Pictures from trip to Monterey for Concorso Italiano and Historic Races

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<p align="center"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.ourfamilyinteractive.com/PhotoAlbums/2005/2005_08_18_ConcorsoItaliano/Index.html"><font size="2">Concorso Italiano 2005 (Part 1)</font></a><font size="2"> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ourfamilyinteractive.com/PhotoAlbums/2005/2005_08_18_ConcorsoItaliano/Index0002.html">(Part 2)</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ourfamilyinteractive.com/PhotoAlbums/2005/2005_08_18_ConcorsoItaliano/Index0003.html">(Part 3)</a> | </font><a target="_blank" href="http://www.ourfamilyinteractive.com/PhotoAlbums/2005/2005_08_18_ConcorsoItaliano/Index0004.html"><font size="2">(Part 4)</font></a></p><p align="center"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.ourfamilyinteractive.com/PhotoAlbums/2005/2005_08_20_Monterrey_Historics/Index.html"><font size="2">Monterey Historic Races (Part 1)</font></a><font size="2"> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ourfamilyinteractive.com/PhotoAlbums/2005/2005_08_20_Monterrey_Historics/Index0002.html">(Part 2)</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ourfamilyinteractive.com/PhotoAlbums/2005/2005_08_20_Monterrey_Historics/Index0003.html">(Part 3)</a> | </font><a target="_blank" href="http://www.ourfamilyinteractive.com/PhotoAlbums/2005/2005_08_20_Monterrey_Historics/Index0004.html"><font size="2">(Part 4)</font></a></p>

I went to Concorso Italiano with 2 friends of mine - Richard and Shawn - both of which I knew in grade school. We stayed at a Days Inn in Monterey for a whopping $300 / night, paid dearly for food and drink, and were gouged on ticket prices. You know what - it was the bargain of a lifetime!

We had the brand new Chevy HHR as a rental and it was the first one any of us had ever seen. We actually had a crowd around the car and one guy chased us down on the 17 mile drive to see it up close! It was Champaign in color and was probably the coolest car you could rent for less then $30/day! I picked Rich and Shawn up at San Jose airport and we went to Monterey and down to Fisherman's Warf. Monterey is a quite town that got a lot louder with priceless Ferraris racing up and down the streets. We ate at a bar (forgetful meal) and had some beers, played pool, and dreamed of some day owning some of the cars parked on the street!

Friday was cold and cloudy as we headed out for breakfast. We used the new navigation system we just bought and it saved us countless hours of being lost. Worth every penny and perfect for these types of trips! We saw a 1927 Bentley outside of Starbucks and got to talking to the owner. It was an awesome car and had many interesting features that the owner was happy to show off. He was obviously a man of considerable wealth (had a new Rolls and many other toys as well) but in this environment - was probably one of the lower income owners!

We headed over to Black Hawk country club where the Concorso event was and our eyes nearly popped out of our heads! What a feast for the senses! Every conceivable fantasy European car was there in numbers at the show (in which Lamborghini was the sponsor this year). Highlights were seeing several 250 GTOs, a 575 Superamerica, an Enzo, the new 430, a S7, and many many other fantastic cars.

We also saw Sterling Moss, Jackie Stewart, the test driver for Lamborghini, and several other dignitaries. It was really too much. The clouds hid the fact that we were all burning our skin (as usual) and we caught up with some NSX owners who where parked in the Coral area. It was a real treat to meet ChopsJazz, his wife, and a couple other NSX owners. Unfortunately - many of them were off enjoying the show too!

After we had reached sensory overload - we went back to the hotel for a nap then headed over to where they were holding the RM Auction. Inside the ballroom were many expensive toys for the average millionaire! Everything from new cars, to jewelry, to home theater, to vacations. You really could see how the other 1/2 lived! They had a fence you could stand behind to watch the auction or you could go inside and watch on TV. We spent the remainder of the night trying to talk each other into bidding on some outrageous car. Too much fun. Everyone was very nice, very trusting, and extremely generous to share their treasures with all of us. Saturday was off to the Historic Races where many of these cars will go to show us what they were really built to do!

