Celebration Exotic Car Festival 2025

     Celebration Exotic Car Festival is not a car show. It is an Event. It is here you are entertained and treated like royalty.

      Yes, you get to show off your car, whether it be a Ferrari or other exotic. The event roster reads off like a fantasyland of automotive pleasures to fit every whim.

     There is a concert, a concours, a rally, and track time at Daytona International Speedway. A four-star banquet and as much fellowship as you can handle.

     The event starts off with a bang on Friday night. This is where the magic begins. Busses line up promptly at 6pm to whisk riders directly to the Hard Rock Café at Universal Studios CityWalk entertainment center.

     This is not going to be just any bus ride. A police escort stops traffic so once the bus begins to move it does not stop until reaching the Hard Rock. With blue lights flashing, the motorcycles leapfrog from one intersection to another, blocking traffic and allowing us to move thorough red lights unimpeded and travel down an empty freeway.

     At this event, everyone is special and if you have never been, Celebration Exotic Car Festival should be on your list of ‘must do’ events.

     The trip to the Hard Rock is just the beginning. Once there, we are led to a private balcony where food stations have been set up with various delights waiting for empty plates. An open bar helps to find old friends and make new ones.

     The band begins to warm up and we are led down to front row seats to hear guitarist Orianthi play. This Australian player had the most amazing Rock n’ Roll and blues fingers on a fretboard. Her BB King rendition was electrifying. I bet she could make some Stevie Ray Vaughn fans feel like he was right there.

     The Gin Blossoms played next and while their music was after my generation there were several songs I recognized. After a long day, it was time to head back and prepare for tomorrow’s excitement.

     Saturday dawns with Ferrari automobiles parked on Market Street in the city of Celebration. The street is lined on both sides leading down to Lake Rianhard. It is here Front Street splits to the left and right with more interesting exotic and other vehicles lining the road.

     To the left are Maserati and Pantera. Some Porsche and American cars. Mustang and Mopar blend in with Cadillac and Edsel. There is even a Citroen 2CV and a Fiat 500 to see.

     To the right are Lamborghini and McLaren. More Porsche and Corvette and even a row of DeLorean. Aston Martin finishes the drive before reaching the Inn at Celebration where the parking area contains several Ferraris that are not on display.

     From the hotel, heading back to the Ferraris on display, there is a cordoned off section that contains special movie cars. These are the ones that are famous in their own right.

     The Ghostbusters Cadillac completely decked out with Proton Packs ready to be donned in case of emergency. A Back-to-the-Future Delorean with a, I suspect, non-functioning Flux Capacitor, but looking the part.

     On a more exotic side, the Cannonball Run black Lamborghini Countach was displayed. Who could forget Adrienne Barbeau and Tara Buckman dressed in their skintight jumpsuits while attempting to get out of a ticket.

     And what movie car display could be complete without the Spyder California from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. We all know it is a replica, and not a real Ferrari, but it is always interesting to stand nearby and listen to others comment about the car.

 

 

     Now the Ferraris. On one corner was a 330 GTC in maroon with tan interior S/N 9399. In the bright sunshine the metallic paint looked like it was about three feet deep. There could not have been a better spot on the entire street for this GTC.

 

 

     Nearby was a Daytona, S/N 14999, in Rosso Cordoba also with tan interior. While the colors were similar there was a subtle difference as the sun shown on each car.

     Greg Jones brought a yellow 275 GTB, short nose version, that had come out of long-term storage. The owner received the car in the 1970s as a wreck and had repaired the Ferrari over the years. A 275 GTB/4 engine was installed as the original engine had gone into Lusso S/N 5471 GT.

     Such was a time when keeping the originality took a back seat to rescuing a battered car. At some point Jones is hoping to reunite the original engine to this chassis.

     A row of 308 GTS was just across the street. These late Quattrovalvole cars still look timeless with their styling. I have met one of the owners, Bill Scott, previously. We ended up spending quite a bit of time together. Both our girlfriends seemed to hit it off.

     Isn’t that the great thing about an event? You get to know others and share the passion of Ferrari.

     I look over and see Don Bartz judging. There is a Boxer near him, and I assume it is his, but no! It is Richard Baumgart’s car. Both their cars are near perfect and with the same color scheme of red and tan they are difficult to tell apart.

 

 

     A single mirror Testarossa sits next to a 512 TR which in turn sits next to an F512 M. A full progression of the Testarossa series to see side by side.

     Next come a double pair of 550 Maranello and 575M Maranello. One of the 550s is owned by Kurt Hugelshofer and a 575M is owned by Lance Long. I get the chance to talk with both these guys. Ferrari is a passion!

