Cavallino, a bit disappointing

I dont know what your expectations were but last night was pretty typical in my opinion, complete with the well dressed ladies sneaking in from the FBO next door.
Attendence was about like last year
and the cars.....
The 1961 short wheel base 250 deserved to win - amazing car
my other two favorites in were the gray 250 coupe with the Montana tag - a real driver!
and the black 275 number 44 was a tie for me with the winner.

as for turn out - perfect in my opinion - still intimate and a great group of people!

not an airplane guy so big iron dosent do it for me.....

 

Paul - the yacht hop is exactly that everything is tied up at the dock - kind of like a boat show with cocktails and beautiful women -
Dont miss tomorrow! the lawn at the Breakers is the trinity for Italian metal.

 

I do have a Lotus Exige - dedicated track car with lots of bits and tweaks - in fact its in the trailer behind me right now on our way to PBIR, no I am not driving.... - going to run it tonite while you guys enjoy the sights at Rybovich --- my first job in Florida was working for Rybovich in 1976.

As for the Elise if I can be of any assistance please let me know - I have great tuner for my Lotus in fact he just finished a car for Prestige that is insanely fast - drove it on wet pavement last week - no traction in first or second.

Any time you are in the mood for some friendly competition Paul - reach out to me and I will bring to PBIR for a Club session as my guest.

 

Yes, the recession has definately affected Cavallino

Back in 2007 there were so many 360s on the track it was like being on 1-95 so I suppose lots less cars on the track is a good thing

Last year was pretty weak on the track, this year was better

The Jet show was good but these days its totally UN PC I really like it when the P-51s are there but they weren't yesterday

The Yacht hop was great fun last year. Should be great this year too

My F40 is in the shop awaiting a new clutch so I'll be driving the M5 up

 

William, talk about ranches tomorrow at the Breakers?

 

The attendance is definitely up from last year. The jet deal was better overall to me and the track had more cars too.

 

Just a casual observation but isn't it a bit curious that the
Cavallino organizers would schedule their event on the same
weekend as the auctions in Arizona, the Detroit Auto
Show and the NFL conference championship games?

It seems that the collectors would be in Scottsdale
and the industry movers and shakers would be in Detroit
rather than what amounts to a boutique specialist event
in Palm Beach, no?

RM

 

They tried auctions at Cavallino but it was a bust so they dont care bout auctions

There were some serious collectors at the track

250GTO, 250TR, 250LM, 275GTB Comp, thats some serious $ there

The yacht hop was lots of fun

Too bad the large 200' + mega yachts were closed for visitors but we went slumming on a few 90 to 130 footers

 

RM Arizona reports selling 85% and over $19m in sales,
not a bad take for five hours work.

Auctions are illegal on Palm Beach the last one occured
around 1990 after organizers had to overturn huge obstacles.

Gooding held an auction with Palm Beach International Concours,
an event which lasted two years in Wellington The auction was
not a bust, not when a Talbot Lago sells for $3.4m, the event
was however and the principal split town.

RM

 

pertinante observation.

There s a strong wind in scottdale, half of the tent is gone, check vintage thread.

 

no 166? no GTO? no TR? no 288?

 

At the track yesterday, seeing three 250 SWB's go by in a row was a pretty good show in itself! Throw in cars like an FXX and a 333 SP and it was a pretty nice track day.

Today at the Breakers they unveiled a one-off special, a gold car built on a 599 platform. There were plenty of other one-off cars, including a neat 1959 250 Speciale which was a variation of the PF Coupe.

I'll post some photos when I get home after the event.

 

The wind event happened at the Russo & Steele Auction, one
of seven auctions over a total of fourteen days in the Scottsdale
area.

Why they do all this in the desert is beyond me, they just do!

RM

 

The food at the Yacht-hop was not fit for the mullet swimming under the docks. I went home to cook a steak. The owners of the large yachts ("Baccalaure" and "Bella-bri") were being selfish by not allowing visitors. Last year was awesome.

