Vanderbilt Cup Races

It was a thrill for the Tucker 1044 Team to meet John Oates on Sunday at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. It turns out Tucker 1044 was one of his "three favorite cars of the show"....the other two won Best in Show.

Enjoy,

Howarrd Kroplick

Forbes March 12, 2019

Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance Through The Eyes Of A Rock Legend
By Chuck Tannert
 

Like car week in Monterrey, California, the northeast coast of Florida has become synonymous with classic automobiles and the people who celebrate them, thanks to the yearly Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. However, unlike Pebble Beach’s world-famous Concours, Amelia Island’s collectible car show doesn’t supercharge the excess; it has more of a relaxed, inviting vibe. That doesn’t mean the cars are inferior—quite the contrary.

This past weekend nearly 400 four- and two-wheeled masterpieces of every size, shape, and era lined the rolling fairways and greens of the Amelia Island Golf Club, adjacent to the Ritz-Carlton, for the 24th annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.

A 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K won Best in Show in the Concours d’Elegance category and a 1957 Ferrari 335 S captured Best in Show honors in the Concours de Sport category. There was also amazing collection of cars from the 1930s, pre-war Mercedes and Bugattis, and a significant group of race cars once piloted by legendary driver and show honoree Jacky Icyx, six-time winner of the 24 Hours at Le Mans.

One of the most eclectic and popular classes was the all-new “Cars of the Rock Stars,” curated by John Oates, one half of the biggest-selling musical duo of all time, Hall & Oates.

“We had Janis Joplin's psychedelically painted Porsche 356,” Oates says of this year's lineup. “A Corvette driven by Elvis Presley in the movie Clambake, [accompanied by] a special edition replica—only four were made—of the Martin acoustic guitar played by [the King]. Ricky Nelson's Cadillac Eldorado owned by Bill Warner, and a guitar made in his honor. And AC/DC’s Brian Johnson's rare 1928 Bentley." Because he's a lead singer and didn't necessarily play guitar, the display included a 1964 Gibson SG, which is very similar to the one his bandmate Angus Young plays. And, of course, Oates displayed his 1960 356 Emory Special Porsche.

Speaking about the overall competition, Oates admits it was hard to process all the incredible cars: "I don't even know where to begin. It was overwhelming in the best way possible.”

With a little prompting, the musician came clean about his three favorite cars of the show. “There was a very rare Tucker displayed by the great-grandson of Preston Tucker, the man who built that car,” Oates raves. “It was a beautiful green. You don't see those very often.” The judges felt the same and bestowed the 1948 Tucker 1044 team with first-in-class honors in the American Limited Production category.

The other two were a tiny red 1954 Stanguellini 750 Sport in the Race Cars 1946-1957 class and a 1967 Alfa Romeo T33 "Periscopio" raced at Targa Florio in the Race Cars 1946-1947 class.

“The cars that won Best in Show were also amazing,” Oates says.

The Mercedes 540K was a rare Autobahn-Kurier model designed for high-speed stability on non-speed regulated sections of German autobahn. It stood out from the competition in Amelia thanks to its dramatic, streamlined fastback bodywork. The car featured an innovative, sleek body and a 5.4-liter supercharged V8. Only 419 were made.

As for the Best in Show in the Concourse de Sport category, the 1957 Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti left the factory as one model but developed into another. It began life as a 290 MM, was converted into a 315S, and finally evolved into a 335S in preparation for the 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans, when its motor was upgraded with a 390-horsepower Tipo 141 V12. As such, it has a distinguished racing history; Peter Collins, Mike Hawthorne and Stirling Moss are some of the better-known drivers to have piloted this car at famous venues like Sebring, Le Mans, and the Mille Miglia.

However, the best part of the day for Oates was walking around talking to people who knew their stuff about cars. “It was great to engage in conversations with them and talk about all the details," he says. "For a car nerd, it was Nirvana.”

In fact, near the end of the day, Oates met with the recently retired vice president of global design for General Motors, Ed Welburn. “He engaged in a detailed conversation with Rod Emory, the man who built my Porsche 356 Emory Special,” Oates says. “[They chatted] about how Rod did some metal fabrication, and some unique and innovative metal work on my car—in particular, while creating the roof line. It was the kind of thing that car designer’s geek out on. I got to be a fly on the wall and listen to their conversation.”

Rod Emory, the owner of Emory Motorsports, has been generating “Outlaw” Porsche 356s for more than 20 years. In Oates case, he took a derelict 1960 356 “barn find” and turned it into a stunning 1960 356 Emory Special.

Oates says Emory’s philosophy is to maintain the traditional Porsche aesthetic while adding his personal touches. “If the 356 had evolved over the years into a more modern car and they hadn't replaced it with the 911, perhaps this is what the 356 might have evolved into,” Oates says.

To do so, Emory uses a variety of “old-school” build techniques at his shop in McMinnville, Oregon. “He uses an English wheel and hammers [to shape metal], build the bodywork the way it was built back in the 1950s,” Oates says.

First Emory’s crew media blasted the car’s body, so they could see what was under the paint and repair rust and any other damage. Then, Emory rebuilt the car by hand. He fabricated a floor pan first to provide much-needed structural rigidity, as he planned to add a much more powerful engine than the car was initially designed to hold. He then added a 911-style rear suspension and steering system, so it could handle the kind of power the new engine put out. And finally, he rebuilt the body.

Oates, who sold most of his vintage car collection decades ago, still owns a 1959 MGA Twin Cam Roadster, a very cool, unique car. “I love cars from the '50s and '60s,” admits Oates, "small, lightweight cars.” The very rare MGA was restored in the 1980s but never driven. It “literally has 1,800 miles, so it's almost like a brand-new 1959 car,” he boasts. Better yet, he drives it.

In case you've ever wondered what's haulin' Oates.