Horch 853 and Scarab take top honours at Amelia Island

| 12 Mar 2014

The 1937 Horch 853 belonging to Bob and Anne Brockinton Lee of Sparks, Nevada bagged the coveted Concours d'Elegance award at the 19th running of the Florida event on 9 March. One of just two examples bodied by Voll & Ruhrbeck, it was exhaustively restored to factory standards with no compromise to originality or authenticity. The effort clearly paid-off.

A 1958 Scarab joined the Horch on the podium, capturing the hotly contested Concours de Sport award. The car, owned by Miles Collier, was one of only three built by Troutman and Barnes for Woolworth heir Lance Reventlow. The Scarab did battle with the likes of Maserati and Ferrari on the road courses of America in the '50s and '60s. Originally fitted with an Offenhauser engine, it was converted to a small-block Chevrolet V8 as the early engine, designed to run on alcohol, struggled with the regulation petrol.

In total, more then 330 historic cars and motorcycles took part in the event, with a further 29,000 visitors flocking to the Jackson, Florida site. Among the cars on show was Alexander Calder's 1975 BMW 3.0 CSL Art Car that competed at Le Mans, plus the rarely seen 1957 Maserati 450S Le Mans 'Costin Coupé', in which Stirling Moss took to the track.

The 100th Anniversary of Maserati and 50 years of McLaren were also celebrated with a display of cars that included guest of honour Jochen Mass' 1977 McLaren M23 Formula 1 racer.

The 20th annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance is set to be held on 13-15 March 2015.