The next morning it was again time for the Concorso d'Eleganza, the high point for many of the Classic weekend. For the very first time in the history of the Classic, the show field was limited to 150 Ferraris, as the lawn in front of The Breakers can hold no more. Actual entries amounted to over 170, leaving many owners unhappy on a wait list (and unhappily forcing the Classic into an invitational situation for the future). The number of Ferraris offered for judging or display had grown tremendously, but even more gratifying than the sheer number of cars was the particular number of special cars.

In virtual pole position by the portico sat three prototypes: the 268 SP, s/n 0798, the 365 P2, s/n 0838, and the 330 P4, s/n 0856, giving the viewer a unique cross section of Ferrari's sports car progression from its earliest rear engined creations to the 1967 World Championship winning P4s. On the field, the groupings were intriguing. When was the last time you saw three 225 Sports together, or three Inter Ghia Coupes?

The 250 class, per tradition, was one of the backbones of the Concorso, with nineteen cars present. There were three Tour de Frances and four SWBs, with the same amount of California Spyders. There were also four Cabriolets, three early Coupes, and a Lusso. The 275 class was not as large (ten) but was impressive nonetheless, as was the 365s (nine), the Dinos (twelve), the three series (thirteen), and the Testarossas (twelve). Early front engined race cars comprised eight rare examples, including the 340 Mexico, two Testa Rossas, and the pontoon fendered 500 TR, while the rear engined class held eleven cars, including the aforementioned prototypes.

The Galleria d'Arte Ferrari art exhibition, shown in The Breakers' Gold Room for the three previous days, was brought out and sited right next to the invited vendors, which included those seen at Moroso plus others who represented several of the invited sponsors. By mid morning, for the tenth time, the Concorso field truly looked magnificent. The quality of the field was exceptional, which would become important at the Awards Dinner to follow that evening.

Alas, there is a first time for everything, and this year unfortunately there was an undesired first, an unwelcome guest which rudely joined the Concorso uninvited: H2O. A front came in at 11:45 am and the shower it brought saw the head count in The Breakers' lobby suddenly increase rather noticeably! It did not last, and everyone was soon back out to enjoy the cars and, yes, the sunshine. The Classic should, in fact, count itself lucky that this was the first ever rain at the Concorso in ten years, while the track has seen just a single sprinkle in ten events. The rest of the week provided the usual sunshine and balmy temperatures.

The judges' daunting task, faced annually with an ever higher level of entries, thanks to increasingly savvy owners and yet more consummate restorations, was not made easier by the interruption of rain, but as usual they came through impeccably, several judging teams finishing their inspection of the cars under some hastily improvised plastic sheeting. Why do we like The Breakers? After the rain they rolled out a huge basket of towels for everyone to use to dry their cars. The afternoon wound down with that general feeling of one's eyes being thoroughly sated and of the impossibility to take it all in.

But in fact, the afternoon was not yet over, as another one of the new additions to the Cavallino Classic schedule was taking place across the Intracoastal Waterway - the Bonhams & Brooks auction. Some of the cars due to be auctioned that afternoon had been on display at the Concorso during the morning, and these plus those back in the auction tent represented a stellar group of Italian exotic and sports cars, from a 1962 Fiat Jolly open runabout (beach car) with Ghia bodywork to the 1972 312 PB. The auction was delayed because of that rain, but it had a good reception and the Brooks people will be back. We thank them for their willingness to work with the Cavallino Classic, especially in light of the Classic's tight schedule.

After the Cocktail hour it was time for the Concorso Awards Dinner with no less than 550 guests in attendance. Eventually, and after a pleasant dinner, the long awaited moment arrived and speculation could end - the Awards were announced. The Class Awards were presented first and here could be seen in concrete form the sheer number of quality Ferraris that came to the tenth Classic. Last year there were 31 Platinum Award winners, which means they gained 95 points or more and therefore a First in Class. This year there were 54! Gaining 95 points is no mean feat, as the judging is in accordance with the rules laid down by the International Advisory Council for the Preservation of the Ferrari Automobile (IAC/PFA), and the judges themselves are knowledgeable and uncompromising.

Once at the 95 point mark, the Ferraris are eligible for the Major Awards, and the Chief Class Judges had a difficult time indeed what with 54 cars to choose from.

The Ferrari Spirit Cups are given to those Ferraris that demonstrate ability on the track at Moroso and which also do well in the Concorso. Two cups were available this year and were awarded to two 1960s prototypes, both of them absolutely unique. One was the 206 SP, s/n 028, of Nick Incantalupo from Oldwick, New Jersey, which broke on the Thursday, terminally everyone thought, but came back Friday to compete in the Ferrari Historic Challenge and then do well in the Concorso on Saturday. The other was the 268 SP, s/n 0798, of Bernard and Joan Carl of Washington, DC, the only extant V-8 Ferrari sports prototype.

The Excellence Cups, for outstanding restoration quality and the difficulty of the restoration challenge, went to two very different Ferraris, starting with the 1951 212 Export Vignale Spyder, s/n 0090 E, of Jeffrey and Frances Fisher of Palm Beach, Florida. The recipient of the second cup was the 1980 512 BBLM, s/n 38181, of Raymond and Julia Hartman of Montecito, California.

In such lofty company it was good to see a production model receive The Preservation Cup. This is given to a car in outstanding original preserved condition and it deservedly went to the 1973 365 GTB/4, s/n 17043, owned by Robert B. Giase of Tiburon, California.

Finally, the big three.

The Gran Turismo Ferrari Cup is probably the most difficult choice of all for the judges, due to the plethora of impeccably turned out "Outstanding GT Ferrari" in the most subscribed classes in the Concorso. Presenting the cup for the sponsor SunTrust Bank was George Koehn, Chairman and CEO, and the winner was the very elegant 1965 500 Superfast, s/n 8083 SF, entered by Michael and Becki Dunn of Newark, California. This was well deserved as Michael oversaw the entire restoration.

The Scuderia Ferrari Cup is awarded to the "Outstanding Competition Ferrari" and this also was a tough call for the judges considering the notable increase of worthy candidates this year. Presenting the award for the sponsor Girard-Perregaux was President Ron Jackson, and the recipient was the forceful 1965 365 P2, s/n 0838, brought by Peter Sachs of Stamford, Connecticut, a prototipo which he has owned for many years and which in fact he drove on the open road all the way to London right after purchasing it from the Mas du Clos collection in central France.

At last the final and most important award, that of Best Of Show, was announced and in such excellent company the award went to probably the most historically prestigious car in the Concorso, the 330 P4, s/n 0856, of Lawrence Stroll. It is none other than the Factory car which finished second at the 1967 Daytona 24 Hours, not that far up Florida's Atlantic coast, and was part of that celebrated three car astern finish, one of the most evocative photo images in Ferrari history. The car also has an unbroken owner history, and was one of the few later P cars never to be modified or destroyed. It was a worthy choice for the Cup sponsored by Cavallino magazine, and doing the honors of presentation was Ferrari North America President Stuart Robinson.