In the hours before the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, one could find no shortage of automobile-centric activities to partake in on the island just off the coast of northeastern Florida. Even if you aren’t interested in the numerous fast-talking, gavel-banging bid-a-thons that have become ubiquitous in the days pre-Concours, or if you hadn’t registered for one of many available test drives from various automakers at the Ritz-Carlton, you were still in luck.
Minutes from the Concours show field at Amelia, a gathering of over 500 Porsche cars spanning the history of the marque took place the Friday prior at the Omni Plantation. In its second year at Amelia Island, the Werks Reunion (which has become a staple of Monterey Car Week for some time now) welcomes all fans of the brand, and of course also those who were just curious about the fabrications from Stuttgart. Put on by the Porsche Club of America, the event is more in the realm of a relaxed get-together than a clipboard and checklist car show, and all the better for it. Although there are still a few judged classes, the atmosphere is decidedly low-stakes and relaxed. More like a get-together than a competition. What’s more, the whole thing was free to attend, so even casual enthusiasts and slightly interested locals would have been remiss to turn it down.
Highlights from the gathering included a selection of Rod Emory’s creations, most notably the completely restored 1951 Le Mans class-winning 356 SL wearing a big “46” in its meatball. The Jägermeister and Blue Coral-liveried 935 monsters were on display as well as Emerson Fittipaldi’s 1974 IROC 911 and the psychedelic #35 purple and green 917K wearing the famed “hippie car” livery. Regardless of your individual taste for Porsches though, you’d have a hard time finding something that didn’t speak to you here. And if by slim chance you didn’t find anything to your liking, you at least got your money’s worth.