Saturday was again - cold and foggy. We went to the same strip where we had gone to the auction and ended up having a buffet breakfast at the hotel where the auction was at. We then were off to the Monterey Historic races and our first time at Laguna Seca Raceway. What a day! We couldn't believe the sites, sounds, and even smells! It was a feast for the car fans and one of the best car days I can remember!
We saw countless Ferrari's, Alphas, Mercedes, Bugatti's, and many other pre and post war classics totaling millions upon millions of dollars. This time we applied plenty of sun screen as we walked first through the paddock area and tried to take it all in. Seeing historically correct period cars with unbelievable racing history just doesn't get any better.

We then climbed a big dirt hill to go over to the highest point of the track where we could watch cars screaming through the corkscrew. What a blast! It was a site to behold and something I wont ever forget. There were pre war, post war, can am, and nearly every other type of race car imaginable. Truly amazing. We walked along the entire outside of the track and stopped often to take in the sites from a different angle and vantage point.

We finally headed down to the paddock area again to see some of the many other types of car displays, do some car gift shopping, and check out some of the newer cars being built. We especially enjoyed the Super performance booth were they had a Noble, a Cobra, the Peter Brock car that looks a little like a Ferrari 250, and the soon to be GT40 replica. Very nice! We ended out day in the Grandstands where it was so loud that I had to cover my ears. By this time the walking, the sun, and the sound had gotten the best of us and it was time to head back. We took another short nap and headed down to the same area for dinner and the auctions. What a fantastic weekend and can't wait to do it again next year with the wives!
 
Thanks for sharing, My wife and I attended a couple yrs ago and I am still in shock! :eek:
Something you should see at least once in your lifetime.
Crystal Cove has been a nice little reminder, but no comparison.
 
MCM said:
Thanks for sharing, My wife and I attended a couple yrs ago and I am still in shock! :eek:
Something you should see at least once in your lifetime.
Crystal Cove has been a nice little reminder, but no comparison.

Is your wife a car fan? Did she enjoy it? I am really interested in bringing my wife but want her to have a good time and she is not an extreme car fan - if you know what I mean.

:wink:
 
Great pics! I started attending the Pebble Beach events in the late 80's and then through much of the 90's but have not been back in a few years. When I was attending the CI event it was at Quail lodge and you needed to be there early to be sure to find a parking spot. The cool thing about this event is that the parking lot is just as much fun to roam through as the main event. Some of the cars that are driven in are very rare.

It seems like no Italian car show is complete without a Fiat Jolly (I believe thats the name of the beach car with the wicker seats) in attendence.
 
matteni said:
Is your wife a car fan? Did she enjoy it? I am really interested in bringing my wife but want her to have a good time and she is not an extreme car fan - if you know what I mean.

:wink:


LOL!! Those were my same thoughts when I first took my wife to the Pebble Beach Concours. She liked the cars, but she liked the hotel, food, and shopping in Carmel alot better.

Be careful what you ask for because what you get in return may be more painful.
 
matteni,

thanks **very much** for writing the overview and posting your photos - they're great!

hal
 
"Is your wife a car fan? Not really, a little bit due to osmoses.
Did she enjoy it?" YES!

This is a classy event. Will she go with me to the Pomona
car show/swap meet? No.
But the Monterey Historic, and Concorso? You bet!
She is exited about NSXPO this year,
Should be a great time!
I have taken cars to car shows through the yrs, and belonged to a midyear club. She always had fun at the larger / Nicer, better equipped events.
The trick to taking your wife to a car event, is making sure other women will be there! LOL LOL
Women do not usually like being one of only a few women at a car oriented event. Just my observation over the past 21 yrs.
If a nice Hotel / Restaurant in a resort area is involved its
Never a problem. :biggrin:
 
Why can't you click the link to a larger pic? Are they not on the server anymore? They look cool, I want some hi res shots to save! :smile:
 
comquat1 said:
Why can't you click the link to a larger pic? Are they not on the server anymore? They look cool, I want some hi res shots to save! :smile:

My ISP limits me to 10 GB of disk space and I took over 6000 pictures last year alone (not including all the video footage). I would need a 200 GB server to have everything out there.

