Pod Rods: Gainesville Raceway honored at Amelia; grand marshal named for 20th annual Riding into History

Some major events are coming soon for those who love wheels, from the 23rd annual Amelia Island Concours and 20th annual Riding Into History motorcycle concours to next weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona. Plus there's some serious Porschefile stuff hitting St. Augustine Saturday, plus lots of other car events set soon.

Let's rumble with Pod Rods:

--- The 50th anniversary of Gainesville Raceway will be celebrated at the annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, March 7 to 10, as it honors veteran racer Jacky Ickx. Gainesville Raceway is the launching pad of record speeds and drag racing’s “holy grail” - the first 300 mph quarter-mile run.

“Top Fuel Dragsters are the most powerful race cars on the planet. They accelerate from zero-to-100 mph in less than a second,” said Don Robertson, former Gainesville Raceway track manager and an organizer of The Amelia's Cars & Coffee at the Concours. “It’s a horizontal space shot with forces beyond the comprehension of most people. Dragsters have the most extreme and exotic physics in motorsport.”

For example: March 1992, Kenny Bernstein drove his 7,000-hp Budweiser King Top Fuel dragster to breach 300 mph in 4.82 seconds and 1,320 feet.

"The first 260 and 270 mph runs also came at Gainesville Raceway,” said Robertson. “Speed is the soul of motorsport; more reasons that Gainesville Raceway is sacred ground to drag racers."

FYI - the weekend after The Amelia is the NHRA GatorNationals at Gainesville Raceway, with the Don Garlits Museum of Drag racing nearby in Ocala.

The show’s foundation has donated over $3.45 million to Community Hospice & Palliative Care and other charities on Florida’s First Coast since its inception in 1996.

Information on The Amelia Island Concours, event schedule and tickets can be found at www.ameliaconcours.org.

--- For those who want a scenic drive to The Amelia, Classic Motorsports Magazine still has some slots open in its "Orange Blossom Tour: A Driving Tour of Old Florida." Publisher Tim Suddard and staff will show off Florida’s finest back roads and towns like Micanopy and Mount Dora on the tour, which ends up at The Amelia in time to enjoy it. For information, price and reservations, go to orangeblossomtour.com.

--- The area's only classic motorcycle concours d'Elegance has selected the grand marshal for its 20th annual Riding into History event on Saturday, May 11, at World Golf Village. Gloria Struck, a 94-year-old motorcycle rider who began riding more than 75 years ago, recently published her autobiography, “Gloria — A Lifetime Motorcyclist: 75 Years on Two Wheels and Still Riding.” She also said she will do a cross-country ride when she hits 100, and is traveling around the U.S. promoting her book. The well-known matriarch of the woman’s motorcycle community is Riding Into History's first female grand marshal. Struck will also be the featured speaker at the Grand Marshal Dinner on Friday, May 10, then the concours the next day during Mother's Day weekend. For more information on the weekend's worth of events, or to register your motorcycle, go to ridingintohistory.org.

--- A local racing legend and a special car will be part of the four-day Saint Augustine Film Festival Saturday, as race car driver and local resident Hurley Haywood brings his 887-horsepower Porsche 918 supercar for the 2:15 p.m. showing of Derek Dodge's documentary film, entitled simply "Hurley." Haywood drives the Porsche to the piazza outside Lewis Auditorium at 14 Granada St. at 10 a.m., joining a special edition 911 B59, named after Hurley’s famed racing number. Both cars — white with the iconic blue and red colors of Brumos Racing — where Haywood competed for decades and won many of his races, will be on display until after the film is screened. Haywood will also pose for photos with them. For more information, admission prices and the full film festival schedule, go to staugfilmfest.com.

Just before the Haywood film showing, the first Porsche Club of America Cars and Coffee St. Augustine, set for 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday at Art'n Motion at 283 San Marco Ave. This site is St. Augustine racer Scott Lagasse Jr.'s racing headquarters, as well as Art 'n Motion, created to display classic and rare automobiles that are available for sale. It is also just down the road from the Lewis Auditorium film showing. This is the first Porsche event at this site, but it could expand to regular meetings in St. Augustine and Fernandina Beach, according to its Facebook event page.

