Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, March 8-9, 2008
Trevor Bladon and Blake Frazier
The weekend did not look promising on Friday as tornadoes touched down across northern Florida and torrential downpours accompanied the drive from NC. Saturday dawned clear but water was pooled in fields and by roads. Things improved quickly!
The 13th Annual Amelia Islands Concours d’Elegance can only be classified as a class act. Held at the Golf Club of Amelia Island and the Ritz-Carlton, Bill Warner has assembled a first class team of workers, mostly volunteers. This year’s event featured cars of the Trans-Am series (1966-1972), including the 2.5 liter cars. And with the BRE #46 Datsun 510 scheduled to appear, John Morton in “The Legends of Trans-Am Series” panel discussion and Peter Brock as a Concours judge and panel member, things could not be more interesting to a Datsun fan. Or could they?
On Saturday morning John and Peter joined Parnelli Jones, Dan Gurney, Sam Posey, George Follmer, Horst Kwech, Bud Moore and others in recounting the events of the epic Trans-Am race series. There were several stories traded about “creative engineering” (acid-dipped bodies, fuel tanks under dashboards, water added to tires for after race weigh-ins, etc.) to good-natured barbs exchanged between protagonists. Eye candy in the Grand Ballroom included the 1970 Challenger, Cuda and Mustang, a 1968 Sunoco Camaro and the 1971-2 BRE 510. The 2 hour session ended too soon after many laughs and great memories. Bill Warner introduced and concluded the event and presented beautiful prints to most of the panel members. Classy.
With strong winds and clear skies, the rains of Friday gave way to a drying Saturday on the golf course and preparations began for the Sunday Concours d”Elegance. There was time to enjoy the Automotive Fine Arts Society display.
But wait, there was more! A call from Carl Beck of Clearwater, FL indicated there was a photo shoot being conducted by BRE (www.bre2.net) several miles south of Amelia Island. After much searching and being trapped in axle-deep sand in a rental car on the wind-driven beach, a “rescue” brought us to a series of dunes and then a gleaming red, white and yellow BRE 240Z! Carl has spent years restoring the rust-free BRE Baja 240Z back to its racing glory with its BRE engine and most of its original parts. Peter Brock patiently waited for the correct light as the car rested on the sand and next to the crashing surf, looking for all the world like it was prepared to do battle in the Baja. A wonderful restoration and a privilege to see Peter and the Baja Z reunited. A full article will appear in a future issue of Classic Motorsports magazine, with photographs by Peter Brock.
Sunday morning the sun rose over a misty coastline. By 8 am the cars were being arranged on the field. The sun rose in a clear sky to create a perfect day for a car event. An aerobatic team flew overhead in the blue morning sky. Below, dozens of Trans-Am “ground pounders” formed a rainbow on the undulating first fairway, with all the star cars from 1970 in attendance. Early in the morning, adding an exclamation point, the big engined Trans-Am cars were started and a symphony of small blocks with open exhausts and lumpy cams began. People crowded onto the first fairway to witness the glorious sounds, sights and smells of these warriors. It was a day of memories and a moment of joy. Across the field, rare Grand Sport and other racing Corvettes stood in silent tribute. Beyond, utter automotive heaven.
Closer to the first tee were the 2.5 liter T/A cars. Nearby, John Baldwin had brought his PLN Bob Sharp Datsun 510 B Sedan. Restored piece by piece, Paul Newman’s car was gorgeous and is still competing in vintage events. John Baldwin shared stories of generosity from 1971 when, as a young college student and member of the school race team, he spent a full day at the BRE shop with Pete Brock showing him every aspect of the BRE shop and car prep. And Jim “Fitzy” Fitzgerald coercing Datsun to give John “anything he needed” to fix his car after an off-course excursion corrugated the side of his school’s 510. The unrestored but brilliant BRE Datsun 510 made a fashionably late arrival behind a tow vehicle, with John Morton behind the wheel. The BRE 510 sat between two Alfa Romeos; the 1966 Horst Kwech Trans-Am champion Alfa and the 1971 GTV. Friends John Morton and Peter Brock had a chance to reunite with each other and their legendary race car. And with chief antagonist, Alfa Romeo driver Horst Kwech. Current owner of the still active Wetsons Alfa GTV, Sam Cummings (and his crew) helped to bring the 510 to the field and to clean her for the event. Another class act. As Alfa owner and driver Sam finished polishing the BRE car, his finger was cut by the Datsun! One last act of defiance! On the 510’s left quarter panel, a small dent left over from the 1971 Alfa-induced spin cycle in the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca. On the opposite corner a star in the front of the fiberglass fender where John and the #46 pushed Vic Edlebrock’s 1967 Smokey Yunick Camaro off the course at Laguna Seca at the 2001 Monterey Historics. So many old memories alive in the car. Crowds swarmed around the red, white and blue #46 BRE 510, her only driver and her creator. Peter and John shared memories with friends, competitors and fans. All too soon it seemed, the day would come to an end. A thought occurred that if an Asian car company wanted to increase its profile and improve its product through racing, here was a golden opportunity. On one side of the car there was Peter Brock, an active automotive designer, photographer, journalist and racing ambassador. On the other side of the car, John Morton, a fit and active vintage racer. One could envisage a modern BRE team formed around this nucleus. Another class act in a weekend of impressive displays.
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