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

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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

Hurricane Season is Over – For 2008

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Finally, the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season closed officially on Sunday Nov 30th. This season produces a record number of consecutive storms to strike the United States and ranks as one of the more active seasons in the 64 years since comprehensive records began, reports NOAA.

For the first time on record, six consecutive tropical cyclones (Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike) made landfall on the U.S. mainland and a record three major hurricanes (Gustav, Ike and Paloma) struck Cuba. This is also the first Atlantic season to have a major hurricane (Category 3) form in five consecutive months (July: Bertha, August: Gustav, September: Ike, October: Omar, November: Paloma). (Click here to read the whole story)

In the month of May NOAA will issue its initial 2009 Atlantic Hurricane Outlook. The official hurricane season starts on June 1.

Georgia Tech’s Yellow Jacket Marching Band in Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade

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State of Georgia Represented in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Georgia Tech’s Yellow Jacket Marching Band Makes Debut in Annual Holiday Event

ATLANTA (November 24, 2008) Georgia will be well represented in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as Georgia Tech’s Yellow Jacket Marching Band takes center stage. The group is one of two college bands selected to perform during the traditional kick-off to the holiday season.

The parade will be broadcast live Thursday, November 27, 2008, on NBC from 9:00 a.m. until noon (EST). The Yellow Jacket Marching Band has been informed that they will be marching by the camera at approximately 10:07 a.m.

“With 2008 representing the band’s 100th anniversary, we cannot think of a better way to celebrate than taking part in this traditional holiday event,” says Band Director Chris Moore.

Transporting 360 members plus their instruments is no small task. The group will be transported via eight buses along with one truck loaded with instruments ranging from 30 tubas to 31 drums. The band is set leave on Sunday, November 23 for the 800-plus-mile trek.

Established in 1908, the Yellow Jacket Marching Band is one of the oldest such programs in the country. Members of the band are part of a group of more than 1,100 Georgia Tech students who sing, play or study music each semester at a university that offers no undergraduate degrees in music. Band members represent every major and many nations around the world.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade is not the first time the band has been in the limelight. Band members appeared at the Kenny Chesney and Sugarland concert during their 2007 summer tour in Atlanta. They also were asked to perform with Keith Urban during his spring concert at Gwinnett Arena earlier this year.

For more information on the Yellow Jacket Marching Band’s major milestones, visit their Web site at http://www.gatech.edu/band/.

Tour de Georgia 2009 – The Bicycle Tour Cancelled

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(Atlanta, GA) Following the conclusion of a very successful 2008 Tour de Georgia presented by
AT&T, the Board of Directors of the Tour de Georgia Foundation, Inc., announced today their plans
for the future of the Tour.

Speaking on behalf of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, long time member Tom
Saddlemire announced that the Tour de Georgia will not be held in 2009 but will return in
2010. Mr. Saddlemire, newly retired CFO of GE Energy, explained that “with the help of the Lt.
Governor, the Tour had its most successful year yet, raising close to $3.2 million in operating
expenses and commitments for more than $500,000 in support of cancer research through the Aflac
Cancer Center at Children’s Healthcare and the Georgia Cancer Coalition. We believe that this
unique and exciting event will endure. We have decided to use 2009 as a time to plan ahead and
properly position the Tour de Georgia to make the best use of the new partnerships we forged during
the 2008 Tour de Georgia Presented by AT&T, such as our relationships with Blue Cross Blue
Shield and Road Atlanta. The planning process for the Tour de Georgia requires a tremendous
amount of time and effort and we wanted to give all of our partners enough time to plan and allocate
their resources to take full advantage of the event. Therefore, we will skip 2009 and the Board will
petition USAC and the UCI for the Tour de Georgia’s return to the world calendar in 2010.”
Craig Lesser, former Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development said that
“The Tour de Georgia was initiated by the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade & Tourism (now
Georgia Department of Economic Development) in 2003 with a focus on creating a world-class
cycling event which fostered significant economic development, tourism and world-wide exposure.
We achieved that goal. The Tour de Georgia quickly developed stature, gaining international ranking
(by UCI and USA Cycling, Inc.) as a spring tradition in the professional sport of cycling. The Tour
de Georgia attracted the best teams in the world and previous champions included such stars as
Lance Armstrong, Tom Danielson and Chris Horner. Over the course of six years, the Tour de
Georgia has attracted 3.2 million spectators, many of whom traveled to Georgia from out of state,
and generated a direct economic impact totaling over $186 million. The 2008 Tour de Georgia, our
most successful Tour yet, yielded over $38.6 million in direct economic impact for the State. We
have come a long way since 2003.”
Chairman of the Board, Lt. Governor Casey Cagle added, “The support we received from our
Georgia sponsor corporations, our host cities and the citizens of Georgia was amazing in
2008. Since April, we have had an enormous response from our partners on ways we can strengthen
the Tour for the future, and we have been listening. Our host cities want to have time to prepare
tourism packages and our health providers are enthusiastic about developing plans to use the Health
and Wellness expos to spread their message across the state. Our cycling friends from across the
state want to partner with us to create participant activities which are inclusive of the whole
family. We have listened to their advice and have decided to skip one year so that the Tour de
Georgia can once and for all be ahead of the game in the planning process. This is a decision I feel
is wise and one that will strengthen the Tour de Georgia for years to come. I commend our Board
for its thoughtfulness in arriving at this decision. We look forward to using 2009 to plan the 2010
Tour and I am committed to playing an active role in that process.”
Steve Johnson, CEO of USA Cycling, said that he “was obviously disappointed to learn that the
2009 Tour de Georgia has been cancelled for 2009. However, I am very pleased that the race will
return in 2010. Since its inception in 2003, the Tour de Georgia has been an important international
stage race featuring some of the top riders in the world. Equally important, it provided the impetus
for major stage races in California and Missouri. We look forward to the Tour de Georgia returning
in 2010.”
The Tour de Georgia Presented by AT&T is North America ’s premier professional cycling
race. First held in 2003, the Tour de Georgia Presented by AT&T is an
international professional sporting event that brings thousands of spectators and cycling enthusiasts
to the State of Georgia each Spring. The 2008 Tour de Georgia Presented by AT&T was a six-stage
race, covering more than 600 miles across the State of Georgia, from the shores of Tybee Island to
the mountains of North Georgia, with an exciting circuit finish in the state capitol, Atlanta.
Traditionally, professional teams use the Tour de Georgia to prepare their riders for the most
challenging tours held in Europe, including the Tour de France. Several teams which rode in the
2008 Tour de Georgia Presented by AT&T also participated in the 2008 Tour de France. Riders
such as Christian van de Velde and George Hincapie, who were fierce competitors in the 2008 Tour
de Georgia Presented by AT&T, also rode extremely well in the 2008 Tour de France. The climb up
Brasstown Bald in the mountains of North Georgia, a favorite of cycling fans and a legendary stage
in the professional racing circuit, is considered by professional cyclists to be the most challenging
and grueling stage of any race held in North America.

More information www.tourdegeorgia.com