Palm Beach Cavallino Classic 2011 Concours

Early morning arrival of a Ferrari 268-196 SP from 1962 at the the Palm Beach Cavallino Classic.

Concorso d’Eleganza on the Lawn at The Breakers was the place to catch a glimpse of some very special Ferrari automobiles on Saturday, January 22, 2011.  The luke warm morning air held a mix of fog and heavy mist as we got into our workout clothes for early morning arrival of the vintage cars on the main lawn.   Yes, of course one does “dress” for the event but this was 7 am.  Pre-event you just stand there with a camera and a cap to cover bed-head while everyone drools over the cars.  The concours attire came out by 8:30 though with a jacket and white jeans as shown in one of the pictures… I was cold.

I was able to figure out how to do a gallery so please enjoy.  If you click across the top of the slide show you can scroll through and pick a particular car.  Please leave your feedback in the comment section as I’m curious to know if readers like a photo gallery.

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Of course there were a fair number of current models such as the 360 Modena, F430, 512 BB, FXX, F40, and many others whose pictures I did not include.  There will be more current models in the upcoming Mar-A-Largo post.

The Concorso d’Eleganza at the Cavallino Classic hosted by Cavallino Magazine is THE EVENT for owners and appreciators of exceptional Ferraris.  Most cars on the field are in outstanding condition, some arrive by trailer and others are driven.  There are numerous classes which basically range from perfection to drivable authenticity.  A concours event is a very special car show with an exceptional list of highly qualified judges.  Year after year Cavallino secures the best judges in the country for this event such as Ed Gilbertson, who is also the Chief Judge at Pebble Beach.  Participants and attendees descend on Palm Beach from all over the world.

For me it is about appreciating art and design as a functional object.   The hand built nature of these vehicles allow a softness to permeate the large panels of steel or aluminum, an effective juxtaposition.   In early automobiles, no two model years produce cars which are exactly alike.  One year the nose it a little longer, another has chrome rims on the headlamps when its predecessor had none.  Details which may have been non consequential resonate significance in today’s world of mass production.My favorite Ferrari present, was the blue and white (of course) Zagato 250 GT LWB Berlinetta.  Take the simple yet distinctive humps in the domed cabin below which are still present in later models – two are shown in the above slide show.  Dr. Andrea Zagato, the third generation to run his family’s automotive business and still putting the Zagato mark on today’s cars (most recently Spyker and Alfa Romeo), happily walked amongst the crowd talking to “fans” of the Zagato influence.

Fortunately the rain never fell though the day became continually colder.  The crowd was good, though manageable.  The nice thing about staying at the event location is the option to go early then skip out to Worth Avenue for a little lunch at Taboo and shopping, well let’s just call it balance. 🙂  My next car installment will be on the Mar-A-Lago event.