By Tim Murray
Aug 19, 2024
|
Monterey Car Week,
Concorso Italiano
Photography by Tim Murray
Buongiorno amici, welcome to the 2024 Concorso Italiano. Two days after the Legends Of The Autobahn, the scene couldn’t be any more different. Rosso was the predominant color. The smell of espresso wafted through the air. And the parts vendors have been replaced by olive oil merchants, high-end cosmetics salespeople and jewelers.
[Legends of the Autobahn: No shortage of icons in sight]
There was even a fashion show.
There’s a reason why German automakers, among others, flock to Italy for its design flair, and that flair was in the air at Concorso Italiano.
When asked about Italian cars, people immediately think of Ferrari, but Concorso Italiano welcomes every Italian marque. Niche producers, such as Bizzarrini and Intermeccanica framed displays of every type of Maserati and Lamborghini road car ever made. Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Fiat were all well represented, with rare versions of each of those brands attracting as much attention as the cars from Maranello.
Speaking of which, if you want to see a cross section of road-going Ferraris, you would be hard pressed to find more in one place than at Concorso. And the emphasis is on road-going, with every owner we talked to driving their car to this event, many from hundreds of miles away.
If Milano hosts a cars and coffee, it probably feels a lot like Concorso Italiano. Owners were renewing friendships from last year’s event, and there were circles of folding chairs in every group–most decked out with food, decorations and libations.
Concorso Italiano attracted many Gen Zers to work the show, from volunteers parking the cars, to those ferrying spectators into the event, to even the IT guy for the Ferrari Owners Club booth, Peter Ruotolo. All of them were knowledgeable about the cars and happy to be a part of this magnificent event.
It may seem trite, and most of us already know it, but our hobby is really about people, sharing knowledge, telling funny–or maybe not-so-funny–car stories, enjoying food and drink together, and celebrating man’s amazing ability to turn raw material into complex and beautiful machines. Concorso Italiano is a stellar example of that celebration.
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