--- Volkswagen will build its next-generation of electric vehicles at its plant site in Chattanooga, Tenn. The news will mean $800 million into the Chattanooga facility and create 1,000 jobs at the plant, plus additional jobs at suppliers, according to the company. EV production at the site, the first dedicated location in North America for production of a vehicle using Volkswagen’s modular electric chassis, or MEB, will begin in 2022. In addition to Chattanooga, Volkswagen is building the first dedicated EV production facility in Zwickau, Germany, starting MEB production by the end of 2019.

“Together with our ongoing investments and this increase in local production, we are strengthening the foundation for sustainable growth of the Volkswagen brand in the US,” Volkswagen AG CEO Herbert Diess said.

Volkswagen of America will offer the first EV based on the MEB platform in 2020 — a series-production version of the ID. CROZZ SUV concept shown at last year's North American International Auto Show. Volkswagen will also offer a multi-purpose EV based off the ID. BUZZ concept. Volkswagen currently builds the midsize Atlas SUV and Passat sedan at Chattanooga, which opened in 2011. A five-seat version of the Atlas, the Atlas Cross Sport, will begin production there later this year. Volkswagen forecasts selling 150,000 EVs by 2020 worldwide, increasing that number to 1 million by 2025

--- Lots of auction action around the country right now.

Barrett-Jackson's multi-day mega-auction in Scottsdale, Ariz. has seen hundreds of classics, antiques, special interest and sports cars sold in recent days. For example, Thursday began with nearly 100 pieces as well as four restored Richfield and Sunoco gas pumps from the 1930s, and two Mobil models from the 1950s. A 1959 Chevrolet Apache pickup from the Bryan Frank Collection set a new auction record when it sold for $126,500. Another 350-plus gleaming collector cars rolled across the auction block Friday, part of the more than 1,800 on offer for the 48th annual event, the largest docket in Barrett-Jackson history. A number of world records were set during the event so far, like a 1982 Corvette LT1 A/C convertible for $203,500. Catch this weekend's action live at https://www.barrett-jackson.com/Live/Streaming/Video/069daa76-55d4-4986-a7a8-7d89ed9367d4.

--- Also in Scottsdale this weekend is the Gooding & Company's auction, including a lineup of 1950s Ferraris. 

“We are thrilled to present three exceptional Ferraris from the 1950s, perhaps the most vibrant and romantic period in the marque’s history,” Gooding senior specialist David Brynan said. “Models like the 212, 250 MM, and Tour de France established Ferrari as a leading manufacturer on the world stage and these particular examples are among the very best of their respective breeds.” 

That 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France Berlinetta's sales estimate is $5.75 million to $6.5 million, while a 1953 Ferrari 250 MM Spider Series II is $5.5 million to $6.5 million, and a 1952 Ferrari 212 Europa Cabriolet could go for $1.9 million to $2.2 million, Gooding said.

Gooding is also returning as one of the many auction houses at this year's Amelia Island Concours, joining RM Sotheby's at the concours as well as Russo and Steele among others. Gooding will offer 10 Porsches from the collection of WhatsApp co-founder, Jan Koum, to highlight the company’s annual Amelia Island Auction on March 8.

“These meticulously curated Motorsport Department models illustrates the remarkable evolution of Porsche performance over the past 25 years – from the air-cooled Carrera RS of the 1990s to the latest groundbreaking supercars,” Brynan said. “We are thrilled to be presenting these examples of Porsche greatness from a dedicated collector who has painstakingly assembled an unrivaled collection.”

For more information on Gooding's auction schedule, go to goodingco.com.

--- Lots of more car news out of this week's Detroit auto show (see main story on D-1 and notebook on D-6). But among all the introductions comes some other electric news.China's GAC Motor introduced its sleek seven-seat ENTRANZE concept car, developed by its Advanced Design Center in Los Angeles. GAC calls the car's Slick Bullet-shaped exterior "completely breathtaking in the real flesh," with three rows of seating, the front a bench seat for three. The concept has two-side mounted displays for controls, plus curved displays for passenger entertainment. The car was designed by Pontus Fontaeus. GAC Motor is one of China’s largest car makers, but isn't selling its product in the U.S. yet. No details about its electric powertrain were released.

