Cisitalia 80th Anniversary Display

Organized by Ed Godshalk, Frank Spinosa, and Pete Vasquez, a once-in-a-lifetime showcase of four factory team cars was assembled, including a 1947 Nuvolari Spyder, two original 1946 D46 Monopostos, and a stunning 1947 202 MM Aerodynamica Coupe which took both Best of Show and 1st Place Special Coachworks honors. Rounding out the display was a rare 1960 Cisitalia OSCA 1500.

Photos courtesy of Frank Spinosa

Italian Legacy Display

Curated by Pete Vasquez, this 26-car display spanned 100 years of Italian automotive mastery. The amazing selection included a 1925 Lancia Lambda, multiple Maserati prototypes, a Pegaso Z103 Panoramica Coupe, Ferrari’s 1961 196SP Le Mans car, an Alfa Romeo Panamericana Rally car, a Fiat “Otto Vu”- powered Siata (one-of-three with Pininfarina coachwork), and more. The Legacy Display stood as a major showpiece alongside the Cisitalia collection.

Vijay Sankar Anil Images

The Italian Marques

What would Concorso Italiano be without the Italian marques? This year, there was a powerful presence that included Alfa Romeo, Bizzarrini, De Tomaso, Ferrari, FIAT, Iso, Lamborghini, Lancia, and Maserati on the show field. Coupled with the Siatas and Cisitalias from specialty displays, decades of Italian style and coachbuilding was represented throughout the event.

There were many race-prepped Ferraris on the green as well, including the FIA 550 GTS race car, 308 GT2 championship winning car, a 1,100-horsepower turbo V12-powered drift car, an FIA 550 Maranello GTS, and a 196SP Le Mans race car brought by Italian Design and Racing.

Sponsor Vossen Wheels contributed to the Italian flair with two Lamborghini Revueltos with their wheels.

The Club Component

Lamborghini Diablo 35th Anniversary

The Lamborghini Diablo display drew great attention, highlighted by influencer Ed Bolian’s Victoria’s Secret Diablo. Valentino Balboni mingled with the owners, then presented his award for favorite Lamborghini on stage to Ethan Stark for his stunning black 1997 Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster.

Italian Motorbikes

Charming guests and broadening the range of Italian craftsmanship on display were nine beautiful two-wheeled machines, including Ducati, Moto Guzzi, Vespa, Aprilia, and Aermacci, with Bob Weindorf’s 1962 Moto Guzzi Galletto 192 taking 1st Place.

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Elevated Guest Experiences

The Chairman’s Club inside the Bayonet Black Horse Club House was filled with energy as people enjoyed an amazing offering of food and beverages, and industry icons representing the heritage of Maserati, Ferrari, Pininfarina, Cisitalia, and more mingled with guests. The VIP tent ensured guests enjoyed an elevated experience, complete with tastings from Adobe Road Winery. Marque hospitality tents, hosted by Monterey Motor Club, provided car and bike owners a place to network with fellow owners and collectors. Throughout the day, event attendees enjoyed shopping in the Concorso Piazza for event merchandise and artisanal goods, and live Italian music performed by the Monterey International Trio.

Photos courtesy of Nic Coury

The Global Exotics Display

Flanked by the cars of Sponsors Saleen and Superformance, the Global Exotics show field for non-Italian entries was amazing this year. British entries included Aston Martins celebrating 75 years in the Americas, Triumph, Jaguar, Bentley, Land Rover, Lotus, McLaren, Morgan, Mini Cooper, and Sunbeam Tiger. German entries included Mercedes-Benz, Trabant, BMW, Audi, and an impressive 19 Porsches. Japanese entries included Toyota and Mitsubishi. French Citroens were on display, and eight Danish Spykers could be found in celebration of the marque’s 25th anniversary.

American examples included Apollo, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and Ford. Jim Marietta from the famed Old Venice Crew displayed a 1965 OVC GT350 Ford Mustang (Grand Touring). American automotive designer and fine artist Camilo Pardo, best known as chief designer for the iconic 2005-2006 Ford GT, displayed his 2018 Ford GT40 racecar as well as amazing examples of his artwork.

Kyle Wong Images

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Eye-Catching One-Offs and Bespoke Creations

Totem Automobili displayed their latest creation, the GT Super “Jarama.” Drawing inspiration from and using identifying components of the 1960s Alfa Romeo Giulia GT, the vehicles are largely handcrafted in Marcon, a municipality in Venice, Italy, using a modern carbon fiber chassis.

Several builders joined us for the entire weekend, that also included our inaugural event on Friday, The Paddock Monterey. Present at Concorso Italiano, Chris Rünge was on hand with both his Helios and RS010 creations, and creatively displayed a full-sized metal buck, and working English Wheel, with which he could be found giving metal-shaping demonstrations to spectators, and them actually trying their hand at shaping sheet metal. Rob Ida’s stunning Jaguar interpretation, The Black Cat, was positioned at the gateway to the show fields and had a constant gathering of enthusiasts and media clamoring to capture photos and video of its powerful presence. Craig Kennedy’s reimagined Alfa Romeo TZ with metal over exposed wooden buck drew numerous fascinated onlookers who were given a glimpse of old school auto fabrication.

