1935 Voisin, 1964 Ferrari take top honours at Amelia concours

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A French-built 1935 Voisin and a 1964 Ferrari have taken the top honours at the 28^th annual The Amelia Concours d’Elegance car show at Amelia Island, Florida. It was the second major triumph for the Voisin, which was named Best in Show in California’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2011.

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The 1935 Avions Voisin Type C25 Aérodyne’s award at The Amelia was also a Best in Show trophy. The car is one of six originally made, and is now one of four known to still exist.

The Voisin automobile was built by French aircraft manufacturer Gabriel Voisin – he claimed to have built a working airplane before the Wright Brothers did – from 1919 until 1934. He specialized in technologies that were unusual for the time, including lightweight materials from his airplane background, and engines that used sliding sleeves instead of traditional valves for fuel intake and exhaust.

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The car is owned by Merle and Peter Mullin, who bought it in the early 2000s. It underwent a three-year restoration prior to its win at Pebble Beach. It carries an inline-six-cylinder sleeve-valve engine and adjustable suspension, but its most notable feature is an electrically-retractable roof.

Its unusual black-and-grey upholstery recreates the car’s original interior. Mullin not only found the company that made the Voisin’s fabric back when it was new, but the factory still had the original pattern. Mullin also located the original looms and two craftsmen who had worked at the company back then, and who created the new fabric for the car’s restoration.

The Best in Show Concours de Sport at The Amelia went to a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM that won the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was displayed by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

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While Ferrari had a factory team in the race and was thought to have the win sewn up, it was won instead by a privateer entry, the North American Racing Team (NART). The 250 LM was driven by Masten Gregory, Jochen Rindt, and reserve driver Ed Hugus. It was the first time since 1957 that a non-factory car won the race.

The car also raced in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1966 and 1968; and back at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1968 and 1969. Its last race was the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1970, where it finished seventh, and it was acquired by the museum that year. It has been part of different displays at the facility since then.