When one of the premier Concours in the country also boasts a Cars & Coffee, you can expect Concours quality cars. That’s exactly what the Matunes found when covering Amelia.
Normally each year we attend the Saturday morning seminar while at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance (AICE), but this year we decided that was too much like school. So instead, we went to Cars & Coffee at the Concours sponsored by Heacock Insurance. We weren’t disappointed with our choice to play hooky!
Let’s title this photo as “Where It All Began”. David Donofrio’s ‘53 Corvette represents GM’s thinking at the time as to what constituted a sports car. Fitted with a Chevy Six equipped with three Carter side-draft carburetors and a two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, performance was limited to say the least. While strikingly styled, the fiberglass body was of somewhat poor build quality. First year production was just 300 units.
Dave Fiedler’s ‘64 Cadillac convertible was the perfect accoutrement to the warm Florida weather. Originally restored to stock nearly 30 years ago, Fiedler redid the car 5 years ago as a Restomod with an LS-3 engine backed by a 4L65E. Today it is a cruiser in every sense of the word. His allegiance to GM’s top brand comes after spending a career with them.
Kelly-Moss Road & Race joined the festivities from their home in Madison, WI with their ‘84 Porsche. The car follows the trend of modifying 911s with more of “safari” touches. Typical changes include raising the car and adding off-road wheels and tires. Skid plates and serious auxiliary lighting complete the look. More information on the build is located here: https://www.kellymoss.com/projects/willysafari911/
The “safari” Porsche stood in contrast to Mark Erbesfield’s Porsche 911 RS tribute. Based on a ‘73 911T, there is precious little left to tell us that. Out back sits a 2.8-litre twin-plug flat Six with Bosch mechanical injection. Moving forward we see all the pieces and bits that separated the RSR from its lesser brethren. Gulf color scheme is the final icing on the cake.
Staying with the Corvette theme for now, Lou Beal has had his ‘62 Corvette all over the country, enjoying numerous sights along the way. Hopefully this picture does the paint job justice. It is truly outstanding and just as impressive is that it dates from the early 1970s, a tribute to the care and upkeep this car gets. The white wheels pay tribute to his Dad’s Bonneville Salt Flats race cars, all with white wheels.
Owned by George Haddad, this Corvette is a clone of the one Tony DeLorenzo raced at Daytona in 1970. This livery was only used once before the car reverted to its more recognizable Owens-Corning colors. Haddad’s clone is faithful in every detail and has seen track action at vintage events at Daytona and Sebring. The car exhibits scores of unique and authentic touches that takes one back to another racing era.
Now here’s one you don’t see every day, a ‘90 Mosler Consulier GTP. The brainchild of Warren Mosler, the car had no metal in its chassis or body. Mechanical components were sourced from the Chrysler parts bin, including an engine-transmission package from the Shelby Dodge Omni GLH. The car went on to a successful racing career before becoming a victim of that success. Eventually race organizers and sanctioning bodies grew tired of its winning ways and banned it from competing further. Thanks to car owner Dan Gonzalez who spent quite some time explaining his car to us.
The Qvale Mangusta was originally the product of Alejandro de Tomaso’s fertile automotive mind. Bringing it to market would involve any number of famous designers and engineers, not to mention imported car guru Kjell Qvale. Underneath its uniquely styled body, lies a chassis of galvanized steel sections. The drivetrain and electrics came from Ford in the form of a DOHC 32 valve V8. Alas the project would be scuttled after three years with less than 300 examples produced. The whole story of what happened begins to sound like an Italian opera. Owner James Dull regaled us with the tale.
You learn so much at these events. For example, we all think of Allards as fire breathing monsters with big American iron under their hoods, but not this Allard Palm Beach 21 C Roadster. Its engine bay houses a 1.5-liter English Ford Consul Four modified by Aquaplane, normally associated with boat engines. Its racing pedigree includes competition at Watkins Glen and Nassau. It’s owned by Hanko & Axel Rosenblad.
Words & Photos by Maureen & Mike Matune.