We are proud to have Bill Warner as our 2005 Honorary Chief Judge for the Thousand Oaks Father’s Day Car Classic. Bill is the founder and chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance held in the month of March in Amelia Island, Florida, and he has been in charge of this show ever since its inception 10 years ago. Its format comes as close to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, as any show in the U.S. Having your car invited to Bill’s show is an honor for any collector in the hobby. In 2001, Warner was voted into the Road Racing Drivers’ Club, one of road racing’s highest honors. Among many other awards for his fundraising, he was the 2001 recipient of the Frank W. Sherman Award presented by the Rotary Club of South Jacksonville for exemplary community service. In 2002, Bill was the recipient of the The Meguiar’s Collector Car Hobby’s Person of the Year Award. The Meguiar’s Award was created to honor those individuals who have done the most to improve the quality, visibility and growth of the collector car hobby.

People who love cars, love to be with people who love cars. This simple fact is bigger than life with Bill Warner, and is the secret behind the success of the Amelia Island Concours. It is, in fact, Bill Warner’s big heart and notorious affection for cars of all types and descriptions that bonds everyone to him who share his passion. It is his passion that attracts car owners from across America to come to Northeast Florida every March. More often than not, they will tell you that the first time they came to the show, they came for Bill. His show has raised over $1.3 million for Hospice in the last eight years.

Bill’s own personal collection of automobiles consists of a 1980 BMW M1, a 1971 Porsche 911T, a 1979 Mercedes Benz 450SL, a 1957 Cadillac El Dorado Biarritz convertible, a 1958 Cadillac El Dorado Brougham, a 1970 Maserati Ghibli Spyder, a 1934 Ford Model 40 Special Speedster, a 1952 Muntz, an ex-Group 44 Triumph TR-6, an ex-Group 44 Triumph TR-8, and a 1955 Corvette. One of his most recent undertakings is a Ford Model 40 Special Speedster. This very unusual car was specially built for Edsel Ford. Bill found this car hiding in a garage in Deland, Florida, for the last 38 years. Some experts say this car is one of the most significant finds of the 1990’s. With his particular appreciation for vintage sports cars with rich heritage, Bill is always on the lookout for the rare find. He restores them himself in his own shop, shows them whenever possible and even participates with them in vintage races to personally experience the feel of their past glory. The car in his collection that he most loves to race is an ex-Group 44 Triumph previously owned and raced by Paul Newman.

Always on the look-out for cars for the Amelia Island Show, Bill travels near and far for those special cars that he invites to the car classic. Have you ever been walking the fields at Hershey and noticed a jovial group of guys wearing silly pink hats? They may seem a bit eccentric, and their choice of fashion suspect, but there's a method to their madness. Under one of those pink hats is the brain and heart behind the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, Bill Warner.

Bill is the inspiration that directs those of us that run this show to strive to make the Thousand Oaks Car Classic emulate Bill’s Concours. Bill’s assistance and advice to us for the past three years has certainly been an inspiration to all of us. All we can say to Bill is, “Our hats are off to you; you are a stand up guy.”