Concours founder and chairman Bill Warner, along with his small dedicated team and 600 volunteers, pulled off another world-class event during the 24th annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance this past Sunday. An estimated 10,000-plus enthusiasts showed up to enjoy a well-curated collection of automobile history with an engaging variety of classes, as per the norm of the event. There was no danger of inclement weather for this year’s concours but there was little protection from the powerful sun on the Ritz-Carlton golf course.
We had the honor of presenting the Ingram Collection’s 1955 Porsche 356 Continental Coupe and 1964 Porsche 904 GTS Carrera on the show field. The Continental Coupe is a previous restoration project and the 904 is an original car that has been highly maintained as a preservation example. Both cars were concours prepared by our staff in our Durham, North Carolina shop.
After a long morning of judging and never-ending morning dew as a result of spring forward, the Continental coupe was awarded the Porsche Trophy for the most Historically Significant Production Porsche. This award is more prestigious than a class win because the competition includes every production Porsche on the field, beyond individual class participants. Needless to say, we were honored by the judges’ decision and very pleased for the Ingram Collection.
The Continental Coupe was a special restoration project that we finished in 2012 and has had a distinguished concours history. It goes to show that a quality and authentic restoration job can have longevity on the show circuit. Case in point, the co-best in show winner this year, a 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Autobahn-Kurier owned by the Keller Collection, was restored by Paul Russell in 2006.
As always, we really enjoyed seeing old friends and making new ones at the 2019 Amelia Island Concours. We are already looking forward to next year’s show!
Ingram Collection 1955 Porsche 356 Continental Coupe Chassis #52866:
1955 marked the last year of production for the Porsche Pre-A 356 (1950-1955). For this model year, Max Hoffman convinced Porsche to use a name instead of a number. He was convinced that Americans wanted to buy cars with names like, Bel Air or Fairlane. He also wanted to create a 356 that came with more luxurious options for the American consumer. So in the spirit of American marketing, Porsche began putting a “Continental” script on the fenders of this model. Typical examples are often loaded with options from the Porsche parts book from the period. Porsche would soon put an end to this model after receiving a cease and desist letter from Ford Motor Company over the rights of the Continental model name. Thus, the Continental was a short-lived Porsche model.
Photo by Michael Furman.
Chassis #52866 is a very early Continental restored to its original color combination of Azure Blue over grey leatherette. It was the 21st car built and was finished on December 14, 1954. It features many rare factory options such as: bench seat, factory luggage set, VDO eight-day clock, Telefunken FM/AM radio, and chromed horn ring. As such, Chassis #52866 was ordered as a showpiece and demonstrator by Max Hoffman, the principal importer of Porsche into the US at the time.
AWARDS
- 2012 Louisville Concours d’Elegance at Churchill Downs, 1st in Class
- 2013 Concours on the Avenue Carmel-By-The-Sea, 1st in Class
- 2013 356 Club Concours d’Elegance Dana Point, 2nd in Class
- 2013 Cincinnati Concours d’Elegance, 1st in Class
- 2015 Hilton Head Concours d’Elegance, 1st in Class
- 2019 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, Porsche Trophy, Most Historically Significant Production Porsche
