Amelia Island 2022 Auction Redefined A – in A-List

The 24th annual Amelia Island auction and Concours D’Elegance has wrapped up and it has been one for the books. While this wasn’t a year for the greatest amount of dollars in sales, it did see a veritable cavalcade of cool and unique cars, while also being a potential bellwether for a return to normalcy after the pandemic. Let’s take a look at what went down.  

First, let’s get the boring economic stuff out of the way.  

In terms of sales, the figures were very good, and yes, it wasn’t quite as good as its previous banner year 2016, which saw $139 million in sales and other January record setters this year, it was still very impressive with $125 million in sales. It was also the first time since 2017 that the auction broke the $100 million-dollar mark.  

There are plenty of analyses out there as to why this action didn’t make the record books explode. Hagerty’s has a really insightful piece on this. But suffice it to say that the reasons can range from world events and their effects on the stock market to other more, let’s say, academic reasons.  

All right, it’s time for the fun stuff: the cars! The biggest takeaway from this year’s event is that over the last few events, Amelia has become the unofficial home for rare and amazing Porsche collectors. In particular, we are hopelessly in love with the 1950 550 Spyder, which went for $4.84 million.  

This car is legendary for good and tragic reasons. Good because this Porsche’s racing pedigree is impeccable — and tragic because this was the model that legendary actor James Dean was driving the night of his fatal accident. There is no end to the list of reasons this car is so popular and draws the number of bids it does.  

Another stunner that made the record books was the 1929 Duesenberg Model Convertible. This classic luxury jalopy was top of the line in its day. It was named after the Duesenberg Grand Prix; that model, with the famed Miller engine, won a few in its day. It sold for just over $1 million, which, if you ask us, is a steal for this absolutely gorgeous car. 

Of course, there was the 1954 Jaguar XK120 SE Coupe that sold for $940,000. Back in 1949, when the XK made its debut on the world stage, it was an instant success. So much so that Jaguars today are still inspired by its grill and overall aerodynamic design, as well as inspiring other classics of its day, like the Aston Martins. We dare you to compare images side by side.  

But of all the amazing cars that managed to find new homes this past weekend, what stands out just as much to us were the cars that weren’t sold. Cars like the 1960 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL for which bids went as high as $1.7 million but was valued at $1.9 million. This is very surprising because the 300 is a fan favorite and usually goes fast. But it does say a lot about the current collectors’ market and what people are willing to spend these days.  

All in all, this event was in equal measures fun and interesting. We’re definitely looking forward to the next one.  

Related: The Hot List at Barrett-Jackson 2022