Concorso Italiano

I’ve been an attendee of CI since 2000. From Quail Lodge to Black Horse to Airport. Personally CI is going downhill. The «wow» factor from when I first went doesn’t hold up to how it is in 2008. From the lush rolling green lawns to the now hard flat tarmac. I’ll dedicate this review Tarmac Italiano 2008.
I bought my corral tix in Jan/​Feb 2008 for the early bird price of $ 100, this gets a car + driver + passenger; a bargin considering individual tix would be more than the $ 50 split plus your car isn’t readily nearby. At that time the venue wasn’t selected, I wasn’t even aware they wouldn’t be at Bayonet for 2008 until I read on a forum of folks complaining about being an airport venue.
FF to Aug 15, 2008.
Personally, I’d like to have lush green lawn vs tarmac. I prefer shady trees vs no shade at all. I prefer photo ops with a great background vs rows of cars in a flat layout or kicking up pebbles as I walked.
The grandstand was at one end of the field, along with the food. From the sole food vender, what??? Where’s the variety. During the lunch break, I can see the line long, wrapping. Good thing I brought my lunch!
Ferrari’s were displayed at the far end of the tarmac. Why? The vintage BMW, Z1, and modern BMW corral was closer to the grandstand than Ferrari!
PA speakers were only within view of the grandstand, venture far and you have no clue whats going on at the stage; unlike past events. Couldn’t they have strung wire across the tarmac? Or would the tugging of planes damage them?
This year they added planes, duh; it’s an airport. But get some good looking planes The planes and cars weren’t laid out well for good photo ops. Of the few planes there, they were cramped by vehicles. Maybe they should have a high-​rise platform setup for spectators to get a good vantage point for photos. They tugged a plane near the grandstand around 11a, nice sight to see, but then they started to wrap Caution tape around it, thanks for ruining the shot! As luck would have it, the winds blew the Caution tape around, so it go everywhere, they had to take it down. Then someone had the bright idea to get some stands and then wrap the Caution tape to that, well, the high winds kaboshed that bright idea. They left the plane unroped, as it should have been.
They should setup tents with tables so that people can take cover under some shade… and not make it VIP either; it’s all about taking care of your audience, not those who can shell out more money. I later found out that was the plan, but their cheap umbrella got wind blown and taken away. Can you tell how well Tarmac Italiano is going thus far?
Your mainstage is falling apart… you have visible plywood to make it a lower angle for low-​riding exotics and your checkered mat isn’t secured well.
The event usually ends around 5p, I saw many cars leave around 1pm. I ditched at 2:30p when it got too cold/​windier, when I usually stay until 4pm.
My review touches upon a fraction of the goods/​bads of 2008 CI. CI has a lot to improve on, it seems to be a pattern when they moved from Quail to Black Horse… things did improve, but if CI were to see 2010, they better go back to greenery…
A lot of major vendors to CI didn’t show up this year, I don’t blame them. Of the vendors that showed up, one was those cheap two for $ 30 sunglass vendors. If CI is suppose to attract high-​class cars and people, why are you allowing flea market vendors in? I guess this goes along with the downward trend of how CI is managed.
My 2009 CI day might be spent at The Quail, hope to get tix.

too many rhinestones
sea of italian sports cars
tarmac wind tunnel

Update:
Here you go, it’s almost like being there —
Gotta say the concrete lot vs the rolling greens really detracts from the event; the prior settings created a rich palette to compliment the cars on display and made for a truly pleasant experience, the flat gray parking lot stacked with cars does not compare well at all.
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It is almost that time again, car weekend in and around Carmel. Much as I love it I have to say the price gouging in the vicinity for lodging, food and events has simply become ridiculous (Holiday Inn for 500 a night, I don’t think so.).
The Concorso is no exception, spectator tickets are now within striking distance of 100 smackaroos, corral and other tickets (with better parking) go up from there. {Here is where I become a codger and carp on how it used to be 15 bux, then 40.}. So much as I love seeing the cars I don’t need to visit this event to eye many of the same or similar ones year to year, but I do say it is worth it if you have never attended and experienced fields of Ferraris, legions of Lambos, and think that immersing yourself in an excess of Italian machinery is a good time.
One star off for the pricing, the bad ‘Gold Class’ tkt food I’ve paid through the nose for, the poor management of access for the cars/​traffic in the past, and now the location at the Marina airport (! — gone are the days of sculptural shining metal against field of of green grass I suppose :().