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2004 Ferrari Club of American International Meet
By: Drew Phillips
Photos by the author
September 30, 2004

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There are so many reasons to be a Ferrari owner: the prestige of the company, the acceleration and speed of the vehicle, and all the sounds, sights, and smells that come with the car. Anybody can own a fast car, but there's something extra special about a Ferrari that any owner can attest to. Add to that the fact that this year is the fiftieth anniversary of Ferrari in the United States, and there hasn't been a better time to own a Ferrari. In the middle of August, Monterey became the Mecca for Italian automobiles, and the peninsula was infiltrated with a gathering of nearly 1,500 Ferraris. In downtown Monterey, Ferraris could literally be seen two or three per block. You know you've seen a lot of Ferraris when the number of Enzos you've seen in one day can't be counted on both hands, or if you have to think about how many times you've seen that particular 330 P4 during the week. Even the legendary 250 GTO became commonplace, gathering hardly any attention by the time the main events of the weekend had ended.

The events started even before the main weekend in Monterey with the Ferrari Challenge Rally from Los Angeles to Monterey. The rally offered Ferrari owners an active part in the Ferrari Challenge Races with drives along the California coast. The four day event is open to any Ferrari, with a special class for models built before 1970. In the case that any drivers had trouble with their cars, Ferrari North American provided a technician crew to handle any problems. The route included a variety of roads including a tour through Santa Monica, cruises along the Pacific Coast Highway, and drives in the Santa Ynez Mountains. In addition, participating Ferrari owners were treated to winery tours, and lodging at some of the finest hotels. The last leg of the rally was composed of a tour around Monterey, ending at Laguna Seca Raceway for the private track event provided for the owners.

Laguna Seca usually gets a break after the busy times during the Monterey Historics, but not this year. The day after the Historics had ended, Ferrari owners invaded the race track and took over the entire paddock. Monday was reserved for the FCA's driver's school, and after a break on Tuesday for the concours, there were two more open track days on Wednesday and Thursday. There were a wide variety of Ferraris on the track, from a 1947 166 Spider Corsa to brand new 360 Modenas and 575M Maranellos. In addition to the road cars, there were several race cars on the track including #001 F50 GT, a 333 SP, a handful of 360 GT's, and several Challenge cars. Organizers insisted on having a safe and fun environment, so competition during on the track was discouraged. Bodily contact was strictly forbidden, and passing was limited. Even so, owners were given the chance to ring out their finely tuned machines on one of the most famous race tracks in the world.

In addition to the regular track events, Laguna-Seca was also the setting for the last 360 Challenge in the United States this year. This was the first time a Ferrari Challenge race was held at Laguna Seca since 1999. Because of the privacy of the event, there weren't the regular race fans to cheer along the drivers, but that didn't keep down the competitive spirit of the drivers. Kurt Buchwald, who races for Ferrari of Washington, won his first race of the season after qualifying on pole. Buchwald not only led every lap of the race, but he set the track record for the car. Another notable driver was Robert Canepa, who climbed from 15th to 9th place after spinning his car on the second lap. Canepa was presented with the "Competitive Spirit" award by Bose Sound for his driving. The next and last race of the season will be in Monza, Italy.

The main event for the FCA International Meet was the Concours, hosted by the Quail Lodge that had been the setting of the Quail Motorsports Gathering just four days prior. The beautiful lodge and surrounding scenery were the perfect location for the event. Over twenty-seven classes comprised the overwhelming list of vintage, racing, and modern Ferraris. Ferraris seen throughout the weekend at different events all gathered for one huge show, not just featuring Ferrari, but exclusively focusing on the marque. One-off models, significant racing cars, and rare early models could all be seen on the green in front of the lodge.

It will most definitely be a long time before the Ferrari community sees a celebration quite like the one in Monterey this year. It was the largest and most important gathering of Ferrari automobiles in the U.S. in the company's history. The track events and concours provided for a nice mix of activities, and race fans even got to see the final Challenge race of the season in the United States. With amazing weather in the Monterey Peninsula, a fantastic group of fellow Ferrari enthusiasts, and an incredible collection of the world's most desirable cars, the only complaint that comes to mind is that the Monterey weekend will always seem somewhat lacking without the extra events in the following week.