Cavallino: Where you can see over 150 Ferraris, all in one place

Gathering more than 150 Ferraris at one place, at one time, is no small feat. And when that gathering point is The Breakers Palm Beach, the equally opulent and historic hotel originally opened in 1896 by oil tycoon Henry Flagler, magic does truly happen.

This gathering, known simply as Cavallino, is one of the most prestigious Ferrari shows in all the world, attracting some of Maranello’s best this past Saturday.

This event, now in its 33rd year, is hosted every January by Canossa Events, which organizes similar shows in Abu Dhabi as well as Ferrari’s hometown.

This year’s event showcased the 275 GTS and GTB from the ’60s as well as the 288 and the Testarossa from the ’80s. Seeing dozens of these machines lined up together thrilled owners and fans alike.

Judging is done using the rather serious IAC/PFA system, and chief judge Chris Current had a crew of more than 50 of the best Ferrari judges in the world present.

In addition to class awards, there are three Best of Show awards. Best of Show Granturismo went to Dennis and Sue Garrity, owners of a stunning 1952 Ferrari 212 Inter Ghia.

Best of Show Competizione was awarded to the 1964 Ferrari 250 LM owned by Chris and Ann Cox. The final best of show award goes to a car that has gone through Ferrari’s Classiche Certified; this year’s award was won by Brian Ross for this Ferrari 275 GTB.

One could argue that the spectator ticket price–starting at just south of $500–was a bit egregious. While it was free to enter a car, the show required the person with the vehicle to buy a general admission ticket at the very least, and entry to the awards night was additional to that. It may have kept out the entry-level cars. No Mondials, no 400i coupes and just one 308 GT4.

The event also included a tour on Friday and a separate show on Sunday held off-site–most of the same cars plus a few non-Ferraris. This show had a separate, even higher spectator fee.

As the saying goes, if you have to ask, you might not be able to afford to enter or spectate at what is certainly a feast for the senses to Ferrari enthusiasts. Those who were there, though, enjoyed a stunning array of cars in a truly magical location.

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Comments

enderby New Reader
1/31/24 11:47 a.m.

Actually one correction on what you said here:

"The cost to enter a car was many times that figure and seemed to keep out the entry-level cars."

In an email from Cavallino Customer Care 11/27/23: "I would like to remind you that the registration of a car in the Concorso is free of charge, but it is not enough for you to gain access to the Concorso. We ask the person who will be taking care of the car in the Concorso to choose which of the available tickets best suits their needs, remembering that we have reserved a 30% discount for participants who choose the VIP Ticket to enjoy the Cavallino experience at its best.

My entry level car was one of four 308's on field. Mine at the end of the row was also featured in Cavallino Magazine #259 that came out the day of the show. A quote from that article:

"Enderby has spun its odometer to an improbable 239,431 miles. It’s the kind of mileage more associated with Toyotas or Hondas than a finicky Italian sports car. Experts we consulted said they’ve yet to see a Ferrari, any Ferrari, that has logged more miles."

J.A. Ackley Senior Editor
1/31/24 4:42 p.m.

In reply to enderby :

Thank you for the note. We made a clarification about the pricing to enter.

BTW: That's impressive about the mileage! How many of those miles were yours?

enderby New Reader
1/31/24 7:41 p.m.

In reply to J.A. Ackley :

For my 308 all but 41,000 are mine. For my F355 all 199,000 are mine, 197,000 on my F430 are all mine, and all but 1,800kms of my 13,000kms on my 488 Challenge car are mine.