post, owner of cereal company General Mills, and known as the world’s richest woman at the time. She kept the car at her summer house in Long Island, New York until 1962. According to Hagerty, Yeaggy had the car restored to Post’s original specifications.
The 2017 Cadillac DPi-V.R was built for competition in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and carries a Cadillac 5.5-litre V8 engine making 600 horsepower. It won the 2018 Petit Le Mans under drivers Jordan Taylor, Renger van der Zande, and Ryan Hunter Ray; and the 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona with Fernando Alonso, Renger van der Zande, Jordan Taylor, and Kamui Kobayashi. It was entered in the Amelia Island show by the Jackson Collection of Ellicott City, Maryland.
The show honoured Chip Ganassi Racing, with eight cars Ganassi drove in his career, including winning cars from the 2010 Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500; and cars built by Waterhouse Coachworks, a small coachbuilding company in Massachusetts that made custom bodies prior to the Depression.
Displays also celebrated the 100th anniversary of Lincoln, along with the 90th anniversary of the 1932 Ford, featuring iconic “deuce” hot rods — and a fun “Concours d’Lemons” as part of the event for local owners of not-quite-as-special vintage models.
Keyword: 1934 Duesenberg, 2017 Cadillac take Best In Show at Amelia Concours d'Elegance