For those of you who've been reading my posts, you'll already know some of this, but car week in Monterey just ended, so I have more to tell. I picked up my car from the restoration shop on Thursday, August 11. It was absolutely stunning. The next day, Friday, August 12, I took it to The Concours at Pasadera. It certainly got a lot of attention and was mentioned in an article in the Monterey Herald (along with a few photos): https://www.montereyherald.com/2022/08/13/photos-monterey-classic-car-week-begins-with-the-concours-at-pasadera/ The next show for me was Tuesday, August 16, at the Classic Motorsports Monterey Kickoff. There, my car won "Best Italian Car" (which is "Best in Class" since that was the class is was in), then went on to win "Best in Show." The "Best in Show" award comes with a photoshoot and feature in Classic Motorsports Magazine (which I'll share once it's all done… I have no idea when that will be). But here's a little article posted immediately after the show: https://classicmotorsports.com/news/classic-motorsports-monterey-kickoff-presented-hagerty-sold-out-crowd/ Next up was Concorso Italiano on August 20. Since this a points-base Concours, I didn't really anticipate bringing home any award as there's still a few things that need to be corrected (wheels, carpet, seats, A/C, and driver's door panel and light in the door). Yet, surprisingly, the GT4 took home the Silver award for my class (and there was some pretty stiff competition). I was truly honored and humbled. Then came Casa Ferrari, which is not a judged show, but the honor of being invited by Ferrari to show my car in their 75th anniversary display was so unexpected and almost overwhelming. Almost every time I looked at my car on the lawn it had a lot of people around it, and I was inundated with people telling me how much they loved the car. The color drew everyone to it like a magnet. Even Aaron Paul (Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad) told me how much he loved the color. For me, this was the most amazing car week I've ever had. I honestly did not expect all the attention the car got, nor did I expect the awards. Every where I went, including non-events (like going to a restaurant), people were taking pictures of my car and asking my all sorts of questions about it. The two biggest questions were "What's the color called?" and "What kind of car is this?" Needless to say, the car was a hit, and I hope I've helped elevate the profile of the 308 GT4! Image Unavailable, Please Login On the lawn at Casa Ferrari. Image Unavailable, Please Login Aaron Paul and myself with my car behind us. Image Unavailable, Please Login Best in Show at Classic Motorsports Monterey Kickoff. Image Unavailable, Please Login Silver award at Concorso Italiano.
Maybe the ugly duckling is starting to turn into a swan... or the black sheep into a unicorn. Congratulations, Chris!
Congrats! Well deserved given your obsessive and compulsive attention to detail( said as an extreme compliment)! Looks amazing. Question. Do you think the paint effect is different 40 years later? I’m battling with color choices although Ive confirmed white was original. Again amazing week. Lifetime experience. Well played.
Thank you! I don't think I would ever take "obsessive and compulsive attention to detail" as anything other than a compliment! I think the effect might be a little different than it was when new, on two fronts… 1) I know the paint is the exact color as they matched it perfectly based on the existing original paint that was inside the doors and under the trim was all that was removed. However, the paint in 1975 was single stage Glidden, whereas today we did two stage PPG. So the effect it has in appearance may be different than how it looked almost 48 years ago. 2) I also think the effect (or probably "affect" is the better word) it has on people and their perception is vastly different than it was in the when it was new. Back then all these cars were very "70s" colors: browns, blues, greens, golds, etc. Red was a fairly uncommon color for the 308 GT4, so I feel like this particular green would have just been "normal" back then. Whereas today, many people are stopped in their tracks when they see it in person. Just my 2¢.
