Concours Generosity

    I get the most comments about my articles when I talk about my experiences. This one is not from the distant past but was unique in a public way and I have no proof it ever happened.

    It is not a story about research of some obscure race in an obscure location where a Ferrari was involved.

    Nor is it some service story when I helped repair a rare Ferrari. Wait, this is one of those stories!

    Cavallino 2024 had some of the most beautiful and rare Ferraris in the world displayed on the croquet lawn. One of those was S/N 0850, a 412 P Berlinetta in bright yellow.

    I happened to be standing by it during judging. When being judged, if something is not working, there is a small window of time to repair and have the discrepancy rectified.

    The right running light was not illuminating. I volunteered to take a look.

    Lift up the rear bodywork and check the wires to the housing. It is covered by a shield. No screwdriver.

    I sent Lawrence Elliott out to scrounge tools. Fortunately, Jud Dayton is also showing his 250 GT SWB and has a complete tool kit with his car.

    Now I’m sitting on the wheel working over my head removing the panel using concours tools and trying not to damage the 412 P in the process.

    Wiring checks out good, time to remove the taillight. Different tools are needed, and I send Lawrence out to tap the generosity of Dayton again.

    Another screwdriver appears and soon the taillight reveals the burnt-out bulb. Again, I send Lawrence out into the wild to find the correct bulb.

    Jud Dayton comes though again with a spare bulb from his tool kit.

    Time is ticking.

    The bulb goes in, and the system is checked. Lights! Camera! Action! The car is fixed!

    The taillight goes back together, and panel replaced. Not a scratch on the car.

    Call the judges, we are ready to earn that Platinum.

    I lower the rear bodywork down and make sure tools are returned to Jud Dayton and his SWB.

    The 412 P in all its glorious yellow paint and blue wheels earns a Platino and also wins The Ferrari Racing Award.

    None of this would have been possible had I not been standing by and willing to help. It also required the generosity of Jud Dayton and my scrounger Lawrence Elliott.

    This was not the first adventure Lawrence and I have been on. In 2017 at Monterey, I helped a FIAT 8V that won its class at the Quail. That story was printed in December 2017, Volume 42, Issue 25.

    High level concours is competitive and Ferraris, even restored Ferraris, break. At the end of the day, it is the people that make the difference. We were all winners that day.

    So, does anyone have a photo of me sitting on the wheel? I never had the chance to document the event!