Concours capable???

That's a great question but there are too many variables e.g. venue, class, number of cars within said class, etc.

Just enter regardless; you'll have fun, with an awesome place to park and most of these events are fundraisers as well.

 

I had the same question when I got my Mondial. I took her to Reading to see what I had found and where i could improve her. i knew my Mondial was quite original but that was all I knew. And I knew nothing about Concours events and what they were looking for, other than originality. I was just interested in the scoring sheet so that I could make her even better. She won Bronze. I then did a little cosmetic work, like redyeing the interior and brought her to Cavallino where she won Gold. Then brought her back to Reading where she won again, this time Gold.

What I really liked about the Concours was all of the great people with their amazing cars that it attracts. I can tell you my wife and I had an incredible over the top experience doing Cavallino. I hope others are just as blessed to have such a wonderful moment in their lives with their Mondial.

Truthfully I never really ever wanted a Platinum for the Mondial. The reason is simple. I enjoy driving her way too much to have that perfect car. What I really wanted was to show her off to the tifosi while also enjoy her on a sunny day in the middle of winter. Locally my Mondi makes my grown friends be little awestruck Ferrari loving kids again. See the Mondial is loved by few, and that really needs to change. It is a wonderful Ferrari that blends the passion with the practicality that I enjoy the most. Little by little I try to make her better. But not perfect.

 

Reading was nominal, under $100 I think. Cavallino was much more expensive more like $1300 but we participated in the track event and yacht hop and jet aviation and the palm beach drive which really increases the price a lot as you have to buy the package deal.

Scoring is clearly subjective. I think the Cavallino judges knew I was the goofy Mondial cab guy going around the track and were sympathetic to me driving these cars like they were meant to be driven. I lost points at Reading because my front hood latch was dirty. The Cavallino judges were more interested in when they switched the Mondial off TRX tires and were looking through my owner's manual to find the answer.

Both pointed out areas of my car that were less than perfect, like the slight delamination/wear of the windshield, the worn door window trim, the slightly weathered engine bay paint and replaced coil pack, etc. Little points off here and there, but whether they are .5 or full or two point deductions was up to the judges. My fabric top has a tear, which I repaired with black suture. I didn't even know that the soft tops needed to be up for Concours events. Little did I know. Now since I practically only drive top down, I still haven't replaced it. It's just not worth it to me at this time since this is never seen normally, I am done getting the Mondial judged, and I fear the new top will tear in this same weak design spot, I haven't gotten it replaced.

 

Odometer is irrelevant as long as it's consistently garaged (since new).

When my 328 was new to me, I took it over to Gary Bobileff for some minor items, and Gary -- being a concours judge -- pointed out the good (paint, engine bay) and the less good (re-dyed seats, front valance crack).

I entered the car in a local FOC event, and got a third place. I then had a few projects done on the car -- get rid of Leatheriqued interior bits and replace with fresh, refinished the front valance, replaced a couple of faded orange gauges, fixed minor dash shrinkage, etc. -- and it won a pile of trophies at Concorso, and 2008-2009 FCA regional events in San Diego.

Short version: Find a mentor, enter a couple of shows you don't care about, learn, and then figure out whether you want to improve the stuff that will make your car competitive at the national level.

 

Its funny I was watching Chasing Cars on Velocity last night and Wayne Carini had a restored million dollar Daytona for a client at Cavillino Concours. There were 3-4 judges with a clip board meticulously going thru each section of the car. Paint condition, engine bay, correct stickers, interior condition, start up the car, lights, horn, all tops must be up and functional.

You have 5 mins to sort out something that is not working during judging. Wayne had to fix the horn and managed to get it working in time. Needless to say, the car earned the highest award, Platinum Award which is 95 points or more. Great show and insight on Ferraris. Be prepared to spend lots of money to sorting out your Mondial for a Platinum. I know mine would not win and I believe I have one of the nicest 3.2 cab in America !

