“Rain Man” Roadmaster makes debut at 2016 Amelia Concours
A late entry in the 21st Annual Amelia Island Concours Post War American Production class will no doubt set off an avalanche of movie clichés on March 16, 2016. The…
A late entry in the 21st Annual Amelia Island Concours Post War American Production class will no doubt set off an avalanche of movie clichés on March 16, 2016.
The 1949 Buick convertible, one of two used to make the film “Rain Man”, will make its international concours debut after a restoration by Wayne Carini, of the Velocity Channel’s “Chasing Classic Cars”, for “Rain Man” Director Barry Levinson.
The 1988 film “Rain Man” tells the story of Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise), a self-involved car dealer in financial turmoil who learns that his estranged father has died and bequeathed his entire fortune to his older son, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), who suffers from autism. All that Cruise’s character inherits are his father’s prized rosebushes and the ’49 Buick Roadmaster convertible. Raymond’s refusal to fly on any airline besides Qantas launches the brothers on a cross-country road trip staring the Sequoia Cream Buick Roadmaster convertible with the red leather interior.
Dustin Hoffman won an Oscar for his portrayal of Raymond “Rain Man” Babbitt, along with Barry Levinson for his direction of the Best Picture classic.
The Buick convertible had a modified rear suspension to hold the extra weight of the camera equipment plus the cameraman who filmed from the trunk.
“The ’49 is a Buick styling landmark,” said Bill Warner, Founder and Chairman of the Amelia Island Concours. “‘The VentiPort’ – the ‘holes’ in the fenders – debuted with the 1949’s and with the ‘Sweep Spear’, is still part of Buick’s design DNA. But what people will always remember best about the ’49 is the ‘Rain Man’. We’re very pleased to have one of Wayne’s (Carini) restorations on the field again.”
The 2016 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance will be held March 11-13th on the 10th and 18th fairways of The Golf Club of Amelia Island at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island. The show’s Foundation has donated over $2.75 million to Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, Inc. and other charities on Florida’s First Coast since its inception in 1996. In 2013 the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance won Octane Magazine’s EFG International Historic Motoring Event of the Year award.
Always held the second full weekend in March, “Amelia” draws over 250 rare vehicles from collections around the world to The Golf Club of Amelia Island, The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island. The21st annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is scheduled for March 11-13, 2016.
For more information, visit www.ameliaconcours.org or call 904-636-0027.
2016 Collector Car Price Guide
The 2016 edition of the Collector Car Price Guide is here! Pricing information is available for collectors, restorers, buyers, sellers, insurance agents and anyone who could benefit from reliable and authoritative data. The 2016 edition lists all models made by 109 carmakers and 37 truck makers between 1901 and 2008! This brand-new version includes over 275,000 prices for sports cars, domestic cars, imported cars, classic cars, special-interest automobiles, muscle cars, and trucks in 6 conditions.
