JACKSONVILLE, FL; July 00, 2008 --- A pair of significant 50th anniversaries and the vehicles of one of the most famous coachbuilders in the world will be celebrated at the 14th annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance scheduled for March 13-15, 2009.

The elegant creations of noted Southern California coachbuilder Bohman & Schwartz will be featured in their own class along with a seminar recounting two very special anniversaries from 1959: the first United States Grand Prix Formula One race, which was held at Sebring International Raceway, and the only Indy car race ever held at the then-new Daytona International Speedway.

“The races at Sebring and Daytona may seem to be only footnotes to some since they were held only once, but they are an important part of the overall history of auto racing, and each was run a single time for very different reasons,” says Bill Warner, founder and co-chairman of Amelia. “We’re also excited to feature the designs of Bohman & Schwartz, a custom coachbuilder that certainly created some of the most elegant automotive designs of their era, and their beauty still stands the test of time today.”

The 1930s and 1940s belonged to Christian Bohman and Maurice Schwartz; their partnership created some of the most famous and outrageous vehicles of the time. Duesenbergs were a particular favorite for their customizing talents and clients included Clark Gable, Barbara Hutton, and Ethel Mars of Mars candy fame. Possibly their most famous creation was the “Phantom Corsair,” penned by Rust Heinz, heir to the H. J. Heinz food empire. The Corsair’s futuristic, shark-like body was mated to a Cord 810 chassis and later appeared in the David O. Selznick movie “The Young In Heart” as the mysterious Flying Wombat. The car will be making a rare trip out of the National Automobile Museum (The Harrah Collection) in Reno, Nevada, and it will be on display at the Concours.

The 1959 Sebring and Daytona races had different reasons for being short lived. In Sebring’s case, the race was a financial bomb for Alec Ulmann, the man behind the legendary central Florida race track. Although it was an exciting race with just a few points separating the top three drivers with a chance to win the F1 crown that year, Ulmann barely broke even as the crowd was half of what the 12 Hours of Sebring experienced earlier in the year. New Zealander Bruce McLaren won the race in his Cooper-Climax and at 22 years, 104 days, became the youngest driver to win a Formula One race. It was F1’s only appearance at Sebring.

Daytona’s experience was far more tragic. When the big Offenhauserpowered Indy cars descended on the high banks of Daytona, one of the drivers, George Amick, immediately set a one-lap American course record of 176.887 m.p.h. during practice. Unfortunately for Amick, he lost control of his car on the last lap of a 100-mile race and drifted into the guardrail and somersaulted down into the infield; he was pronounced dead at the track hospital. Miami native Jim Rathmann took the checkered flag for that race and in the process set a world competitive race record of 171.261 m.p.h. A second scheduled race was cut to 50 miles due to Amick’s accident, and Rathmann again came out on top. Indy cars have not raced at Daytona since. Rathmann, the 1960 Indy 500 winner, will be the Concours’ guest for the weekend and will participate in the Saturday seminar, “The Great Roadster Drivers,” in The Ritz-Carlton grand ballroom. Johnny Rutherford, Bobby Unser, and Parnelli Jones are also tentatively set to join Rathmann on the panel.

The 2009 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance will be held March 13-15 on the 10th and 18th fairways of The Golf Club of Amelia Island at Summer Beach adjacent to The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island. The show’s foundation has donated nearly $1.6 million to Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, Inc. since 1996.

The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance is one of the nation's most innovative vintage auto events featuring over 250 rare classics from seldom-seen private collections nationwide. The show is scheduled for March 13-15, 2009, at The Golf Club of Amelia Island at Summer Beach adjacent to The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island. For more information, visit www.ameliaconcours.org or contact them at 904-636-0027.

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