Concorso Italiano is a celebration of all things Italian. That means plenty of amazing cars, delicious food and drink, and good music. It’s mostly about the cars, though. Ferrari and Lamborghini dominated the lawn, but spectators are also able to enjoy dozens of Maseratis, De Tomasos, Alfa Romeos and Fiats.

Previous years of Concorso Italiano saw several changes of venue, but 2011 marked the third year that the show was hosted at the Laguna Seca Golf Ranch. That stability seems to have helped the event, and the organizers have started to figure out how to make things run smoothly. Parking was a breeze (for us, at least), and the organization of the cars was the best it’s been in several years.

The last two years of Concorso have featured gatherings of Ferrari supercars – 288 GTO in 2009 and F40 in 2010 – and this year an F50 reunion was announced. Unfortunately only three cars were in attendance, although one was the ultra-rare F50 GT.

Other features of this year’s Concorso Italiano included the 40th anniversary of the De Tomaso Pantera and a collection of original-condition and barn-find cars, our favorite being an aluminum-bodied 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB still in the same condition it was found after being stored since the early 1970s.

You can see those cars and more in our high-res gallery above.

2011 Concorso Italiano originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Aug 2011 09:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments
Autoblog

No related posts.

Monterey coverage continues with one of Friday’s staples. Concorso Italiano has been one of Monterey’s largest gatherings of primarily Italian vehicles for years. Laguna Seca Golf Ranch played the hospitable host, giving throngs of Italian-car lovers the opportunity to get up close and personal with hundreds of le belle macchine.

Lamborghini, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia, DeTomaso and Ferrari, were well represented – long lines of each marque appearing almost mirage-like down the fairways of Laguna. You know those shots you’ve seen of exotic cars lined up outside the factory? Multiply those by ten. It is absolutely crazy. Special gatherings honored the Ferrari F40, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary of U.S. citizenship. The Italians were never really that great at dates, as the F40 was originally intended to be a 40th anniversary treat for Enzo himself to celebrate the company’s 1947 birth. Unfortunately, it appeared around 1990 instead. Don’t even get us started on the F50.

Concorso has hosted several smaller manufacturers over the years as well. Not just the oddball makes that few people have ever heard of, but also fledgling companies that have sometimes risen to prominence – or fallen infamously. This year, Superformance showed off the new Zagato-penned Perana Z-One. The European GT styling combined with Corvette power reminds us of the classic Italo-Amercan mashups from DeTomaso, Iso, Bizzarrini and the like. The Z-One is gorgeous, and we were blown away by its build quality. We’re negotiating some seat time to give you the full rundown, but for now, check out the gallery and you’ll see why Concorso Italiano has become one of the world’s greatest events for lovers of Italian machinery.

Photos by Frank Filipponio / Copyright (C)2010 AOL

Monterey 2010: Concorso Italiano celebrates all things Italia originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 14 Aug 2010 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments
Autoblog

No related posts.