The Amelia is excited to present our NEWS DIGEST
|
|
|
CHEVY THUNDER CLASS SET TO SHAKE THE EARTH AND RATTLE WINDOWS AT THE 26TH ANNUAL AMELIA ISLAND CONCOURS d’ELEGANCE
|
|
Jacksonville, FL -- On May 23, 2021 the 26th annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance CHEVY THUNDER class dedicated to Chevy power will honor the cars and engines that made history, invested the average American motorist with the luxury of power on demand and created a muscular aura around Chevrolet’s iconic “bowtie” emblem.
|
|
Photo: 1982 Gurney Eagle 8100 Series courtesy of Chuck Jones and Ray Skillman
Chevy Thunder is still, as the famous slogan stated, “the heartbeat of America” from Indy (eleven “500” victories), the Daytona 500 (24 wins), Le Mans, Sebring, NHRA Pro Stock, IMSA GTP, GTO & GTX, Can-Am, Trans-Am, Sprint Cars, Baja & Desert racers, IROC, F5000, club racers, Swamp Buggies, Dune Buggies, Hot-Rods, kit cars and even to offshore powerboats. Chevy’s small blocks, big-blocks and dedicated pure racing engines set records dominating practically every type of American motorsport for more than half a century.
Chevy’s small block V-8 of 1955 is the elegantly simple engineering masterpiece that gave an almost effortless mobility to generations of American families. It also inspired and drove hot rodders and race car builders. Chevy small block power even sat on the front row of the Indy 500 (1981), outran the fabled Offys on America’s dirt tracks and ruled NASCAR’s high banks, short tracks and road courses. (The fuel-injected Chevy small block was so dominant in NASCAR racing during 1957 that it was banned.)
|
|
Photo : 1977 Chevrolet Corvette courtesy of Canepa Motorsport
Small block Chevy Thunder enjoyed international reach winning the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring, the 1000 Km of the Nurburgring, the BOAC 6 Hours at Brands Hatch, owned the Can-Am (at one point winning 33 consecutive races), scored the inaugural IMSA GTO championship in 1971 and the IMSA GTP title in 1984.
Chevy Thunder is the soundtrack of NHRA Pro Stock competition winning the national title 24 times, more than any other manufacturer.
The Chevy V-8’s impact on American culture extends well beyond automotive realms even entering popular music: in 1962 the Beach Boys composed a song commemorating the power and the social impact of Chevy’s big block Turbo-Thrust V-8 entitled, appropriately, “409”. Specifically songwriter Gary Usher’s “ . . . 4-speed, dual-quad, positraction four-oh-nine!”
|
|
Photo: 1958 Scarab Sports-Racer courtesy of Miles Collier Collections at Revs Institute / Peter Harholdt
Since its first V-8 in 1917 (the “Series D” V8 engine of 1917-’19) Chevy V-8 power has touched practically every facet of American life powering cars and trucks, towing trailers, delivering groceries or taking the likes of Scarab, Chaparral, McLaren, Lola, Eagle, Corvette and Camaro to scores of racing victories and championships. Some Chevy V-8s even replaced a few of those pricey and legendary Italian V-12s in American sports car racing.
“The design and execution of Chevy’s V-8 engines, especially the ‘small block’, is elegant without being exotic or exclusive,” said Bill Warner, founder and Chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. “Simplicity, lightness, flexibility, compactness and economy are its core strengths. It’s served long and well. And of course there’s that unmistakable sound. Anyone who’s ever attended a drag race, a NASCAR race, a Trans-Am or a Can-Am has heard, and sometimes felt, Chevy Thunder. It’s the clear and unmistakable voice of American motorsports.”
|
|
Friday, May 21, 2021:
Dale Earnhardt Jr Joins Chevy Thunder Panel
|
|
|
|
Dale Earnhardt Jr. joins the Chevy Thunder Seminar panel, May 21, 2021 |
The Amelia’s Friday, May 21, 2021 CHEVY THUNDER Seminar (3:00 PM) just added some serious personality horsepower. Dale Earnhardt Jr. joins the prestigious panel of Chevy-powered insiders.
|
|
Cars & Coffee at the Concours Raffle Ends April 15 |
In an effort to raise funds for The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, we are offering a spot on the Cars & Coffee show field to two lucky winners.
|
|
|
Two-Strokes Headline The Amelia's 2021 Motorcycle Class |
The 26th annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance will present an eclectic and often ignored class of rare classic and special interest motorcycles on May 23, 2021.
|
|
|
The Porsche Driving Experience Partners for 2021 |
A new location with new partners, the 2021 Porsche Driving Experience at The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance joins forces with the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, The Brumos Collection and Porsche Jacksonville to present an event unlike any other.
|
|
|
Hispano-Suiza "Honored Classic" at 26th AMELIA
|
A special class of rare, exotic and historic Hispano-Suizas is scheduled to be the classic centerpiece of the 26th annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance on May 23, 2021.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
