New logo, new rules, same great experience.
This past weekend was the 31st Cavallino Classic, and despite some controversial event changes and overcast skies, it was one of the best showings in Cavallino’s storied history. As usual, hundreds of the rarest and most pristine Ferraris in the world arrived, along with their distinguished owners and caretakers. Yes, there were some Porsches, Bugattis, and Lamborghinis, but make no mistake, this is a Ferrari event. The Ferrari-only concours on Saturday remains one of the most amazing Ferrari displays on the planet.
In fact, the Classic was also celebrating 75 years of Ferrari and partnered with renowned Italian design firm Pinifarina, who not only helped to create the most visually stunning Ferraris of all time, but also created a new logo and new trophies for the event. These changes, while not necessary, help to pave the way for the new Cavallino Classic, which is expanding internationally. But it isn’t the renewed image that caused controversy before the event, no it was something more personal- a change in judging rules. So what happened?
In December 2020, an Italian company, Canossa Events, purchased the US-based Cavallino Inc. As in most business instances, new owners meant new rules, and after a great 30th anniversary event, this was the year that changes were made. Now, it’s natural to have an aversion to changes, especially considering the legacy and tradition of Cavallino. However, when news broke that 6 well-respected and long-time concours judges were ‘uninvited’ to the event, the most passionate Ferrari enthusiasts were in an uproar.
“Yesterday, a letter was issued from Canossa to 6 senior judges who have judged Cavallino for well over 20 years stating that these 6 judges are not welcome on the grounds at Cavallino 2022.”, said FerrariChat user garybobileff. While Cavallino and their new owners, Canossa, should have handled the situation much better, there was a lot of incorrect statements made about the decision. Rumors instantly spread that unqualified Ferrari salesmen were taking over for these senior judges, that the Palm Beach event would be moved to Miami, and that only Classiche Certified Ferraris (Ferraris certified by Ferrari) would be allowed entry. We now know that all of this is false, nor were the Judges prevented from entering the grounds of the Classic.
The truth seems to be that a new (and oddly applied) rule was implemented far too close to the event start. In addition to poor timing and communication, a genuine misunderstanding of Cavallino’s culture was to blame. Canossa seemingly acted in good faith, but it is clear that did not fully comprehend how special and beloved this event is to the Ferrari community. They should have been more clear about the changes weeks before the event, allowing for a better volley of questions and more time for resolution. Instead, a very corporate statement was issued which unfortunately promoted the event more than it answered concerns from fans and the aforementioned judges.
This caused the internet backlash to intensify, and a meme was generated. The Chairman of Canossa positively promoted their decision to bring in a chef from Modena, Italy. He is the grandson of Enzo Ferrari’s personal cook, and apparently makes great handmade tortellini. Unfortunately, it would take a lot more than tortellini to appease the mob. For this reason, many jokes were made in reference to tortellini at Canossa’s expense.
This goofy miscommunication overshadowed the fact that Canossa officially denied claims of moving the event to Miami, accepting only certified cars, and blocking the long-time judges from entering. In fact, Canossa offered VIP passes to the judges and later offered reimbursement of some travel expenses. Still though, the judges didn’t care about VIP status, they just wanted to judge Ferraris, as they had done for over 20 years.
This all centered around one rule, that dealers who normally trade Ferraris, can no longer judge ‘for many reasons’. Putting aside the inherent ambiguity, many people pointed to at least 8 other judges that remained judges despite their relationship to selling Ferraris. And who knows, maybe with more time, this could have been sorted, but if we are pointing the blame at anyone, it should probably be Ferrari themselves, not Canossa. Ignorance is not an excuse, however it’s not just Canossa’s misunderstanding of the historic event that was an issue, rather it is suspected that Ferrari wanted more Ferrari dealer representation and less ‘non-authorized’ dealers in the field of judges.
250 TR S/N 0738
It should be stated however, that the rumor of Ferrari salesmen replacing the judges was also false. In fact, the Chairman of Canossa said “Ferrari Spa has NO connection with us at all”, though this was refuted by one of the ‘dis-invited’ judges. Ultimately, the point is to remove conflicts of interest between sales and judging. Still, it is hard to see why these changes were implemented, when there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of integrity problems in the past.
Who knows what the fallout will be like next year, but one thing is clear- this whole judging mess was hardly noticed by most of the attendees. As far as they were concerned, it was just another Cavallino Classic with a new logo and trophy. Yes, there were some issues with timing and staging of cars, so the event got off to a rough start, but all in all it was a wonderful event. Some even said it was the ‘best turnout’ they had ever seen. The biggest distraction was probably the attendance of the forever-polarising President Trump.
Amazing Ferraris from every era, including the very newest models, were on display. While the new models were not entered to be judged, they provided a striking contrast on the development of Ferrari from its infancy, and allowed guests to see where Ferrari came from and where it’s going. A perfect way to celebrate 75 years. As for the classics, well the photos say more than words ever could. When’s the last time you saw a 1947 Ferrari?
166 Spyder Corsa S/N 004c
It would seem most of the detractors did not attend the event. User redcar1 said, “Saturday was great with lots of cars, and great people. Sunday was beautiful! The weather was our biggest concern…“ Yes the weather wasn’t perfect, but what about the judges? After all of the drama, here’s what user Challenge64 had to say: “Judges found me right away and spent a lot of time looking over the my GTO. Asked all the right questions and had my build sheets prior to judging. Top notch there!” So despite dis-inviting 5 senior judges, it appears the quality of judging was not compromised. Finally, user FerrfanFL said, “at the end of the day, and all things considered equal - it was a GREAT Car show to go to....It beat staying home....and we got to see some amazing cars....can't beat that.”
Only time will tell how Cavallino changes in the future. One thing is certain though- Canossa heard the backlash loud and clear. Now, we can only hope they learn from their mistake and make improvements for next year. We are hopeful the Cavallino Classic will be around for another 30 years!
Best of Show Winner, 365 'Tre Posti' S/N 8971
Photo Credit: Kevin Miller, FChat Users
Car in lead photo is 212 Export Barchetta Touring #0102 E
