1st Annual Los Angeles Vintage Grand Prix and Ferrari Concours d'Elegance

By: Wally Clark

Your Club was proud to have been asked by Dr. Bill Burke of Los Angeles Marathon fame and his LA Events office to sponsor the first racing and concours event on the streets of Los Angeles. Through his association with the politicos of the City, Vintage Auto Racing Association (Cris Vandergrif) and the Southwest Region of the FCA were able to hold our separate events in the area of Olvera Street and the newly completed area of the MTA complex east of the Union Station. For those of you unable to attend the one-day concours and three days of racing let me say that you really missed history in the making. To see ninety-five early vintage to contemporary Ferraris on the architecturally magnificent new oval with sculpted glass, stone and ironwork portrayed the essence of the streets of Italy.

What could be more fitting for Ferraris 50th Anniversary. Live music and Girard-Perregaux timepieces awarded to the eight class winners by non other than Carroll Shelby. He was in great form and when our own master of ceremonies, Don Meder, introduced him he went on to tell the crowd that there was never any really bad blood between him and Enzo, that it was really an old rumor. What a wonderfully warm personality.

Steve Tillack presided over the judging made up of club members and city/media celebrities. I would say that all went well as planned thanks to the many wonderful early morning members and eager participants. You could not have asked for a more interested, excited and polite crowd that came to see the Ferraris. A real tribute to the City Center and Angelenos.

If no one minds their buses rerouted, the trains rescheduled, Olvera Street surrounded by barricades and traffic stopped then we'll do it again next year. Thanks to one and all for a great day of friendship and participation. It was a genuine success. The results of the judging are listed on page 15.

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