This is the 14th annual Concours for Amelia Island. One of the anniversaries being celebrated is for Southern California coachbuilder Bohman & Swartz who will have their own class for two special 1959 race cars. Another that everyone is looking forward to seeing is the one-of-a-kind 1938 Phantom Corsair originally put together for Rust Heinz of the Heinz food empire. Vetran racer David Hobbs will be the honoree of the Concours this year and will no doubt share some of his stories from his Formula One racing days.

Visit Amelia Island this year and you’ll be able to marvel at some of the world’s most glamorous vehicles. Everything from Detroit muscle cars to Ferrari and Duesenberg will be presented. The event happens on the lush green fairway of Summer Beach, where millions of dollars worth of gleaming cars, some of them one of a kind will be presented. The backdrop for the display is the ocean. But what everyone is there to see are the cars. This year there should be about 250 rare vehicles are on display.

Even if you are not usually a car nut, you can’t help yourself from being dazzled by the flash and eye candy adorning the fairway. The Amelia Island event has really come into its own as a Concours and with the respect comes more and more fantastic cars. Bring your camera.

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1941 Chrysler Newport Dual Cowl Phaeton; estimated to sell between $800,000-$1,200,000.

The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is now considered one of North America’s finest car events and showcases some of the world’s most rare vehicles. There is also a vintage motor car auction which is presented by RM Auctions. The auction is still a new addition for the Concours, the cars that go on the block though are legendary. To attend the auction a pre-registration is required along with purchase of the $80 auction catalog which admits two. For more information go to the RM Auctions web site at http://www.rmauctions.com

1963 AC Cobra; estimated auction $1,000,000-$1,400,000.
1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder; estimated auction $2,400,000-$2,900,000.

If you’re a real car nut then I suggest slapping down the $80 and going though the pre-registration just to watch these truly legendary cars go on the auction block for perhaps the last time in this lifetime. These cars very rarely come out of the private collections. If you’re not a nut and just a car buff then go to the Concours for some high end browsing. There isn’t a better backdrop in the country. For further details about the complete event schedule for the weekend, and to purchase tickets in advance online, please visit the official web site at http://ameliaconcours.org and look for me hanging out around the Ferraris and the Porsches.

Porsche Automobile Holding announced that it now holds 50.76 percent of Volkswagen which in turn generates a mandatory takeover of Scania Group . Porsche Automobile Holding purchased an additional 8.16 percent worth of Volkswagen stock, about $8.5 billion dollars worth bringing it from 42.6 percent to 50.76 percent.

In earlier reports Porsche Automobile Holding stated it initially planned to raise its stake in VW to over 50 percent by year’s end 2008. New reports state that Porsche still plans to increase its stake in VW to at least 75 percent by mid 2009 as long as the market is favorable.

As a result of Volkswagen’s takeover, Porsche now has indirect control of Scania and since Volkswagen owned about 69 percent of voting rights of Swedish truck maker Scania, Porsche is required by Swedish law to make a mandatory takeover offer. In statements made earlier Porsche Automobile Holding stated it had no interest in Scania and is not interested in acquiring its shares but would consider a deal with German industrial conglomerate MAN LG who currently own about 20 present of voting rights in Scania, MAN’s strategic interest in Scania will possibly be beneficial for everyone.

Ironic, Volkswagen is the biggest shareholder in both MAN, AG and Scania Group.

The Scania Group is a Swedish based company that manufacturer of heavy trucks and buses as well as industrial and marine engines. The company also markets and sells a broad range of service-related products and financing services. MAN AG is a German based company and one of the world’s leading manufacturers of engineering equipment and commercial vehicles. MAN supplies trucks, buses, diesel engines, turbomachinery, as well as industrial services and holds leading market positions in all its business areas.

Image used under Creative Commons by LeaseTrader.com.

The rarest of all Porsche 914 models is the 914GT sometimes referred to as 914/6GT to designate the engine size. The GTs made by the factory were further designated as having the M471 option package. Porschephiles insist that GT insinuates the racecars and not production cars. Now, if you’re looking for the historical account of these legendary cars get ready for some gritty research and some hard-core GT lovers all insisting on their own version of the paperwork.

Starting with just how many GTs were constructed is muddied a bit by the fact that Porsche provided the parts to build a GT to anyone who owned a 914/6. Porsche archives list a factory-built GT as further confusion as the 914-Rs with the respective chassis numbers. 12 are listed by the race or rally for which the car was constructed. And, of course, the chassis numbers are not a single series. GTs were raced in the IMSA under 2.5 series and most were not Factory prepared and they account for the majority of these cars in the U.S.

It is currently thought that 914/6GT models have the following chassis:

• 914 043 1840
• 914 043 1732
• 914 043 2541
• 914 043 2542
• 914 043 2543
• 914 143 0139
• 914 143 0140
• 914 143 0141 

As for how many M471 packages were sold by the Factory? No one knows for sure. This is the end of part one.