Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

Archives for December 2008

Legendary Race Car to Lead World’s Finest Vintage Motor Cars to Amelia Island

by

JACKSONVILLE, Florida (December 10, 2008) – An unprecedented collection of the world’s finest vintage motor cars will roll into Amelia Island, March 14th, 2009 for RM Auctions’ highly anticipated Automobiles of Amelia Island event.

A popular and permanent fixture on the auto events calendar since 1999, the annual multi-million dollar auction will once again be held in conjunction with the famed Amelia Island  to make for an ultimate vintage car weekend for motoring enthusiasts. Held on the grounds of the stunning Ritz-Carlton Hotel – a setting only surpassed in beauty by the magnificent cars on offer – the event weekend is commonly referred to as the ‘Pebble Beach of the East Coast’, attracting fashionable collectors and enthusiasts from around the globe.

“Our Automobiles of Amelia Island auction is an important event on the collector car calendar as it attracts many European and East Coast enthusiasts,” said Ian Kelleher, Managing Director of RM Auctions.

“From speed to style, this year’s event will feature a magnificent roster of collector cars, highlighted by several historic race cars, some of which share Florida’s rich automotive racing history,” he added.

For the car enthusiasts amongst us, some 100 vintage motor cars are set to cross the block during the single-day RM auction. Highlighting the exceptional line-up is the legendary 1911 Oldsmobile Autocrat “Yellow Peril” race car, a historic 1927 Bugatti T51 with an extensive racing history, and an innovative and beautifully restored 1954 Packard Panther Concept car, one of just four built and the only one in roadster form.

1911 Oldsmobile Autocrat “Yellow Peril” race carThe “Yellow Peril” has a fascinating vintage racing history. Regarded as one of the biggest and most powerful vehicles of its era, the original owner, John Greenway Albert, modified the car shortly after purchase in an effort to make “race ready”. Special modifications included constructing a one-off aluminum race body and a unique gas generating system – the latter which saw Albert emerge as a pioneer of fuel injection. Painted bright yellow, Albert name the car “The Yellow Peril” and raced it on various local dirt and board tracks, reportedly often removing the fenders and headlamps to further lighten the load.

Other notable highlights for the event include: a 1941 Chrysler Newport, one of the earliest concept cars built and used as the Official Pace Car for the 1941 Indianapolis 500; a stunning 1939 Bugatti Type 57C Faux Cabriolet “Charmaine”, one of the last Bugattis built before World War II and formerly owned by a remarkable series of famous British personalities; and a magnificent collection of 1932 V8 Fords.
RM’s Automobiles of Amelia Island auction event will be held at the luxurious Ritz-Carlton, 4750 Amelia Island Parkway, Amelia Island on March 14th, 2009. A full day auction preview will be held March 13th from 9am to 6pm followed by the auction from 11am on March 14th. Admission to the auction is by catalog only, which admits both the catalog holder and a guest. The full-color collectable catalog is available for $100 U.S. (plus shipping), by calling (800)-211-4371 or visiting www.rmauctions.com.

About RM Auctions, Inc.
Celebrating nearly 30 years in the collector car industry, RM Auctions Inc. and its associated companies are responsible for acquisitions, restorations and sales of the world’s rarest and most valuable vintage automobiles, including record-breaking sales in Maranello, Italy and London, England. RM’s restoration division achieved unprecedented accolades in 2006, when the Company earned “Best of Show” honors at the world’s top three collector car events in a single year. www.rmauctions.com

Evenings at Whitney with Roger T. Hanlon – St. Augustine, FL

by

Roger T. Hanlon, Ph.D. will be the speaker at the December 11th Evenings at Whitney lecture. Hanlon is a recognized expert in the field of adaptive coloration or camouflage. His work on octopus and cuttlefish has been featured in the New York Times, on the PBS program Nova and a variety of other natural history TV channels. The title of his presentation is The octopus: nature’s most spectacular color change artist. Hanlon is a Senior Scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. He became interested in cephalopods when he encountered an octopus on a coral reef in Panama in 1968. Its body patterning and changing coloration intrigued him, and he is still working to understand its brain and behavior.
Flying Octopus!Nearly all animals have some sort of adaptive coloration or camouflage, mostly as a primary defense against predators. But the octopus and its fellow cephalopods may be the ultimate adaptors. A distinguishing feature of cephalopods is that individual animals can change their appearance with a speed and diversity unparalleled in the animal kingdom. Moreover, some squids, octopuses and cuttlefish can show 30-50 different appearances. During his Evenings at Whitney lecture, Hanlon will discuss how and why these strange but beautiful creatures achieve such astounding behavior.

The Evenings at Whitney lectures occur on the first or second Thursday of each month depending on the speaker. They are always held at 7:00 p.m. in the Whitney Lab’s Center for Marine Studies. Monthly presentations include current science topics, plus subjects from on-going research programs at the Whitney Lab. Speakers are recognized experts in their fields who welcome questions and discussion. All lectures are free and open to the public. There is no charge for parking and reservations are not necessary. Please visit www.whitney.ufl.edu for lecture schedules or contact the Whitney Lab at (904) 461-4000.

The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience is a biomedical and biotechnology research institute of the University of Florida. It is made up of eleven different internal labs that use marine organisms for basic biological research that can be applied to human health, natural resources, and the environment. The Lab provides training for future experimental biologists, educational programs for kindergarten through university level students, and monthly lectures for the general public. It is located at 9505 Ocean Shore Blvd., St. Augustine, on the border of Flagler and St. Johns counties. To learn more about the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience visit their website at www.whitney.ufl.edu.