While eyeing the August season finale of his popular automotive series, The Journey, owner Jack Boyd Smith Jr. hit the road in July and experienced success in the showfield and on the Cirque de la Sarthe racing track in Le Mans, France
August has been on Jack Boyd Smith Jr.’s radar for some time, as The JBS Collection—in association with LaVine Restorations, Inc. and Eyedart Creative Studio—presents the highly anticipated Season One finale of the popular automotive series, The Journey. The mid-August finale revisits the unlikely restoration, by Smith Jr. and his partners at LaVine Restorations, of the 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton Convertible famously owned by American aviator Amelia Earhart.
July, however, provided some significant firepower of its own for the acclaimed classic car collector—and, now, rising classic racing car owner—whose assemblage of museum-worthy automotive timepieces is ranked No. 82 in the world according to The Classic Car Trust’s The Key publication.
Smith Jr.’s star-studded 1936 Packard Twelve All Weather Cabriolet—formerly owned by Charlie Chaplin, featured in the movie The Godfather, and one of only two of its kind known to exist in the world—was honored with the Royal Automobile Club Chairman’s Choice Award at the inaugural Royal Automobile Club Concours, July 9, in Epsom, Surrey, England.
Earlier in July, over the July 4th weekend, at the 2025 Le Mans Classic in Le Mans, France, Smith Jr.’s 1929 Bentley Blower—driven by 2023 Bentley Drivers Club Racing Driver of the Year, Stuart Morley—finished first in its class and clocked the fastest lap ever set by a Bentley in Plateau 1 of the event. The Bentley’s overall finish was also the highest ever for a Bentley in Grid 1 in the history of the Le Mans Classic.
“August is important, but I will be thinking about July of 2025 for a long time,” said Smith Jr. “It was an honor for our Packard to receive the Chairman’s Choice Award at the inaugural Royal Automobile Club Concours. We thank RAC Chairman Duncan Wiltshire and the event organizers for the award. To experience the absolute thrill of Le Mans once again with Stuart Morley behind the wheel, and to finish so strongly—placing first in our class—that is a huge win for The JBS Collection. Our foray into classic car racing is still fairly new, and completely exciting, and the direction we are heading is up.”
Inching ever closer at Le Mans
The Le Mans Classic is a vintage sports car event held on the grounds of the renowned 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. The 2025 event featured over 800 grid entrants spanning six eras (1923–1981) and presented additional support categories, including Porsche Classic, Group C, and Endurance Racing Legends.
A record-breaking 238,000 enthusiasts attended in 2025 to watch drivers compete along the iconic 13.6 km Cirque de la Sarthe race track. Two years ago in France, at the 2023 Le Mans Classic, Morley—a fourth-generation member of the legendary Stuart Morley Racing team—drove Smith Jr.’s Bentley exceptionally well and was in position to make a run at a come-from-behind victory. With less than two laps left in 2023, a gasket issue ended the Blower’s day and Morley and Smith Jr.’s pursuit of the Winner’s Circle.
At the 2025 Classic, Smith Jr.’s Blower No. 7—one of only 12 Bentley Blower vehicles
hand-built by Mulliner of Bentley to the exact 1929 specifications of Bentley’s Blower Car Zero prototype—delighted crowds both on-track and in the paddock. Blower No. 7 finished in position one in its class through every session and achieved a nine-second lap time gain over 2023, as well as higher corner speeds and top speeds.
“It was wonderful to get out there in July and achieve both Concours and racing success,” said Smith Jr. “With the season finale of The Journey coming up, we’ve been so focused on August, and sharing the remarkable story of our Amelia Earhart Cord. Spending quality automotive time in the field in July was beyond rewarding. We also sponsored an event in July that holds special significance for us. The Concours d’Elegance at Copshaholm is a growing Concours event we help sponsor each year in South Bend, Indiana, with our good friends at LaVine Restorations. We enjoyed presenting some of our vehicles at Copshaholm for display only, and we’re glad to see that event continue to thrive. Now it’s on to August, and we look forward to sharing the incredible story of our Earhart Cord in our season finale of The Journey.”