At the end of January I had the opportunity to go to an event I would have never heard of if it wasn't for the people I have met through this site.
For that I thank you. Every reader and new contact to my list has added value to Fuel Files and has allowed me to deliver this amazing content! (I mean, I think it's pretty cool...)
Carrying on, I was given media passes to the Cavallino Classic and after some scheduling issues and last minute phone calls, I was able to go to the most important day of them all; concourse day.
It was an early Saturday morning at The Breakers Palm Beach, full of eager guests and what I would say stopped time just for a split second.
A line up like nothing I have ever seen, one full of the most historic Italian icons of all time. A line of cars getting ready to be parked on the golf course that must have been honored to carry them upon its grounds. It was like walking through a time capsule of the best Pininfarina designs and engineering to come out of Maranello.
To think that at the time these cars were built by hand with no pre-made presses and sincere patience and passion, was something that, till today, leaves me in awe.
Coach built vehicles that would otherwise be locked in a vault, all in the same location.
Everyone is enveloped in the environment of automotive art, but also in the heart of competition.
You see, Cavallino is a celebration of the best to ever roll out of Ferrari's mind, but it is also a concourse to see who in their respective classes has the best. Scored by some of the most intuitive, Ferrari acknowledged, judges, the cars on the golf course grounds were all up against themselves and more.
What more could they be competing against? The simple paper that will penalize you from a perfect score, no matter how much nicer your Testarossa is compared to the one next to you.
This paper you ask? The blueprints.
You see, this is a concourse. One where people from all around the world come to see if their prized possessions worth millions are up to par still with Ferrari's standards. Ensuring the value of their cars, sometimes making them even more valuable, as a "Platino" (platinum) award means you scored a 97 or above out of 100. This means absolutely everything works on your car except for maybe the cassette player.
The judges are rigorous when going over these cars, they ensure the car sounds the way it did as it rolled off the lot, if the wipers work, blinkers function, blinker return switches return as needed, horns sound the same, and that is just the tip of the iceberg.
That being said, I was fortunate enough to be at the event with The Barn Miami and their impeccable Testarossa. So impeccable, they took home the Platino this year and the Coppa Bella Macchina award from Ferrari Club of America for last year.
For a first time experience at Cavallino, I think I can say I had an incredible experience and I insist you visit the gallery below.
Gallery:
