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05/26 HORSES IN THE CITY

This article is from our archives and has not been updated and integrated with our "new" site yet... Even so, it's still awesome - so keep reading!

Published on Mon, Apr 7, 2003

By: The LACar Editorial Staff

HORSES IN THE CITY

By JOHN GRAFMAN

Photos by John Grafman

On occasion, we at LA CAR drop the ball and have to come clean with our sins. We didn't inform our loyal readers with info on the Ferrari Concours in LA prior to the event. In all sincerity, we ourselves only became aware of the event being held on the twenty-third of May at the last moment so to speak. Normally, we don't apologize for when we are not on top of the latest gigs around town but this special event was so different and could only be properly described, as a happening.

The annual affair brings out this fabled mark from near and far. It was definitely an amazing event with most every Ferrari imaginable under the sun in attendance. The day was one of those magnificent days in Los Angeles that results in thousands of out of state residents migrating here in droves. At the top of the hill on Avenue Of The Stars in Century City, where the streets where barricaded to through traffic, the view was nearly immaculate. Location, location, location means so much and the choice of this site was spot on. Sometimes all the planets and stars align and you wind up with a day in LA as spectacular as this turned out to be. Of course there were the requisite droves of "beautiful people" and a variety of vendors with tasty eats for the hungry.

Somebody pinch me, I must be dreaming. The scene was not unlike a Ferrari fantasy, except I wasn't behind the wheel. The culmination of each and every aspect of the event set the stage for what was to be a day filled with one of those silly ear to ear grins that you can't simply seem to wipe off your face. Of course, it is gratifying to bare witness to so many different types of Ferraris all in one place at one time. One after another they grouped in families of similar types such as 250GTs, 308s, or 246GTs, or 365s. A total of seventeen different classes occupied the streets. It was staggering to see one after another in numbers that plentiful. To see so many of the same type of any car gives the impression of mass production. Being that Ferrari is anything but that, was a very odd feeling. Very strange yet highly enjoyable at the same time. More is better! The majority of the Ferraris have been kept in enviable condition. I felt like a kid in a candy shop not knowing which to sample first. Should I go over by the F40s or should I soak up the sun glinting of some of the 360s gathered for the event. Decisions!

We stayed later than anticipated so as to hear the ignition and disembarking from the hill of so many wonderful sports cars. Without the usual traffic in the area, the sweet song of so many engines from the Italian maker filled the air and echoed between the buildings, like man made canyons, with an intense howl that make us dread the poorly orchestrated other 364 days of the year. Sometimes we forget just how lucky we are here in the greater Los Angeles area with the seeming endless supply of warm days, sun tanned demigods, Italian sports cars and a population that has an overwhelming appreciation of the auto as part of our culture. An event as fabulous as this one that puts the best of everything together at once sharpens the focus as to just how fortunate we are to be here.

All those from The Ferrari Club of America who brought to life this first class mammoth affair should be commended. Next year's event is just nine months away. Mark your calendars now and don't say we didn't warn you.

More information on the Ferrari Club of America can be found at www.ferrariclubofamerica.org

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