     There is an 812 GTS without a placard, but it is a beautiful blue color. It is not dark blue but a bit lighter than that. Maybe a blue sera but not that bright, somewhere in between. It was a very cool color.

 

 

     Not to be outdone, an FF has a flat matte black paint scheme. It is clearly rocking the Darth Vader look.

     Next is a progression of spiders. A California T brought by Lawrence Heil sits next to a Portofino which then sits next to a Roma Spider brought by Robert Bennett.

     At the top of the street are displays by vendors. Supercar Mindset has brought a 488 Spider and an F8 Spider. Both were white, and it is difficult to tell the difference between them. The taillights are the largest giveaway but after comparing each side-by-side, other details begin to emerge. 

     Across the street Tony Rienzi had on display a 308 GTB QV. It was red with tan and sported some interesting gold wheels, not painted, yet not anodized. The gold color was almost see through. Factory? I’m not sure, but they certainly were interesting to see.

 

 

 

     Another Rienzi car was a 360 Modena Challenge with Rockstar Auto Auction decals. This one had the Ferrari Market Letter logo on the side!

     Furia Corsa with their big rig trailer, anchored the end of the street providing a backdrop for all the Ferraris. They displayed several race cars (non-Ferrari), and one 550 Maranello racecar, S/N 108536, and a street F355 Berlinetta.

 

 

     I spy a familiar license plate and know this red 488 GTB belongs to Debbie Pyle. Her and husband Jim have been fixtures in the Florida FCA Region for years. It is always good to see them again.

     While seeing old friends is good, it is always fun to meet new ones. I ran into John Milano, he has a black-on-black 458 Spider. It’s our shared knowledge of Ferraris that we bond over. Milano does most of his own work and is not afraid to drive his cars.

     He has been splitting his time between Florida and North Carolina. I mention the Highlands Classic show and he has photos on his phone. There is one of a Lamborghini Miura with me in the background! Small world after all.

     I come across a Swaters Blu with crema interior F355 Berlinetta. This must be Martin Clark’s car. He is there putting the finishing touches on before the judges arrive. He has been improving various items attempting to gain the all-important Platinum status.

     The Celebration Exotic Car Festival is a fun and low-pressure event, still there is serious judging going on. Quality FCA judges are looking at each car and a Platinum is not easily earned.

     The evening event is going to be at the Waldorf Astoria at Walt Disney World. Once again, we board a bus to the event. Soon we are disembarking and ushered to our own private area where we are surrounded by silent auction items.

     It is here the full reason for the Celebration Exotic Car Festival comes to pass. Everything the festival does and provides is all for Make-a-Wish Foundation.

     The dinner we are about to receive, the items to bid upon, the people behind the scenes all have one goal in mind. Make-a-Wish.

     Every dollar for entry fees, every dollar raised goes to this one goal. Make-a-Wish. There are no overhead costs, no management fees, everyone volunteers their time or has donated their products and services to make this event not only special but to maximize donations.

     Dinner at the Waldorf is no rubber chicken and fish, it is filet mignon. Salad with tuna and beautiful creamy/chocolate dessert. All of these culinary delights are paired with ZD Wine. Bottles of white and red are on each table waiting to fill empty glasses.

     A magician comes by our table and Linda hesitantly gives up her ring. Thankfully the ring reappears in a sealed container of M&Ms. The hand is truly quicker than the eye.

     It is now time to get serious. The live auction is about to start. A video is shown about Make-a-Wish and how your donations supply a wish to children who need something special in their lives. 

     An amazing number of children have been helped through the Celebration Exotic Car Festival during the years and this year will be no different. Vacation packages and experiences are auctioned to the crowd. There is even a Bentley auctioned off.

     All the bidding this evening raised over $700,000. That’s a lot of wishes. The total donations from this event will be much more.

     Because it’s not over. There is a rally on Sunday. A laid-back drive through the Florida backroads escorted by motorcycles with blue and red lights help to keep the group together. There are some sections where you can properly exercise your steed without fear of a ticket.

     Wait, there is more! Monday and Tuesday is spent at Daytona International Speedway. It is there you can really exercise your skills and Ferrari around the historic banked track.

     The pressure of time and getting this issue out did preclude yours truly from attending the Daytona part of the weekend. There were also other circumstances which shortened the weekend. That story is in the next article.

     Celebration Exotic Car Festival should be on your list of events. It is put on for all the right reasons. Bring your car, enjoy sharing it with the people who come to see, drive on the rally, or drive on the track. Enjoy good food, fellowship with other owners and have a great time.

     Feel good that you are helping an organization like Make-a-Wish make wishes come true for children. You never know how much you touch someone’s life, but you can be sure you have.

 

 

More photos!