I would be happy to send you the high resolution versions. Please send me a PM or an email with the file names and your email.

:)
 
what car is this?

tn_100_3763_JPG.jpg
 
Nick, nice post. Concorso is really something else, isn't it? It was good to meet you there and to hang for a few minutes.

And what about the Historics!!! :eek: When I went to the Pre-Historics the week before I saw four original GT40s RACING!!!

I hope to see you again next year and to meet your wife.
 
NsXMas said:
what car is this?

tn_100_3763_JPG.jpg

Just your average, run of the mill, 1000+ HP production car going for the production car top speed record north of 250 MPH. :eek:

It is the Shelby SSC or "Shelby Super Car". I have a long video of the introduction. It is all American (looked like a Lambo doner car at first), and comes in 3 flavors of around 600, 800, and 1000 HP (shown below).

Pretty sick stuff.

tn_100_3626_JPG.jpg

tn_100_3627_JPG.jpg


Here is a link I found on Google with some more information:

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame.php?file=car.php&carnum=2068
 
ChopsJazz said:
Nick, nice post. Concorso is really something else, isn't it? It was good to meet you there and to hang for a few minutes.

And what about the Historics!!! :eek: When I went to the Pre-Historics the week before I saw four original GT40s RACING!!!

I hope to see you again next year and to meet your wife.

Hi ChopsJazz,

I was equally happy to meet you and your lovely wife! It is people like you that make me want to bring my wife (and a bottle of wine :wink: ) next year.

You guys make a great couple and I wish I had a teacher as cool as you when I was in school! Take care - hope to see you (and a lot more NSXers) next year!!!

:)
 
bjmills said:
Nick,

Noticed the Ariel Atom. Did you talk to the owner or see it in action? Despite all the glamour of the other vehicles, that little number was probably the best performer there!

Funny you noticed that! I am absolutely obsessed with the Atom and was dying to know the story about it. I literally spent 30 mins pouring over every weld, every bolt, every angle. I saw the special on top gear where it barely missed beating the Enzo on the track when driven by the Stig! :eek:

Unfortunately - I was not able to spot the owner and get more information. There were details I picked up that I didn't pick up on the top gear special. For instance - both seats probably weigh 2 lbs. Not each. Together. It is literally a single very thin piece of plastic that forms both seats with no cushion what so ever. Myself - I would go for a little padding - even if it added 4 lbs. :cool:

The other thing that was strange (don't know if it shows up in the pictures or not) was that the Atom's exhaust was disconnected. There was a small elbow pipe missing that pretty much made it a straight exhaust. Damn! Honestly - I would rather have an Atom (for the money) then any other dedicated track car out there. To my eyes it was beautiful!

tn_100_3679_JPG.jpg

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tn_100_3683_JPG.jpg
 
matteni said:
Funny you noticed that! I am absolutely obsessed with the Atom and was dying to know the story about it. I literally spent 30 mins pouring over every weld, every bolt, every angle. I saw the special on top gear where it barely missed beating the Enzo on the track when driven by the Stig! :eek:
I saw a portion of the show in the form of a video clip. Very impressive!!

Myself - I would go for a little padding - even if it added 4 lbs. :cool:
Yeah, I might sacrifice a few tenths of a second in acceleration for a more cushy ride. Or have the padding easily removable. But if you start there, you'll end up going just *crazy* and add a windshield and body panels, and that's just not cool :-)

Honestly - I would rather have an Atom (for the money) then any other dedicated track car out there. To my eyes it was beautiful!
I agree, but it's street legal (in the UK at least) so it doesn't have to be a dedicated track car! I asked the wife about replacing the NSX with an even more impractical car, one that didn't have a windshield, doors, storage space of any kind... she wasn't particularly thrilled by the idea... :-)
 
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