Concorso Italiano’ celebrated their 30th anniversary on August 15th. That is a long time pulling Italy’s finest exotic vehicles. together for all to admire. The event was well attended by owners displaying their cars and fans coming to see them.
Three anniversaries were celebrated in all.This year of 2015 is also the 60th anniversary of Ferrari in the United States. And for Lamborghini this year marks the 25th anniversary for their renowned Diablo.
Continue reading for the full story.Ferraris turned out en masse for their anniversary showing with cars spanning the decades arranged in row upon row across the fairways at the Black Horse Golf Course adjoining Monterey Bay.
Cars were neatly grouped by model on the grass. The occasional Ferrari owner found near their car was clearly pleased to address questions about their vehicle. Also present for the event were Ferrari models that are only sparingly seen.
Some of these were the 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO
The 1966-1968 Ferrari 275 GTB4 with its timeless lines
The dramatic 1987-1992 Ferrari F40 with its engine cover (rear panels of the car) raised was not to be missed
The Testarossa->ke2391 was well represented including the low production, fewer than 100 made, 1994-1996 Ferrari F512 M. The CI Club Stage Pavilion played an entertaining and informative role the entire day. Award winning cars and cars of special recognition rolled across the stage and stopped for owner interviews in front of the bleachers. Interesting commentary and facts about car makes and models could be heard everywhere that I walked on the fairways. The excellent PA system was clear and audible while not ever intrusive. Valentino Balboni, Lamborghini’s retired, long time test car driver showed up driving an orange Lamborghini with white racing stripe onto the stage. He exited the car, smiling warmly as usual, and was interviewed by the MC.
It seems his “retirement” from Lamborghini is only figurative. Numerous Lamborghinis dotted the fairways as usual, seemingly in all the colors of the rainbow, especially metallic pastels including orange, yellow, and lime green. They were excitingly beautiful and included Gallardos, Murciélagos, Huracans, and an occasional Aventador.
Testimony of Lamborghini’s seemingly eternal styling abilities was noted in a vintage, orange 1966-1974 Lamborghini Miura
Quite a few Diablos made a showing celebrating the model’s 25th anniversary
One 1995-1999 Lamborghini Diablo SV (Super Veloce) appeared striking in deep metallic blue
One of my “musts” was to see the Thommasima II from Ferrari designer Tom Meade. This one-off commissioned design for Harry Windsor of Los Gatos, California had been out of sight for the past 30 years. The car once made headlines and had appeared on the 60 Minutes television program. I found it in late afternoon perched on a grassy knoll top.
It is no simple matter to conceptualize and design a quantity-one automobile yielding a balanced and attractive design. It surely consumes a great deal of time, resources, and talent, and accordingly must command a significant price.
The car in front of me was absolutely stunning. The keywords were balance, beauty, and racy. The mechanical aspects of the car have a serious nature to them. The car is powered by a Ferrari 250 GT V12 engine hung in a modified Cooper Formula One chassis.
I spent some time with the owner and he explained that he had left the car as-is during his restoration except for one small detail. He changed two horizontal panels on either side of the seats from leather to black aluminum. He said that very surprisingly designer Tom Meade had approved his change. The owner’s plans for the Thommasima II are to put the car on the market in the not too distant future. As I walked away a thought tugged at me. I wished that Tom Meade was still with us and doing more projects like this one.
The Italian-American “bad boy” 1971-1991 De Tomaso Pantera contingent flexed their V8 muscles at Concorso Italiano. The Pantera is a car that was introduced in the 1970s by the Italian De Tomaso car company. The car originally employed a 351 Ford small-block, hence the American connection.
The engine was positioned such that the car was considered a mid-engine sports car, improving stability and cornering. The Pantera had a number of other interesting features including a steel monocoque, meaning a structural shell. Over the years Panteras have generated a near cult following. The Pantera Owners Club of America is a very active booster of the car and a welcoming organization with many members. There are Pantera clubs offshore too. A significant number of owners have modified their Panteras with chrome filled engine compartments, exotic header systems, turbochargers, and large-displacement V8s. Of course they sound really great when fired up.
A great event occurred today? I would say so. But for Concorso Italiano it’s just an average get together. That’s only because every Concorso Italiano is great!
-----------------------------------
For more on the 2015 Monterey Automobile Week by TopSpeed.com see the excellent and extensive coverage by Jonathan Lopez. He describes several events including the Pebble Beach automobile auctions that occur during the week. Find it here.