McLaren celebrates 50 years at Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance

The company that revolutionized motorsport will celebrate 50 years at the 19th annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance this coming March. Five decades of classic McLaren racers will be on display, including honoree Jochen Mass' 1977 McLaren M23 Formula One racer as a part of the “Cars of Jochen Mass” class.

McLaren earned its reputation by not only dominating the motorsport world, but also through relentless pursuit of more speed and technology. Fifty years later, McLaren is still at the top of its game, being the only company to win the Formula One Constructors' Championship, the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Can-Am Championship.

McLaren's racing history got its start from Bruce McLaren, who founded McLaren Motor Racing Ltd. in 1963. McLaren established himself in the racing world by wining two Can-Am titles in '67 and '69 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966. He combined his passion for perfection and talent for auto sports to create a racing team that many wished to rival. Since the McLaren's F1 debut at the 1966 Grand Prix of Monaco, the team has more than 730 F1 races under its belt with 182 of those being Grand Prix victories. McLaren also boasts eight World Constructors' titles and 12 Drivers' Championships.

The team then went on to secure three Indy 500 victories between 1972 and 1976, and took home the coveted first place finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995 with the F1. McLaren is in the books as the only team to claim the esteemed triple crown—victories at the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indy 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

McLaren will be participating as a sponsor of the Amelia Island Concours for a third consecutive year. Now in its second decade, the Amelia Island Councours d'Elegance is one of the top automotive events in the world. This year's event will be held March 7-9 on the 10th and 18th fairways of The Golf Club of Amelia Island at the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island.

Since it's inception in 1996, proceeds from the event have totaled $2.2 million and directly benefit the Community of Hospice of Northeast Florida, Inc. as well as various other charities on the Florida coast. For more information regarding the even, you can visit www.ameliaconcours.org.

By Natalie Sejnost