It was immediately obvious upon entering the Moroso paddock that the hardware was particularly impressive, and certainly beyond reasonable expectations, for the tenth edition. Shining in the Florida sun, as if in defiance of the cold weather up North, was a nice collection of rare Ferraris including a seldom seen 410 Sport, a singular 365 P2, a one off 121 LM, a 250 MM, a 375 MM, and a 512 M. Bernard Carl's 268 SP, s/n 0798, was brought especially from England to be there in conjunction with its biography article appearing in the new issue of Cavallino - a most appreciated gesture since for many the discovery of the car and its bio simultaneously was a very unusual treat.

One of the most prominent cars was the important 330 P4, s/n 0856, of new owner Lawrence Stroll, this the ex-Scuderia Ferrari/Ecurie Francorchamps/Clarke/Obrist/Ecclestone/C. Holdings car, and it was driven on track to everyone's delight. Not quite common but when you have several each of 250 GTOs, 250 GT LWB TDFs, 250 GT SWB Comps, Daytona Comps, BBLMs, 2-cams, and 4-cams, do we grow blasé? Definitely not. Moving up the years, there were many F40s and variants, and whole waves of Challenge cars - 348, 355, and 360.

The fastest cars on track, however, during the normal sessions were no doubt the still glamorous and contemporary F333 SPs, of which no less than four (more than 10% of the production) were present - Benny Caiola's s/n 028, Ted Conrad's s/n 012 (or s/n 026; he has two), Steve Cox' s/n 033 and Jim McCormick's s/n 010.

Celebrity car at the track, however, was indisputably the 1997 F310B Grand Prix Ferrari, s/n 175, the Monaco and Spa winner of that year. The ex-Schumacher machine was demonstrated both Thursday and Friday during the lunch hour when the track was clear. Factory team personnel were flown in from Italy for the occasion, to get this complex car started and keep it running, and it was driven by former Cart driver Dominic Dobson. The noise of the V-10 brought everyone to the pit wall for their first look at modern F1 technology, and the speed at which these cars can shift is awe inspiring.

This Grand Prix marvel was brought at the behest of Bonhams & Brooks, who were selling it under private treaty as part of their auction, this auction being the third new addition to the Classic. Brooks had a special tent at the track to display some of the more choice cars being offered, and two more of their cars were given demonstration runs, the rear engined ex-Cunningham Maserati Tipo 63, s/n 63.002, and the Ferrari 312 PB, s/n 0890.

Another large awning in the paddock sheltered a number of invited vendors, who provided Ferrari books, clothing, models, memorabilia and parts to the assembled enthusiasts. The paddock, as you can imagine, was packed; there is no other way to describe it. If you turned around too quickly, you ran the chance of tripping over another important Ferrari or walking into one of the thirty tractor trailers set up in tight camps to take care of their cars and owners. And not just old and rare Ferraris, or the recent competition cars, but everything in between, up to and including the 360 Modena. There was even (and much to the consternation of FNA) a 360 Spider spied on site, not entered in any event but brought in from Europe by its proud new owner.

If all these cars and trucks weren't enough, there were no less than four helicopters landing and departing all day long at the back of the paddock on both the Thursday and Friday, making the track days an even more intense mechanical experience.

But this day was far from over. Back at The Breakers that afternoon, three lectures were given by eminent experts in their fields. Ed Gilbertson began the sessions with an intricate presentation of the big picture and the small minutiae of preparing a car for the Concorso. Respected artist Bill Neale gave a dissertation on the merits of automotive art in its various mediums, while Robert Brooks, dynamic founder of the auction house of his own name (and now merged with Bonhams), provided an insider's view of the automotive auction world and advice on how best to purchase a car at auction.

That evening was the traditional welcoming Cocktail Party at The Breakers, and it was preceded and followed by two other parties, the first one for the Ferrari Club of America aboard a yacht in the harbor. It has always been a wish of the Classic that the event would spawn other social gatherings where enthusiasts can meet and share experiences, and this is now coming to pass.

And the Classic was not even half over.