AUTOMA ROTBILES
20TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW
Lake Mirror Concours d’Elegance
By Aaron R. Fodiman
The Lake Mirror Concours d’Elegance automobile show has grown over the last
20 years to become a major extravaganza for the city of Lakeland.
In 1999, automobile insurance innovator Ford Heacock was
planning a car show in downtown Lakeland around Lake
Mirror Park, an invitational event for collectors of world-class
automobiles, primarily pre-war classics from the 1920s and
‘30s. He needed cars. Fate connected him with Al Wiseman of
Tarpon Springs, an inventor who held numerous patents for the
aviation industry, who had been president of Airborne Express,
an express freight air carrier. Wiseman also had a passion for
collecting automobiles and had amassed a significant number
of cars that interested Heacock – a pre-war Rolls-Royce, a
Duesenberg, an Auburn, a Cord, a Stanley Steamer steam engine
vehicle, a LaSalle luxury automobile and many more. Heacock
immediately set up a meeting to see Wiseman’s collection. He
was overwhelmed by the 1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II with a
Merlin engine, such as the ones used in P-51 Mustang airplanes
in World War II, and the 1932 Duesenberg Boattail Speedster
and Stanley Steamer were ideal, so he wondered which ones
Wiseman would bring to the show. When Wiseman offered to
bring whatever Heacock wanted, they became friends for life.
122 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020
Heacock chose 25 of Al’s 126 classics for the show that was being
held on the new promenade of Lake Mirror.
Twenty years later, the Concours d’Elegance is one of Lakeland’s
largest community events, attracting more than 40,000 car
enthusiasts to it each year. Heacock still volunteers to chair the
Concours portion of the show, but Wiseman has sold most of his
collection and no longer brings classics to the event. However, at
this year’s 20th anniversary show, Heacock recognized Wiseman
for helping to establish the event and credited him with helping
to establish the Lakeland event as one of the best in the nation.
This year a 1929 Bugatti Type 46 was named Best in Show for
a Grand Classic. A 1963 Ferrari California Spyder was named
Best in Show for a non-classic. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Al Wiseman still resides in Tarpon Springs and
can be seen driving his restored truck, custom-bodied Corvette or any
number of other special vehicles. Once you’re a car guy, you’re always
a car guy.