The Monterey Car Week is one of those rare occasions in the calendar where car enthusiasts from all corners of the world all come out of the woodwork to proudly display their rare and classic collections. It’s an opportunity to see and be seen with some of the most exotic cars in the world, and this year’s staging of the Concorso Italiano, one of the highlight events of the week, hasn’t disappointed.

One car gathering that drew a ton of attention was the get-together of the ultra-rare Ferrari 288 GTOs. Considered as one of the rarest modern supercars in history – only 272 were ever produced – the 288 GTO gathering became even more special considering that out of those 272 that were produced, none were ever sold in the United State. But alas, there were 15 288 GTOs present for this one, including the widely-regarded unicorn Evoluzione model that was used by Ferrari as a peg to develop the F40->ke434.

Of course, this gathering of 288 GTOs wouldn’t have been possible without someone organizing the whole thing. That credit belongs to Joe Sackey, the author of the upcoming The Book of the Ferrari, who personally orchestrated for the rarest of rare Ferraris to make a surprise appearance at the Concorso Italiano. What made this event all the more special was the fact that the 288 GTOs – all 272 of them – are celebrating their 25th anniversary.

For a car that’s this rare to show up 15 strong – on their 25th anniversary, no less – is a treat that all of those who were fortunate enough to witness would never forget.

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