And how about an 1,850-pound personal helicopter estimated to cost about $200,000 when it goes on sale this year? The two-seat SureFly is a personal helicopter/eVTOL aircraft (seen testing in this video at youtube.com/watch?v=7-eDuQBcAuA) made from carbon fiber construction with eight independent motors each driving a single carbon fiber propeller. The hybrid aircraft is designed for a short hop application with an estimated 70 mile range, a gas engine offering a backup battery system for 10 minutes of extended flight time. There's a parachute to safely land in the event of emergency. And for the ultimate in convenience, its rotor arms fold down so it can fit in an average garage.

The New Year brings more car events and cruise-ins - here's the latest schedule:

CAR EVENTS

Jacksonville Area Mopars Poker Run: 11 a.m. Saturday at Jacksonville Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, 11101 Nurseryfields Drive. The day-long poker run is $20 per driver (one hand), or $45 for a driver and passenger and one hand, with up to five hands possible for purchase day of registration. Proceeds benefit Homes For Our Troops. For information, go to facebook.com/jampokerrun.

Palatka Fly-In and Car Show: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, at Palatka Municipal Airport at 4015 Reid St. Free admission, with aircraft displays, airplane rides and parachuting demonstrations. For more info, go to palatkakaylarkin.com. 

Frank H. Petersen Academies of Technology Career Academy Showcase and Car Show: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 9, at the school, located at 7450 Wilson Blvd. Free for spectators and $25 for show vehicles day of event.

Florida International Rally and Motorsport Park Track Attacks: Most Saturdays at the on-road and off-road racing and testing facility located at 7266 Airport Road in Starke. The track days allow car owners to test their setup and improve driving skills. The cost is $214 per driver in advance, or $250 the day of the event. Guests and crew pay $10 each to enter. Online registration ends at 11 p.m. the day prior to each event. For more information on all events, and new holiday discounts at The FIRM, go to gorally.com.

Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance: March 7-10 at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island and The Golf Club of Amelia Island. Legendary race car driver Jacky Ickx is the concours honoree. Two seminars have been scheduled concours weekend: "Racing Around the Rules: The Unfair Advantage" at 3 p.m. Friday, March 8; and "The Porsche 962 Dynasty" at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 9. Full concours schedule and ticket prices for all events are at ameliaconcours.org.

Inaugural Concours d'Lemons Amelia Island: This new event will be held 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, March 9, at 3955 Amelia Island Parkway in Fernandina Beach. Held the day before and just down the road from the annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, the Concours d'Lemons honors the oddball, mundane and truly awful members of the automotive world. Admission and display car entry fee is free, the event sponsored by Classic Motorsports Magazine.

CRUISE-INS

New Saturday morning cruise-in: 6:30 to 9 a.m. each first and third Saturday beginning February at Nicole's On The River in the Blanding Square Plaza, located at 1101 Blanding Blvd.

Mandarin still has two Saturday cruise-ins: 7 to 9 a.m. at Village Bread Cafe at the Crown Point Plaza, located at 10111 San Jose Blvd. The other is from 6 to 9 a.m. in the parking lot outside Panera Bread, located at 11111 San Jose Blvd.

Sunshine State Chevelles Third Saturday Cruise: 3 p.m. Saturday at the PDQ restaurant, located at 194 Florida 13 in Saint Johns. This cruise-in will hold an "open header parade" at 6 p.m. — all cars with open exhaust headers will make a lap around the parking lot.

Amelia Cruizers: 5 to 8 p.m. every third Saturday at the McDonald’s located at 463761 Florida 200/A1A in Yulee.

Jax Beaches Cars and Coffee Classic Car Cruise: 5 to 8 p.m. every third Tuesday at the Sea Walk Pavilion and Latham Plaza between 1st and 2nd Street. Information: betterjaxbeach.com.

Clay County Cruizers cruise-in: 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, at Tom & Betty's, 2134 Park Ave. in Orange Park.

All Souls Anglican Church: Cruise-in is held from 4 to 8 p.m. each first Saturday of the month at its campus, located at 4042 Hartley Road in Mandarin.

Flaming Car Scene Jacksonville, hosted by BackStage Entertainment: 8 p.m. every second Saturday at Autobahn Indoor Speedway, 6601 Executive Park Court N., just south of Butler Boulevard off Philips Highway. 

Send information on automotive and motorcycle events to dan.scanlan@jacksonville.com or Dan Scanlan, Florida Times-Union, 1 Riverside Ave., Jacksonville FL 32202.