Chattanooga Motorcar Festival 2024

     The Chattanooga Motorcar Festival was held October 11th through 13th, 2024. Now in its fifth year, the festival is beginning to come into its own.

     Perfect weather helps. Cool mornings gave way to warm afternoons with not a rain drop predicted. Just what you would expect from this southern Tennessee river town.

     Once again, the streets of the West Village were closed down to display automotive treasures from around the country. Restaurants are plenty and the atmosphere friendly and casual.

     For me, the journey begins after dropping the last issue into the U.S. Postal system and driving two hours north from Atlanta to Chattanooga. As I live a bit north of Atlanta proper, the back roads through the Georga countryside give me a chance to see how all my hard work servicing the mighty 400 pays off.

     See issue 4918 to experience the trials and tribulations of a major service on one of these beasts. Spoiler alert: the trip up and back was perfect with no issues.

     The three-day event starts with a Ferrari rally through parts of Georgia and Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, stopping at a winery and lunch. If only I could have gotten out of town earlier, I would have joined but based on the stories it must have been a blast!

     Hanging out at the host Westin hotel, I see many old friends and meet new ones. There are not many places you can spend time talking to historian Ken Gross, or race driver Jochen Maas.

     Broad Arrow is having its auction on Saturday. We take a short walk down to the Convention Center to gander at the offerings. While there were only five Ferraris on offer, the other cars were interesting to see.

     A 250 GTE Series III, in black with arancia interior, sold for $346,000. A 488 Pista in Rosso Corsa and Nero Alcantara with rosso details sold for $483,500. A 599 GTB in Argento Nürburgring with charcoal interior sold for $179,200. The others remained unsold.

     Saturday morning started early. I had entered the 400 in the concours and was displayed next to a beautiful F40. People were drawn to my car and happened to notice the F40 nearby. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

 

     Saturday cars are more like a Cars and Coffee. There is still much to see. Tickets were a very reasonable $20 while children were free. There were lots of people who came out to see classic, antique, restomods and Ferraris.

     I spent a large part of the day talking to people and providing history on Ferrari and individual cars on display. Many children were able to go behind the barrier and get a photo sitting in the seat of the 400. The kids all had big smiles and parents were appreciative of snapping a memento.

     Ferrari of Atlanta was there with a selection of new Ferraris. A Roma Spider in Blu Celeste was very pretty. With the top down it seemed right in place in the bright sunshine.

     The Purosangue displayed was very popular with a line of people waiting to sit in the rear using the unusual rear opening door. A large part of the down payment could have been made if they had charged admission.

     Ferrari of Atlanta also displayed a 296 GTS, 812 GTS and what seemed to be the most popular, at least when it was started, a 488 Challenge. The Challenge car drew a crowd every time the exhaust rumbled.

 

     The evening gala was held in the Westin ballroom. It was here the reason for the festival became apparent. Donations benefit the NeuroScience Innovation Foundation. Its mission is to support research in stroke and Alzheimer’s Disease.

     Up on the stage Lyn St. James described her experiences driving fast cars and some of the trauma she had experienced.

     Dr. Thomas Declin came up and talked about the research the Fifty Plus Foundation has contributed to and how new information is being generated to better understand neurological issues.

     It is amazing how little is known about the brain, how it functions, and the causes of Alzheimer’s and other neurological issues.

     To cap off the evening, Keith Martin of Sports Car Market fame, related how far he has progressed from his stroke and how his life had changed by this incident.

     We all came away from dinner with a greater understanding of the challenges of the brain and how out of the box thinking about the problem is approached. Good things are coming from this research.

     Sunday is THE big day. Today cars will get judged. There is a whole new group of automobiles that line the street. Classic American cars, BMWs, Porsches, Jaguars and Ferraris wait their turn to be visited by one of the knowledgeable teams.

     There is no easy way to describe the Ferraris. Start with the oldest.

     The Indianapolis Speedway Museum brought their 1952 375 Indy/F1 car, S/N 3. One of four built to compete at Indianapolis. This car did not qualify, and two others also did not qualify.

     Painted in red as the car Ascari qualified and drove in the race but it carries the number 35 Johnny Mauro drove as the Kennedy Tank Special. It was special to see this car up close and inspect the quality Ferrari put in the early racing cars.

 

     The exposed suspension was instantly recognizable as the grandfather of the famous 250 GT series car that came just a few years later.

     A 500 Superfast on display, S/N 7817 SF, was first sold by Chinetti to Barbara Hutton, heiress to the Woolworth fortune. Finished in the original colors of Argento Grigio with red leather.

     This car is now owned by Byron DeFoor, the inspiration and founder of the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival, Fifty Plus Foundation and supporter of NeuroScience Innovation Foundation.

