The Cavallino Classic is the most important Concorso d’Eleganza focusing exclusively on Ferraris and, for the first time in over thirty years, is doubling up and becoming international. This is because an extraordinary edition called the “Concorso di Modena” will be held at Casa Maria Luigia, Modena, from the 2nd to the 4th of July with the specific intention of paying tribute to Enzo Ferrari’s home town.
The “Cavallino Classic is an extraordinary event,” said Luigi Orlandini, President and CEO of Canossa Events, which acquired Cavallino Inc. in 2020, “and has made history, laying the foundations for the growth of Ferrari collecting by setting an example, followed by many, for the judging of the cars. Along with John Barnes, the founder of Cavallino Classic, we have been nursing the idea of bringing the Concorso d’Eleganza to Modena for some time now, as it is the centre of the motoring world in Italy. What’s more we also opted for a venue here that is an icon in terms of our culinary heritage: Casa Maria Luigia run by Massimo and Lara Bottura”
Cavallino Concorso di Modena: 2nd to the 4th of July
After finding the ideal venue, they needed to set the date. “It seemed the right thing to go ahead now, lighting a beacon of optimism for a pandemic-free future at a time when many people are still wondering whether we will ever get back to living our normal lives and relationships, and being able to spend time with friends and family,” continued Mr Orlandini. “We are confident we made the right choice because of the amount of enthusiasm that greeted the Concorso di Modena among the top Ferrari collectors around the world, all of whom were delighted to have a valid excuse to return to Italy after being obliged to stay away for so many months.
The Concorso participants are coming from four different continents, naturally in full compliance with Covid regulations, whilst the standard of the cars attending speaks for itself, with 26 extraordinary cars entered in the Concorso, almost all of which have been restored at Modena, or within the Motor Valley area, and some will be going on public display for the first time in decades. 26 cars altogether worth in excess of 250 million US dollars.
The cars that will be attending include some of the most important models in Ferrari’s history.
The oldest is the Ferrari 166 MM Berlinetta Touring, chassis #0048, the third of only five cars built in this configuration. It was completed in the summer of 1950 and sold as a new car to Angelo Biemi. He kept it for a year, without using it for racing, before selling it to Luciano Masseroni who used it to race the 1000 Miglia in 1951, finishing third in his class.
The 166 changed hands several times and its subsequent owners used it for racing in the following 5 years, including three more Mille Miglia. After being sold in Switzerland, it suffered the indignity of ending up at a junk yard before being rescued by a local enthusiast. During the careful restoration work, its original blue colour was discovered, hiding under several layers of different paints, and reinstated.
The 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta, chassis #0507, was the second vehicle produced of the first series. It was built in the Competizione version, with its bodywork made entirely out of aluminium. It competed in the 1956 Mille Miglia but did not finish. Gentleman driver Ottavio Randaccio raced it in various competitions in the 1957 and 1958 seasons. It was subsequently sold in Switzerland and then arrived in the United States.
The most iconic car is undoubtedly the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, chassis #3445 GT. As a new car, it was sold in Italy in April to publisher Luciano Conti who formally bought it on behalf of gentleman driver Sergio Bettoja. In actual fact, Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata (of the Scuderia Serenissima team) was apparently behind the purchase but he had been blacklisted by Enzo Ferrari on account of the modifications he made to the cars produced in Maranello. After buying what was formally a used GTO in July 1962, Count Volpi began modifying its shape by enlarging the front air intake, in order to race it in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Nino Vaccarella and Giorgio Scarlatti. By 1965 it had changed hands and was now owned by a Swedish enthusiast who had its line thoroughly revised by Drogo body shop in Modena for use on the public highway. After being involved in an accident, its original configuration was reinstated in 1976, although its unusual enlarged front air intake was preserved.
The 1963 Ferrari 275 P, chassis #0816, started life as a 250 P and was updated with its larger displacement engine (from 3.0 to 3.3 litres) in 1964. It won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1963 with Ludovico Scarfiotti and Lorenzo Bandini at the wheel. In 1964, the same car won the 12 Hours of Sebring with Mike Parks and Umberto Maglioli, and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans again with Jean Guichet and Nino Vaccarella. It is still the only Ferrari to have achieved the incredible feat of winning the most prestigious race in the world twice.
The more modern cars include the 1994 Ferrari 333 SP, chassis #06, considered one of the most original 333 SPs remaining out of the 40 cars produced. It has never raced and was sold as a new car to collector Bob Rapp of North Carolina (USA), painted in Team Momo’s distinctive racing colours. The production of the 333 SP marked Ferrari’s official comeback to sports car racing. Maranello turned to Dallara for the first 14 cars and to Michelotto for the remaining 26.
Among the more recent cars, the ‘poker’ of road-going supercars is a sight not to be missed: The 288 GTO, F40, F50, and the Enzo.