I spoke to a woman who goes every year and she said the food at the Jet reception was bad, also.

The weather was cool and comfortable at Cavallino at the Breakers. I am not sure this was great for photos, though. There was a very big turnout, but lacking in the female department. This may have been due to the increased fees.

Anyone have an idea how much money was collected?

 

Oddly, the food at any of the Cavallino events is weak while the machinery is generally awesome. I got the Rosa Parks treatment at the track day, but no biggie. It's part of the experience!

There seemed to be lots of confusion at the Breakers about where you are supposed to go in and where you are allowed to exit the upper lawn. I think a 5 minute meeting before the entry workers were sent to their stations would have solved it. Overall, Cavallino is a great week of events, and I feel very fortunate to have it so close to home.

My favorite was watching the historic races Friday. The drum brake cars sliding through the turn during the brief rain shower was fantastic! The race between the 250 SWB cars and the other battle between the red white and Blue Daytona coupe and the 308 Michelloto car were too cool! Hats off to all those drivers, and keep up the racing. It is much more entertaining than watching the newer cars that all seem to take the same line on every lap in parade fashion.

BT

 

under the economic circumstances, there was a better turn out and presentation at each of the events than I expected. It was, for me, and the group I was with, a very enjoyable weekend !

I am sure all will be even better next year !!

 

The food is provided by caterers, have no idea who hires them. Can't blame Cavallino promotion.

The general admission food and the food service at PBIR is absolutely crap. I was not too motivated to go this year, because the facility was not enjoyable last year. Yea sure, they spent a lot of money on " upgrading the circuit", but I don't want to help them pay for it. It really sucks. They should have gone the route of a first class professional facility or just clean up what was there without passing the buck to the spectators. As it is, it is an overpriced very mediocre race track. If the service was good, I would feel differently, but their management apparently does not care.

Does it sound like I think PBIR is terrible? It is. Avoid it like a plague.

As for the food at the Breakers, well, its an overpriced deli, so what can you expect. At least the facility is first class. Not sure why they did not put a stairway between the front lawn, and the rear lawn, but it is still beautiful.

Cavallino, the concourse, is a wonderful event. Impressive, world class. Sadly, the only race circuit in the neighborhood is PBIR.

 

This was my first foray to Cavallino. PBIR was fine. To me, a race track is just that, a race track. Not a food court. Nice viewing spots and good flow through the pits. It is not the Glen, Laguna Seca, Road America and their ilk, but a nice spot in any case.

The Concours did seem a little frenzied as BT mentioned. It was confusing picking up my tickets too. And the parking directions were poor and could have been cured with simple signs.

I had friends in the 250-365 car group being judged and they missed the buffet lunch because the process was slow. But they didn't miss much as the wind on the front lawn was blowing so hard salad would fly off the plate unless you drenched it with dressing.

BUT, it was a fun event and I would come back. A lot of very nice cars, and good people watching too.

 

Tom Kizer and Mark Dempsey perhaps? I left the concours at noon and had lunch at PA BBQ. The food at the Breakers is so overpriced I can't bring myself to eat there.

BT

 

True, but I would gladly drive to Homestead or even Sebring to see these cars on a better track. I think the organizers woud beneift in the long run to look into these other options. Of course it really depends on the drivers. If the drivers don't want to go that far then keep it at PBIR.

I disagree that it is not on the organizers regarding the food choice. They work to make the vent first class and the caterers need to also meet that standard IMHO. I know Lisa and I could do better food than what was offered at the Jet reception, and we are amateurs.


BT

 

Yes, when it comes to preparing food, taste and presentation, you and Lisa absolutely excel.

 

Yup, Kizer, Dempsey, and Tom Y. as well as the Hinikers whose GTE Tom had a hand in refreshing. Bill, I am sorry to have missed meeting you. My fault as I was there for the TY party, the track and the concours. Maybe next year, especially if there is another caravan and my C/4's drive shaft is done!

Cheers