CAVALLINO CLASSIC 2020

    The 29th Cavallino Classic began, at least for the Ferrari Market Letter team, late on Thursday. While other participants were able to enjoy Wednesday’s welcome reception we were wrapping up the advertisements for this issue. The track day, dinners, concours, jet party and gala banquet reporting would have to wait until the early part of the next week.

    Under normal conditions this issue would have been ‘in the bag’ on Friday but the calendar was working against us this time.  Cathy, Linda and I meet in West Palm Beach ready to enjoy three days of Ferraris and fun.

    First up is the jet party. Held at Boca Raton airport it is a longer drive but it was well worth it. Intermittent rain had the potential to limit participation of the Ferraris and it may have had some impact on the number but not the enthusiasm of the participants.

    Signature Flight Support opened their hangar for Ferraris and Jets to mingle. It was a good time to meet old friends and make a few new ones. There was a full bar and wine tasting along with some delicious hors d’oeuvres. There were well-stocked tables filled with meats and cheeses and different pizza offerings. Perfect in keeping with an Italian theme.

    Several jets were open for tours. Just being able to sit in the luxurious chairs and imagine crossing the ocean headed to Italy made me wish I had the means. One can dream, right?

    Friday is open track day at PBIR. The rain continues intermittently. There are low clouds and it does not feel inviting. A few die-hards are out thrashing their steeds but the really cool machinery seen before was not there.

    In addition to the high speed GT group there was the cruise group. This allowed for track time at lower and less demanding speeds. I was surprised more participants did not take advantage of getting to know the track and exercise their Ferrari in a safe and controlled environment.

    I believe the cruise category should be implemented at all events. This would give owners a chance to push their cars and share the experience with others. If participation is this low in the future, track events may become too expensive for any group to sponsor. Ferraris are meant to be driven, what better chance will you have to safely enjoy high cornering speeds and the challenge of driving smoothly on a challenging course?

    As lunch time neared and the weather improved more Ferraris showed up and the afternoon sessions had better participation.

    Friday night is the Royal Reception at Royal Poinciana Plaza and is a good time to see the Ferraris that participated on the Tour of Palm Beach. There is shopping and several great restaurants that dot the area and a good time was had by all.

    The Ferrari Market Letter crew had other plans. Each year since we took over the FML, we have carried on a tradition started many years ago by Cathy’s father, Gerald Roush, by having dinner at a little Italian restaurant. The first year the three of us, Cathy, Linda and I had dinner, raised a glass of grappa in Gerald’s memory and closed the place down.

    Each year our companions number grow to include more members and this year fifteen of us gathered to talk Ferraris, enjoy fine Italian food and drink a toast to the man who started the market letter and had the foresight to gather the same information we seek today.

    Dominic, Paul, Bill, Bob, Michael and others; you know who you are, thank you for a great time. This is what Cavallino is about, friends and fellowship surrounded by the cars we all love.

    About those cars: the best and finest Ferraris are shown on the croquet lawn in front of the Breakers hotel.  Never seen a 250 GTO in the flesh? Yes, there was one there. A 250 GT?  What style of 250 would you like to see?

    There was a 250 Europa GT Speciale with dark blue paint that looked black until the sun came out. Then the blue was perfect against a lovely tan interior.

    A fresh-from-restoration 250 Ellena was incredibly done by the owner in a period-correct blue-green metallic with red interior. Although it did not win an award it was clearly a labor of love and a tribute to one man’s ability.

    Other 250 GTs were a PF Coupe and a couple of PF Cabriolets, a Lusso, and one each LWB Berlinetta and a SWB Berlinetta.

    There were seven 250 GT SWB Spyder Californias present. With a total of 56 made these seven cars represented more than ten percent of production.

    In the center there were two special racing cars. One was a 340 Mexico Berlinetta. There were only four 340 Mexicos built and of those, three were Berlinettas. It was amazing to see one of these here.

    The other race car was the 750 Monza prototype; it had also run in the Mexico race and had hand-painted numbers and advertising.  Both these cars are historically significant and restored to perfection.

    The Cavallino Classic honored several significant anniversaries this year. 60 years of the SWB California has already been noted but the fairway celebrated 60 years of the 250 GTE.

    Eight of these cars were represented including one 330 America which looks like a GTE but is more rare with a 330 GT engine installed. Of the eight, one was truly a survivor being in unrestored condition; it was an interesting time capsule of these 2+2s.

    The rest of the field contained a good representation of Ferrari models from the 275 GTB/4 through the 488 Spider. The Dino and 328 series were well represented with multiple examples of each. The number of low mileage 328 GTS was amazing.

    As the 29th Cavallino Classic came to an end it can be said the numbers of Ferraris were less than previous events but the quality of the participants was the highest I have ever seen. Each Ferrari was beautiful and the owners truly love their cars. As I looked at each car and thought about the many models present, Ferrari has always made timeless designs.

    The oldest to the newest Ferrari will continue to be beautiful even 29 years from now.  This is why we keep coming back. See you next year!