Also on display was the Kindig 1953 CF1, a custom-built modern interpretation of the classic 1953 Chevrolet Corvette, created by Dave Kindig of Kindig-it Design. Alan Larson displayed Projekt911, a re-imagined Porsche 911 blending classic design with modern performance.

Kevin Kay Restorations wowed attendees with a beautiful Aston Martin DB5 "Bond" tribute car, fully-equipped with cinematic gadgets.

Coel Mayer Images

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Technology

Silicon Valley based sponsor Drako Motors offered a look at several examples of fully electric cars. The showstopper was Drako’s 2026 Dragon, which greatly appealed to enthusiasts and owners of Italian exotics and vehicles that achieve high speed. With gullwing doors and futuristic lighting, it is not only recognized as the quickest accelerating and fastest hyper-luxury SUV in the world, but also the first carbon fiber SUV. Drako displayed two 2025 GTEs as well. FIAT loaned the event two all-electric 2024 Topolino estate cars.

Hybrid vehicles had fair representation on the show field this year. 2023 Ferraris included two SF90s, a 296 GTB, and a 296 GTS. 2025 examples included a 296 GTS, a SF90, and an SF90 Spider. There was also a 2025 Porsche 911 GTS Carrera Cabriolet.

William Makepeace Image

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Special Awards

As mentioned earlier, Best of Show Honors went to the 1947 Cisitalia 202 MM Aerodynamica, displayed by the Lawrence Auriana Collection, and the Valentino Balboni award went to Ethan Stark’s 1997 Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster. Philip Yanni was this year’s recipient of the Doug Magnon Award. Past Concorso Italiano Chairman Tom McDowell deservedly received the La Bella Macchina Award, and the Meguiar’s® Best Finish award was presented to Carl and Cindy Baker for their lovely 1956 Pegaso Z103 Panoramica Coupé.

This year, the Chairman’s Award was selected by Tom McDowell, another past Chairman Jack Wadsworth, and current Chair(wo)man Tanya Kosta. The award was bestowed upon Phil White’s incredible 1959 Maserati 3500 Vignale Prototype.

Style at Concorso Italiano

From its inception, Concorso Italiano has celebrated more than automobiles—it has always been about style, design, and creativity, honoring the master coachbuilders and creators who elevated cars into rolling works of art. That same spirit extended to the fashion elements on this year’s show field, where couture, craftsmanship, and creativity stood side by side with legendary Italian marques.

Sponsor Franco Uomo hosted the Franco Uomo Style Lounge, a specially designed space where COO Yosef Shuja and his team of professional models showcased a curated selection of custom menswear, vests, and accessories. Throughout the day, the models navigated the show field, their presence elevating an already stunning visual atmosphere defined by extraordinary automobiles. The result was a seamless blend of stylish couture and design, intertwining the artistry of fashion with the elegance of exotic supercars, timeless classics, and imaginative one-off prototypes.

Adding to this dynamic celebration of style, Concorso Italiano’s premiere partnership with Macy’s brought fashion directly to the outdoor stage. Orchestrated with Mary Hamilton’s keen vision, the show unfolded against a breathtaking backdrop of Italian automobiles, the rolling greens of Bayonet Black Horse, and the Monterey Bay. From bold new trends to timeless classics, the presentation was powered by an extraordinary cast of models whose stories were as compelling as their style—from nonprofit leaders and student athletes to a zoo owner, a woman firefighter, a celebrated restaurateur, the reigning Miss International World Classic, and the beautiful Miss Central Coast.

Image courtesy of Mary Hamilton

Vendors

We thank the wonderful vendors who supported our event, giving attendees a place to shop for original artwork, handmade jewelry, and more. New this year, was the highly successful Mr. Car Week tent. Held in conjunction with the Automobilia Collector’s Expo (held earlier during Monterey Car Week), multiple automobilia vendors from the Expo offered their wares at our event as well. We are also grateful to the wonderful food vendors, including a dozen food trucks, which provided our general admission guests with amazing culinary options.

William Makepeace Images

Sponsors

Concorso Italiano is beyond grateful for our 2025 sponsors: Saleen, Superformance, Drako Motors, Vossen Wheels, Meguiar’s, Monterey Motor Club, Glastonbury Inc., Franco Uomo, Shea Homes, Adobe Wines, FIAT, and media partners Ferrari Market Letter, Highline Autos, VeloceToday, MyCarQuest, Mr. Car Week, and KMBY Radio.

We are also grateful to those who opted to donate to one of our local charities, Global Empowerment Mission, The Food Bank for Monterey County, ALL IN Monterey County, and Sweet Grace, Inc., while purchasing tickets and registering cars online.

Looking Ahead to 2026

With the overwhelming success of the 40th anniversary, Concorso Italiano is thrilled to announce that the 41st Annual event will be held on Saturday, August 15, 2026. Mark your calendars now for another unforgettable celebration of Italian motoring.

Thank you everyone for supporting our efforts to restore Concorso Italiano to its original magic and luster. It was a team effort. Without our sponsors, vendors, volunteers, the car owners, car clubs, and enthusiasts, none of this would be possible.

-Tanya, Samantha, Clarence, Steven, Pete, Dave, Toun, Nic, Jeremy and Cindy

If you would like to donate to one of our local charities, here are the links:

Global Empowerment Mission

The Food Bank for Monterey County

ALL IN Monterey County

Sweet Grace, Inc.

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