The Silent Knight comes out on top at Amelia Island

ELKHART, IN — The JBS Collection’s 1928 Minerva AF Transformable Town Car was awarded First in Class in the Sleeve Valve class at The Amelia Concours d’Elegance, held March 5-8 on Amelia Island, Florida. Owned by collector Jack Boyd Smith Jr. and restored in collaboration with Travis LaVine and the team at LaVine Restorations, Inc., the award-winning Minerva exemplifies the innovation and craftsmanship that defined the golden age of motoring.

The vehicle features Hibbard & Darrin coachwork and is powered by the renowned sleeve-valve engine developed by Charles Yale Knight, an American inventor and entrepreneur whose innovations revolutionized early 20th-century automotive engineering.

Knight, annoyed by the loud clamor caused by traditional poppet valves, put his homegrown engineering skills—cultivated early on by working with machines in his father's sawmill—to use in redefining the driving experience. His double-sleeve technology engine, known as the "Silent Knight," produced an exceptionally smooth and quiet operation that forever changed the overall driving experience. 

The First in Class award marks another milestone for Smith Jr.'s Minerva, which has earned multiple recognitions since its meticulous and challenging 2018 restoration, and which was featured in Season 1 of Smith Jr.'s rising automotive series, The Journey.

“The JBS Collection always has a lot of moving parts and plans in the works; we are always preparing for an event, or starting work on a new project, and the list never really ends," said Smith Jr., whose collection is among the Top 100 in the world according to The Classic Car Trust's The Key publication. "That said, it was wonderful to have the opportunity to show our Minerva at The Amelia Concours, and this unique and historic vehicle is well deserving of the honor. To me, this Minerva represents people with hopes and dreams—and an unstoppable spirit—working hard to bring their visions and innovations to life. This is the kind of car that drives my curiosity and passion, and I'm thankful for the award.”

Minerva began as a bicycle manufacturer before producing luxury automobiles favored by European royalty, and even Henry Ford. Often referred to as the "Belgian Rolls-Royce," the marque represents the bold spirit of experimentation that shaped the early automotive industry. The company started transitioning into automobiles in 1902 with a six-horsepower four-cylinder automobile, and founder Sylvain de Jong launched Société Anonyme Minerva Motors in 1903, leading to volume car production in 1904 with an array of two, three, and four-cylinder chain-driven models.

Minerva's 8-litre Kaiserpreis won the Belgian Circuit des Ardennes race in 1907, and in 1908, Minerva obtained a worldwide license for Charles Yale Knight's double-sleeve technology engine, for which the company became internationally renowned. Its adoption of Knight’s sleeve-valve engine technology offered a quieter, more refined driving experience than traditional poppet-valve designs.

Knight's sleeve-valve engine faced heavy skepticism early on from American manufacturers, but the young engineer's persistence led him to England, where his work with Daimler and Lanchester resulted in the development of the Daimler TB22 and was awarded The Dewar Trophy by the Royal Automobile Club. 

The 2018 restoration of the Minerva required extraordinary attention to detail. Smith Jr. and LaVine collaborated with specialists in both the United States and Belgium to faithfully recreate the original interior materials, producing 19 separate prototypes to match the original color, weave, and finish—even down to the carpeting.

Since its 2018 restoration, The JBS Collection's 1928 Minerva AF Transformable Town Car has won awards at the Concours at Pebble Beach and earned special invitations to the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace.

The vehicle’s story and restoration are featured in Season 1, Episode 2 of The Journey, a video series produced by The JBS Collection in association with LaVine Restorations and Eyedart Creative Studio. The series offers an inside look at the preservation of historically significant automobiles and the collaboration between collector and restorer.

“These cars tell so many incredible stories, which is why I love bringing them back to life and showing them when I can at concours events," said Smith Jr. "That's also why I started producing The Journey a few years ago. I just want to share these amazing stories. I mean, how did this fabulous Minerva ever come about? Minerva started out making bicycles, and Charles Yale Knight was just a journalist and dairy publisher who didn't like the noisy valves on his early Knox. The history of these vehicles, the important advancements they represent, and the way they came to exist—that is all incredible to me. It was a great honor for a vehicle of ours to be awarded at the distinguished Concours at Amelia Island, and I'm happy that everyone there enjoyed this incredible Minerva."

About The JBS Collection: The automobiles in The JBS Collection represent the ultimate in early automotive design, craftsmanship, and innovation. Educating future generations about the merits and importance of each piece guides every addition to the collection. The select autos in The JBS Collection are more than just vehicles; they demonstrate what can be achieved with forward thinking and effort. The collection seeks to advance the cause of preserving and promoting invaluable vessels of art, design, engineering, luxury, and heritage.

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