Cheers

 

Chasing Classic Cars Web Feature - How to Buy a Ferrari
There's a Ferrari out there for everyone!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX14MNfF62I]Chasing Classic Cars Web Feature - How to Buy a Ferrari - YouTube[/ame]

 

Good old Wayne. This Easter weekend they showed 2 completes series on one of the Discovery channels here in the UK, all back to back episodes. He and Wheeler Dealers were my 2 main inspirations for buying my Mondial and I watch every show I can.

That gold Daytona was totally incredible, only one of that colour ever made I believe. I almost phoned him before I bought my car to get advice as I nearly bought a 308 gt4 instead. Crazy hey!

Come on Wayne do a Mondial special

 

Good old Wayne. This Easter weekend they showed 2 completes series on one of the Discovery channels here in the UK, all back to back episodes. He and Wheeler Dealers were my 2 main inspirations for buying my Mondial and I watch every show I can.

That gold Daytona was totally incredible, only one of that colour ever made I believe. I almost phoned him before I bought my car to get advice as I nearly bought a 308 gt4 instead. Crazy hey!

Come on Wayne do a Mondial special

 

I've never seen anything as lame as a concours event.

don't bother and just drive the car

 

Really? May I suggest you look at this entire thread. One of the best experiences of my entire life.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/mondial/353289-mondial-front-palm-beach-intl-raceway.html

 

Jay, he's just trolling... and bashing Ferraris in the process.

Check his profile and posts; seems to be pretty angry and frustrated as well. Poor guy, maybe being a Senior Risk Analyst at NYSE is a bit too stressful.

 

I drive my Ferrari about 3K a year, which is more than most on this board. I participate in many group drives, rallies etc. But I also enjoy concours events. My Mondial, which is now owned by Statler, one two platinums, a gold, and a second in class. Yet she stlll got out often, took my family for ice cream and blasted down the backroads.

Similarly, my Testarossa has been Classiched and won Platinum and Best in Class in the short time I've owned her. I have enjoyed driving her beyond words, but I also equally enjoyed chasing perfection with minor restoration work and seeing my efforts be rewarded with the recognition of my peers.

Concours are not just for the wine and cheese crowd. I love going and I love participating. Its a great way to learn a great deal about your car and other Ferraris in a relaxed atmosphere.


besides, Concours preparation has been a really great outlet for my OCD too!

 

How dare you derive pleasure from activities that he deems worthless.



What is it with people who insist that if they don't like it no one should?

WTF do people care what you or I do on our time off?

Sounds like a Big Brother politician.

 

I think a concours is just one more way you can enjoy your car. It's not really about "what other people think" - it's more about your enjoying brining your car up to it's original condition and being proud of your stewardship of a classic. It took me two years to get my Mondial ready for the 2009 FCA National meeting, and it was fun the whole way. The event itself was the icing on the cake. And hey- you gotta fill your garage shelves with something, right? Start off with a local show or concours and see what they pick on. Take your car to a reputable dealer and ask 'em what they think you might want to address. Then have fun getting ready for the show. The best part will be enjoying the show with everyone else that's worked hard on their beautiful cars to get there, enjoying their company, and everyone enjoying their cars. A concours (especially and FCA event like the 50th this Summer) can be a blast - jump in and have fun!
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thanks for sharing

 

Wow, you have the nicest and cleanest 3.2 Cabrio for sure ! Well done on the restore.

 

Sadly, he sold it... he probably had the nicest one in the US

 

Here are a couple of shots from this weekend's exotic car event at Celebration. I joined a group of friends for the festivities but entered mine at the last minute for "Display Only".
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Wade, you must must must teach me how to detail my car. Yours looks amazing!

 

Thanks Jay,

I wish there was a easy way to go about it; lots of hard work over several days. The car was due for some light compounding so I started with that using an 8" orbital buffer. Then followed by a hand-applied paste wax, hand-buff, a light freshwater rinse and finally some spray detailer. Trim areas including the matt finish lower areas received either Mother's Back-to-Black or Turtle Wax Black Box products. However, the latter contains black pigment and I don't suggest using it on gloss painted surfaces.

Black Box - Product

Final detailing included lots of q-tips, damp cloths, spray detailer and microfiber cloths.

You know how black shows every imperfection and what you see here is an honest "20-footer".

Well, maybe 10