 

     Next up was two 275 GTBs. One from the Cogan Collection and one from David Nelson. The Cogan car was a short nose steel car in black with black interior, S/N 6665. This was contrasted by the Nelson car which was a long nose alloy RHD in Celeste Chiaro with blue leather, S/N 8047.

 

     308s were well represented with two GT/4s, both owned by Dan Carroll. The red one was a very late USA model, S/N 15398, with black boxer trim. The other in light blue, S/N 14086, was a European version. It was interesting to spot the differences between these two cars.

     The third was a 308 GTS, S/N 25519, carbureted model in classic red with red leather interior.

     Modern era front-engine production cars displayed the entire range of the 550 Maranello through the 599 GTO. A 550 Maranello in NART Blu with tan interior had the classic gated shifter prominently displayed in the center console. Nearby was a 575M Maranello F1 in bright giallo which complemented a 599 GTB Fiorano also in yellow.

 

     The king of 599s was another Cogan Collection car in the form of a 599 GTO, S/N 180381, in menacing black with a red stripe adorning the hood, roof and trunk lid.

 

     The mid-engine contingent was also well represented with several unique examples. First, one of the guest celebrities of Chattanooga was Linda Vaughn. The younger of us will always remember her as “Miss Hurst Golden Shifter”.

     Long before posters of Farrah Fawcett in her bathing suit or a red Alpine stereo Countach graced bedroom walls, Linda Vaughn standing next to a huge oversized shifter was taped to the back of closet doors by young boys who would dream of owning a GTO (the Pontiac version) or Chevelle with a big block.

     She owned a 246 GTS, S/N 07624, in red with black interior. It was brought to the show by Enoch Hurd wearing California license plates LV DINO. Miss Hurst had a chance to sit in her car again. It must have been quite a moment for her to be reunited with the Dino.

 

     A side note here before I get into the rest of the mid-engine cars. While researching the Linda Vaughn story I came across this. Enoch Hurd, businessman, Collegedale (Tennessee) Police Officer, Ferrari Challenge driver and Ferrari owner was involved in a motorcycle accident during the Sunday concours. He succumbed to his injuries two weeks later.

     He had brought to the concours the aforementioned Dino and the yellow 575M Maranello and yellow 599 GTB Fiorano. It is unfortunate to lose one of our own. Please keep his family in your prayers.

     The F430 series was well represented with an F430 Spider and an F430 Berlinetta. The Berlinetta, S/N 143744, brought by Tim Franklin, was one of the rare 6-speed manual cars and in the color combination of Argento Nürburgring with cuoio interior.

 

     With a spider and a berlinetta, what else in the F430 series could you want? How about a Scuderia 16M in white with red interior brought by Jasbir Dhillon.

 

     To satisfy the Darth Vader in us all, Steve Bowman brought a 458 Italia, S/N 173983, in black with  black interior. On the hood were two black stripes that when added to the headlights gave this Ferrari a very menacing look.

 

     Lastly, a brand new SF90 Spider brought by Jamie Delapaz.

 

     Grouped together in one corner of the display were three Challenge cars. A 348 TB, S/N 81259, impeccably prepared and perfectly, well, perfect. It looked like it had never turned a wheel in anger.

 

     The next Challenge car was an F355, once owned and raced by Lawrence Stroll, still sporting the famous Tommy Hilfiger livery.

 

     Next to it was a 360 GT, S/N 2008, brought by DB Motorsports. It was also impeccable in all its racing glory with sponsor decals and racing numbers splashed on the body.

 

     It is only possible to touch on the entire event. There was so much to see and do, and something for everyone. Kids had their own street filled with games and events.

     Music filled the air at night with several different bands playing and crowds dancing in the street. Restaurants served food to fit all budget ranges and alcohol was readily available for those who walked to the venue.

     Hotels were close by and once parked there was no need to drive anywhere to find food or fun. Chattanooga Motorcar Festival should be on your radar for next year.

     The food, the people and the Ferraris were outstanding. Bring a car, you will not be disappointed.

     Support the Fifty Plus Foundation and the NeuroScience Innovation Foundation, the work they are performing may save your brain in the future.

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2024 Chattanooga Motorcar Festival Concours d’Elegance Results
October 13, 2024

Class 1A: Ferrari Marriott Modern
Best in Class

2011 Ferrari 599 GTO, Connor Cogan, Louisville, KY

 

Outstanding in Class

1995 Ferrari 355 Challenge, Jasbir Dhillon, Brentwood, TN

 

Class 1B: Ferrari Marriott Vintage
Best in Class

1965 Ferrari 275 GTB, Connor Cogan, Louisville, KY

 

Outstanding in Class

1979 Ferrari 308 GT4, Dan Carroll, Chattanooga, TN

 

Best in Show

1935 Swallow SS 1, Eduardo Zavala, St. Petersburg, FL