8/19/05
Concorso

There used to be one Friday event to attend over the Monterey Weekend, and that was Concorso. I started going about eight years ago when it was at Quail Lodge in Carmel. Three years ago there was a split between the organizer and the venue, forming two shows on that Friday. Concorso is now held at the Blackhorse Golf Course, while a separate Vintage Car Show is held at Quail Lodge.

Without getting into the reasons for he split, I hate choosing between the two shows. Both are different events, Quail being exclusive because they limit the entry, and Concorso being as large and varied as it’s attendance. Which to choose is a matter of taste, but choosing both costs me too much to pay for two day’s worth of events in one day. Although the organizers and venues seemed to have won, I seemed to have lost the most in this dispute. When I take the trip to Monterey, I look forward to spending time in person  with the viewers of my website. Choosing one show over another means I may miss meeting those who atend the other show. I hate being caught in the middle!

I chose Concorso because I thought there would be many of my friends there, and plenty of Vintage Ferraris in attendance, but I was mistaken. Perhaps the low show was because Ferrari was the featured marque last year, and many people chose not to come, but the numbers of Vintage Ferraris was significantly down this year.

Alfas were also featured this year, so I was fortunate to continue educating myself in all things Alfa, but I couldn’t help but feel inundated with the newer Ferraris! Don’t get me wrong, I like the newer cars, but it’s hard to focus on an individual car among a sea of new red Ferraris! I often wonder if the Vintage Ferrari will one day go the way of the Duesenburg or Cord automobiles. Will lack of fan base cause these cars to fall into the dark confines of an older collection, only to be interesting to a diminishing group of older gentleman? I know I’m young for a Vintage Ferrari owner, but I’m also trying my best to show how great these cars are, and how rewarding they are to own. If you own a Vintage Ferrari and agree with my convictions, promise to take a kid out for a ride in your car. Hopefully you’ll make a favorable impression to keep the love for Vintage Ferraris alive for future generations to come!

It’s going to be tough decision next year which event to attend. It may be time to try Quail next year.

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