#ConcorsoItaliano

Each year, hundreds of Italian exotics venture over to Monterey, California for the annual Concorso Italiano to celebrate all things automotive from Italy.

Few vehicles have the majesty to rival an Italian supercar. Magnificent machines graced with prancing ponies or raging bulls are some of the most sought-after automobiles in the world. But you don’t necessarily have to be a “one-percenter” to drive something with the same passion. Fiat is bringing some of that excitement to the rest of us, revealing TWO special-edition models at the historic Concorso Italiano.

Fiat has unveiled its 2014 500c GQ Edition at the Concorso Italiano, part of the 2013 Pebble Beach weekend of automotive festivities.

In case you missed last week’s coverage of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, we’ve created a video hub for all of our coverage from the week’s festivities. It’s not just historic models either, with plenty of other events being held simultaneously in Monterey, CA that week; not to mention several new car unveilings.

If you love exotic cars, Italian ones in particular, then Concorso Italiano needs to be on your bucket list. A celebration of all Italian cars, from modern Ferraris and Lamborghinis to more humble Fiats and some very obscure classics. Plus you can always count on a strong contingent of Panteras. Perhaps the star of this year’s show, however, was a Ferrari F50 GT1.

Sure there are plenty of Ferraris and Lamborghinis at Concorso Italiano, but there’s lots more to be seen at this exotic car show, especially if your interests veer towards the ironic or obscure.

Like a package of Skittles tossed into a sea of red Ferraris, the presence of Lamborghinis at Concorso Italiano might be small in number, but it’s big in impact.

It may be called Concorso Italiano, but it might as well be the Ferrari Festival with prancing horses from all decades the overwhelming exotic car of choice at the annual event. Held the past several years at the Laguna Seca Golf Course, we’ve snapped just a selection of the incredible machinery on display in the hopes of providing a glimpse into just how extravagant this event really is.

On August 19th at Laguna Seca Golf Ranch, Monterey California, Concorso Italiano will open the traditional Monterey/Pebble Beach Weekend. The event will feature more than 800-1000 beautifully designed Italian cars on display. Enthusiasts can engage in conversations with fellow car lovers and enjoy Italian fashion, food and art. There will no doubt be an astonishing variety of Ferrari’s, Lamborghini’s, Maserati’s, Alfa Romeo’s, Pagani’s, and Lancia’s on display  The event will run from 9:00am- 5:00 pm and admission will cost $130 per person.

This event has in the past celebrated the 288 GTO, which resulted in the largest ever gathering of this model, and last year they honored the F40 ( an event we covered). Now it’s the turn of the F50 to take the honors at the greens of the Laguna Seca Golf Ranch.

After a warm reception in Europe, Zagato has announced it will sell its Chevy Corvette-based Perana Z-One in the U.S., with the official news and the car’s North American premier taking place at Concorso Italiano. The car will be imported through Superformance out of California, with pricing sure to be significantly higher than the Vette on which its based.

For its second year under new ownership and at the new Laguna Seca Golf Ranch location, Concorso Italiano continues to grow. With the numerous other events on the Monterey Peninsula leading up to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Concorso Italiano is one of the few that caters to late model vehicles – although it does also celebrate Italian classics.

Displayed proudly amongst its Italian brethren, the Fiat 500 attracted plenty of attention during the new model’s first showing at Concorso Italiano – one of the may high profile events in the lead up to Sunday’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. And to go along with the 500, Fiat was winning over attendees with Gelato and San Pellegrino, while showcasing a lineup of stylish Fiat accessories.

As planned, the annual Concorso Italiano festival brought together a collection of Ferrari F40s from across the continent so that the owners, and onlookers, could revel in their minimalist glory. Destined to be one of the most collectible Ferraris of all time, the F40 is a bare-bones street legal race car powered by an awesome twin-turbo 2.9-liter V8 engine. Making 471-hp, it weighed just 2,400 lbs thanks to a carbon-Kevlar body and did not have traction control – meaning we’re surprised so many have survived.

The very first special project vehicle made by Ferrari, the SP1 made its North American debut at Concorso Italiano today, one of the lead-up events to Sunday’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Owned by Junichiro Hiramatsu of Japan, the SP1 features custom bodywork by Leonardo Fioravanti, who’s past works for Ferrari include the Dino, Daytona, P5, P6, 512 Berlinetta Boxer, 365 GT4 2+2, the 308 GTB and the 288 GTO. The SP1 was built under the auspices of Ferrari, and is fully sanctioned by the company.