The Amelia Island Concours D’Elegance in Florida is easily one of the most critically-acclaimed car shows in the world, but it’s much more than just a simple car show – it’s a celebration of all things automotive. The 18th Annual Concours was held over the weekend of March 8th-10th, 2013, and featured a number of special events commemorating various occasions in automotive history.
The event celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Ford GT40, along with a number of other notable automotive anniversaries, and there are a number of beautifully-restored machines on the premises. Letsmakemedia.com’s Justin Lapriore and Alexander Liberman were there to capture some of the sights and sounds of the event.
The GT40 was Ford Motor Company’s answer to the Ferrari machines of the early ’60’s, crafted to do one thing and one thing only – win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. And that it did, four consecutive times after being developed by Ford Advanced Vehicles, Ltd., John Wyer Automotive Engineering, Kar Kraft, and Shelby American.
Wyer, a former Aston-Martin team manager, Ford engineer Roy Lunn, and Lola Cars owner Eric Broadley made up the development team, which was overseen by Harley Copp. Ford subsequently established Ford Advanced Vehicles Ltd. as a subsidiary under Wyer to manage the project. The first version of the car was raced for the first time at the Nurburgring in 1964, and subsequently re-refined until it became the world-beater we know and love today.
On-car, in-car, ride-along video, it’s all here for your viewing pleasure. In addition, there are many other cars here you’re not likely to ever see in person, with sights and sounds to match, all shot in the sun and fun of one of Florida’s finest locations. Press play and enjoy sixteen minutes of some of the finest automobiles ever produced – not just in America, but worldwide.
A truly awesome video, and a great way to spend some time wishing for warm weather, gasoline fumes, and rumbling exhaust. Make sure to watch in HD.