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2005 Festival of Speed
By: Fritz Kloepfel
Photos by the author
March 13, 2005

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The second annual Festival of Speed took place in St. Petersburg, Florida on February 25-27, 2005. Unfortunately, Florida did not offer its usual sunny skies and balmy temperatures. In fact Friday evening offered gray skies and showers, which continued on Saturday and turned into full blown thunderstorms on Sunday. This didn't dampen the spirits of the revelers of speed, however, and the various receptions and dinners were well attended and enjoyed by many.

Friday's activities kicked off with the Jet Hop and Cocktail Reception in the hanger at Signature Flight Support in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Airport. It quickly became evident that this was to be not only a festival of speed, but a celebration of money as well. The hanger housed a number of jets and prop planes, a boat, numerous motorcycles and a beautiful collection of exotic and luxury automobiles. All of this intermingled with cocktails, cigars, hors d' oeuvres and glamorous people as a saxophone player strolled among the crowd providing live background music. The cars ranged from a pair of diminutive, go-kart like T-Rex's to a stately Rolls Royce Phantom, and even included a Ford F-650 pick-up and a Hummer Limo. The new Ferrari F430 was present in red, with a beautifully turned out 612 Scaglietti beside it. Bentley had no less than three examples of their current offerings and Lamborghini was well represented as well. Strolling among the play toys of the rich while waitresses offered champagne and cocktails, and waiters offered high end taste treats was heady stuff indeed. If you've ever wondered what it would cost to own 1/4 of a twin engine propeller plane (not a jet!) I can tell you that Fractional Ownership of an AvantAir cost $1,520,000 up front and an additional $28,000 a month for the monthly operating fee. This is the playground of the privileged.

On Saturday the exotics and bikes lined both sides of the street in front of host hotel, The Renaissance Vinoy Resort. Just across the street was the resort's marina on the western edge of Tampa Bay in beautiful downtown St. Petersburg. Several large yachts in the marina played host to the cocktail reception, and once again there was live music, great food and an eclectic mix of people interested in speed, luxury and lifestyle. This part of the festival brought out a little wider variety of cars which included some antiques, a highly modified Datsun "Z" with a small block Chevy engine, and a limo created from a Chrysler 300. The motorcycles varied from custom choppers to a Bimota Grand Prix racer which used a very unique swingarm suspension at the front, instead of traditional forks. There was even a 1959 Fiat Multipla which looked, to this observer, as though it had the headlights at the back and the taillights at the front. Apparently my failure to understand Italian goes far beyond the language.

Saturday evening brought the Palm Court Reception in the ballroom of the Renaissance Vinoy Resort. While a high energy band pumped out Rhythm-n-Blues you could circulate among an incredible collection of cars and boats, with a full compliment of motorcycles in the entrance hall. From race cars to classics, collector cars to cars you can't even buy yet, there was something here for everyone. How about a new Maybach? A pristine Mercedes Gull Wing SL? Maybe a classic Bentley race car? They were all there to appreciate as you enjoyed a sumptuous dinner. And in the center of the Palm Court Ballroom, hidden under low slung cover, was the highlight of the night, a special car awaiting a very special presentation. Once the crowd was fed and the sponsors were thanked, it was time to reveal the guest star. After some build up and a brief introduction, the microphone was turned over to Jerod Shelby, the owner of Shelby Super Cars. (No relation to Carroll Shelby) Jerod told the story of his fascination with cars from a very young age, of his considerable racing experience, and of his dream to build a true, viable supercar in America. Beneath the cover was the first production model of that car, the SSC Aero. As the cover was pulled away his dream was revealed. A beautifully sculpted exotic supercar, conceived, designed and built in America, and fully certified, ready for sale. With 908 hp, 771 lb./ft. of torque, and a top speed of 249 mph he'll have little trouble selling all 25 examples of this limited production run. The crowd showed it's appreciation by gathering around the car to look at every detail, and were three and four deep for quite a while making an exciting cap to the fantastic evening.

Unfortunately, thunderstorms kept this journalist from attending the outdoor display on Sunday, but the whole event was clearly a success, and just what the organizers intended, a spectacular coming together of many variations on the theme of speed. If you have an interest in things mechanical, or fast rides of any sort, or would just like a glimpse of how the affluent like their toys, be sure to attend next years Festival of Speed in St. Petersburg, Florida.