Winners of the 2018 Ponte Vedra Auto Show will be selected by a panel of 16 judges consisting of auto enthusiasts, collectors and experts from around the First Coast.
Larry Weisman
This year’s head judge, Weisman is a financial advisor and self-described car nut who also holds a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering. Weisman worked on flight tests for commercial and military aircraft before becoming a financial advisor 21 years ago. Just over 10 years ago, Weisman owned an interest in an automotive performance and restoration shop in Jacksonville. He has owned over 50 cars and currently has a Grand Sport Corvette and a Mustang SVO. Weisman has been sponsoring and volunteering with the Ponte Vedra Auto Show for 14 years and is chief judge.
Richard Nunn
This year’s master of ceremonies, Richard Nunn is a meteorologist at News4Jax. He was born and raised in South Florida and attended the University of Florida. From there, Nunn moved to Mississippi where he earned his master's degree in meteorology from Mississippi State University. His career started in Washington (state) with NBC as a chief meteorologist. His next move was to Portland, Oregon, and then after seven years, he moved back to the Sunshine State, where you can find him each weekday morning on News4Jax. Nunn is a car lover and will serve as a judge this year and the master of ceremonies for the awards presentation.
Bob Barren
Born and raised in Jacksonville, Barren has been a member of the Florida Crown Region and Porsche Club of America (PCA) for nearly 20 years. Barren volunteers for club races at Roebling Road, Daytona and Sebring, and has participated in many PCA Concours events at the local, regional and national levels. Barren serves on the Board of Directors for Florida Crown Region and has served on the national staff of PCA as a Zone 12 representative for the state of Florida. Barren also volunteers at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, volunteering as a co-chair for several years.
Jimmy Britts
Supporting the Navy at NAS Jacksonville is what Britts does when he is not “playing with cars.” Britts is a past ARCA racecar driver, chassis builder and painter. He is the main racecar mover at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, and he has been judging with the Ponte Vedra Auto Show for four years.
John Duss
Duss is one of the founding members and chief judge for the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. He also serves as a car judge for the Ponte Vedra Auto Show, for which he annually organizes the show’s vintage motorcycle display. He has been an active motorcyclist for over 40 years, owning numerous marques and participating in several clubs. Duss is a member of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America. Automobiles as a hobby span the same period with a particular affection for Alfa Romeo. His racing enthusiasm extends from Formula 1 to sprint cars and everything in between. In addition to serving on the foundation board, Duss serves as foundation attorney.
Mike Ferran
Ferran has been repairing, modifying and restoring vehicles professionally for 40 years. He is an ASE master technician and has owned Ferran Automotive since 1991. Although he currently owns a Ferrari Challenge Stradale, Ferran says he loves anything with wheels.
Steve Giambra
It all started for Giambra when he bought his first car in high school, a 1956 Corvette. 50 years later, after a long search, Giambra was able to relive the dream by purchasing another ‘vette like the one he had in high school. Giambra collects American, American muscle and British sports cars and has been a judge for the past five years.
Dick Messer
Messer was executive director of the Petersen Automotive Museum for 12 years. Located in Los Angeles, the museum is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious automotive museums. Messer, a lifelong car collector who is well connected in the collector car community, was the first to hold the museum director post. He served in the role until June 2010.
Bill Hughes
After an accomplished career playing junior, collegiate, amateur and professional golf, Hughes was hired by the PGA Tour in 1996, where he was the chief operating officer/general manager at several PGA Tour event stops throughout the country. In 2006, he arrived at TPC Sawgrass to oversee construction of the 110,000-square-foot clubhouse and renovation of both THE PLAYERS Stadium and Dye’s Valley golf courses, while repositioning the club and PGA Tour brand worldwide. After 12 years at TPC Sawgrass and receiving many distinguished awards, Hughes is semi-retired while working on several cutting-edge initiatives in the areas of customer service training, teambuilding and diversity recruitment into the golf industry and the PGA of America. Hughes has been a racing and automobile lover since he was a kid. He is active with the PCA and is an owner of many Porsches over the years. He has been judging the PV Auto Show for seven years.
Ken Perry
Perry is currently a project manager at TIAA. He owns a 2003 Boxster S and is on the board of PCA. Perry currently serves as co-chief judge at the Festivals of Speed. This is Perry’s fifth year judging with the Ponte Vedra Auto Show.
Don Swift
Born and raised in Cleveland, Swift is a regional territory manager for Hagerty Insurance in Florida. As a lifelong car enthusiast, his interest began with helping build his uncle’s dirt track race cars and admiring whichever collector car his dad was driving at the moment. Swift is an active member of the Florida Citrus Region of PCA and can be found attending local shows in his Porsche Boxster or hosting Cars & Coffee at Ace Café in Orlando. He recently participated in The Drive Home III road rally and Classic Motorsports Orange Blossom Tour. He has also led the Hagerty Youth Judging Award program at the 2018 Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance.
Dan Scanlan
A 28-year resident of Jacksonville, Dan Scanlan worked in local television and radio; handled election campaign advertising accounts for a circuit court judge and a clerk of court race; and opened a local comedy club, before coming to the Florida Times-Union 20 years ago. Scanlan is the main contributor to the Drive section of the TU. He is married with one son and is active in church and community activities.
AJ Tasker
Tasker is an attorney at law specializing in criminal DUI. He owns a 5.0 Mustang, the 11th Mustang that he has owned. Tasker is a member of the First Coast Modified Mustang Club and has been judging with the Ponte Vedra Auto Show for the past six years.
Bill Hatchett
Hatchett is a car collector, aficionado and car judge for the Festivals of Speed. As a son of a high-level executive at Ford, he’s been around many cars, shows and racing his entire life. The first special car in his life was his dad's company car, a 1956 T-Bird. His first car in high school was a 1968 Shelby GT-500 KR. Then, he had numerous other lease cars including the 1970 Ford Torino, 1971 Mach 1, 1971 Pantera, 1972 Gran Torino Sport, 1973 Mach 1, 1974 Cougar with a 460 and a 1971 Maverick Grabber with a 302. Over the years, he has owned close to 100 different cars. He considers himself an expert on Ford and many other high-performance cars. Hatchett has been a certified automotive appraiser for over 40 years.
Jake Weisman
Jake Weisman’s passion for cars started at birth and has progressed into a full-time career. Through his work as a regional territory manager for Hagerty Classic Cars, he works closely with other automotive enthusiasts to help protect and properly value their vehicles, all the while promoting the cultural value of collecting. Hagerty protects over 1,000,000 vehicles, 12,000 boats and 30,000 motorcycles worth a total of $30 billion. As a company, Hagerty attends over 2,000 classic car events each year, with Weisman managing events in the South Florida region. A Ponte Vedra native, Weisman has been attending the Ponte Vedra Auto Show with his father, head judge Larry Weisman, for over 14 years.
Mark Steiger
Mark Steiger, a recently retired physician assistant from Baptist Primary Care in Ponte Vedra, has owned so many cars he has lost count. They range from three-cylinder, two-stroke SaaBs to a V8 Ferrari. He spent many years driving a 1968 Porsche 911L at Florida Crown Region Porsche Club driving events and currently has a 1966 Ford Cortina GT, a 1967 VW Beetle and a rare turquoise 1997 BMW Z3. His wife calls him a "car magnet," and he is always on the lookout for the unusual project to keep him busy. This will be Steiger’s first year serving as a Ponte Vedra Auto Show judge.
