The Event Welcomed a Record Number of Attendees to Celebrate Italian Autos, Culture, Fashion, Music and Lifestyle

 

Monterey, Calif. (August 17, 2019) – The 34th annual Concorso Italiano, the world’s largest and most prestigious exotic and luxury Italian car show, today announced that a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT II Cabriolet won the coveted Best in Show award which was presented on the main stage at 3pm. The show, which hosted a record number of attendees, celebrated more than 800 works of Italian automotive art on the sprawling, picturesque greens of the Black Horse Golf Course. 

Samuel Chuffart, VP & Global Design Director of Icona, presented 1960 Ferrari 250 GT II Cabriolet owned by Ron Corradini of Newport Beach California, CA with a custom sculpture for the Best in Show award, which honors the event’s star vehicle.

“Concorso Italiano continues to be a guiding force in the automotive collector and enthusiast world and we are proud to showcase more exotics and collectibles than any other event during Monterey Historics Week,” said Tom McDowell, Chairman of Concorso Italiano. “Attendees enjoyed a staggering amount of curated programming this year, from one-of-a-kind vehicles to automotive industry legends. We’d like to personally thank all of our partners, sponsors, participants and attendees for making this year’s show a great success.”

Automotive enthusiasts were able to explore gems from private collections from around the world. There were ten featured classes on display for 2019, which included: Alfa Romeo, De Tomaso, Ferrari, Fiat, Iso & Bizzarrini, Lamborghini, Motorcycles, Lancia, Maserati, as well as a special coachworks and a global exotics collection, comprised of non-Italian marques.

One of the most exciting examples displayed at this year’s show was the New Stratos, which made one of its first U.S. appearances. Based on the Ferrari F430, the New Stratos pays homage to the renowned Lancia Stratos, which is the undisputed king of rally championships of its time. Additionally, W Motors presented its limited production Fenyr Supersport.

During the first part of the day, followed: the presentation of the Triumph Italia 2000 Reunion, the Preservation Award in honor of Doug Magnon; the presentation of W Motors Fenyr SuperSport: the Fenyr SuperSport is a limited production sports car built by W Motors, a Dubai-based company. Presented for the first time at the 2015 Dubai Motor Show, the hypercar was developed and produced in Turin by Magna Steyr Italia together with Studio Torino. The Maserati Gran Cabrio, a limited edition Montecarlo, presented by Cesare Gasparri Zezza, descendant of Vincenzo Florio, also made a fine show of himself.

The second part of the day saw the following activities: SCM (Sports Car Market) Alfa Romeo Awards, a continuous celebration of the sports car market of the favorite brand of Keith Martin, founder and publisher of the monthly magazine Sports Car Market. DeTomaso Automobili with the presentation by Ryan Berris, General Manager and CMO of the company, of the new DeTomaso P72; “Cannonball Rally” Dino with Jack May and his 1973 Dino 246 GTS; the presentation of the Zagato Zimp prototype carried by the collector Marco Gastaldi; Issimi with the New Stratos by MAT (Manifattura Automobili Torino) built on a Ferrari F430 base as a tribute to the legendary Lancia of the 70s.

As it is Concorso tradition to honor Italian milestones, this year’s event also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Ferrari Dino, as well as the Iso Rivolta Lele, the 70th anniversary of Abarth, and the 60th anniversary of DeTomaso. Event organizers also toasted the Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider, Giulietta, and Junior Zagato models.

 Other honors bestowed this year included the prestigious “La Bella Macchina” hall-of-fame award, which was presented to Mario Carlo Baccaglini, the Chairman of the most important show in Italy for classic cars, Auto e Moto d’Epoca in Padova.

The winner of the first Pirelli Perfect Fit Award was a 1960 Alfa Romeo 2000 Touring, with Pirelli Collezione tires, a range created for the world’s most desirable sports cars built between 1950 and 1980, in particular the winner car has vintage tires Cinturato CA67.

The Doug Magnon Preservation award was presented to Carlann and Joe Duray for their 1962 Maserati 3500.

The Valentino Balboni award was presented to a Lamborghini Countach. The owner was gifted an automotive art piece by Francesca Lugli, an Italian artist from Carpi, Italy.

Chairman’s Award was given to a Maserati Ghibli of Ron Corradini

Best of Marque Awards

• 1967 Lancia Fulvia Sport 1.3 HF of Norman Schutzburger;
• 1972 MV Agusta 750 S of Moto Talbott Collection, most powerful production 750 at the time;
• 1974 Iso Lele of Mike Clarke, one of the last cars built by the Iso factory and shipped to California;
• 1960 Ferrari 250 GT II Cabriolet of Ron Corradini, restored by Hot Rods & Hobbies;
• 1959 Fiat 1200 TV Trasformabile of Alex & Amy Haugland, the only Fiat with factory swivel seats;
• 1971 De Tomaso Pantera L of Greg Mitchell;
• 1967 Maserati Ghibli Berlinetta of Ron Corradini, winner of the Best in Class at Amelia Island;
• 1960 Alfa Romeo 2000 Touring Roadster of Don Peterson;
• 1967 Lamborghini Miura P400, one of the first 100 built, of Chris Papamichael;
• 1952 Osca MT4LM of Phil White.

 

Concorso Italiano assembled rare vehicles with a total worth that reached roughly $200 million, continuing the tradition of bringing Italian automotive excellence to Monterey Historics Week. In addition to the vehicles on display, the spectacular views of native trees lining the Pacific Ocean and the rich sound of the engines rumbling, attendees enjoyed delicious food, Italian fashion, musical performances and on-stage interviews with legendary automotive collectors, designers and manufacturers.

About Concorso Italiano

Concorso Italiano is a multi-faceted luxury lifestyle event held on the Monterey Bay Peninsula in California every August and is part of the world’s most prestigious automotive weekend. In its 33rd year, Concorso Italiano is a must-attend convergence of sophistication, taste and fun that embraces cultural elements of Italian style, including music, cuisine, fashion, products, and travel. The event is centered on as many as 1,000 of the most unique luxury and exotic Italian automobiles and motorcycles. 

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