VeloceToday will present this year’s Cavallino Classic from several different points of view. Werner Pfister attended the events at both Moroso and the Breakers, and we’ll have his report next week.
Long time VeloceToday correspondent Alessandro Gerelli from Milan also attended the events, a first for him. This week, we’ll talk to him about his impressions and take a look at what he saw through the viewfinder.
Alessandro Gerelli has literally seen it all, having covered every major European vintage and historic event over a period of more than twenty years. But despite having traveled to the US and Florida on several occasions, he never was able to time the trips to coincide with the premier Ferrari event in the US. "This year I finally was able to plan a ten day holiday in Florida just in the same period of the Cavallino event."
Gerelli has been a car enthusiast and Ferrari fan since he was a boy, and became a collector of books and magazines. But he found few good Ferrari magazines, and surprisingly, many of the magazines dealing with Ferrari published in Italy have always had a very "painful and short life," says Gerelli. But Cavallino magazine seems to have survived and flourished. "Since 1978 I have collected all the issues of Cavallino, including those that for different reasons have never been sold in Italy."
After arriving in Florida, Gerelli drove up the old A1A, Florida’s Riviera. "The Italian and French Riviera are different: there are only few huge buildings, nice old hotels, old villas, smaller beaches with a lot less sand." And despite the criticism aimed at America’s love of SUVs, Gerelli noted that "Even in Italy there are many and there are discussions now about the pollution that these cars are producing: maybe there will be restrictions in their use."
Gerelli spent Thursday and Friday in Moroso. "Looking around, I found the number of cars was not comparable with the amount I usually see in Europe for the Historic Ferrari Challenge in Monza, Nurburgring or Spa." He also noted that there were very few Maseratis and Ferrari formula cars at the event—most being home based in Europe. But the presence of three GTOs was most interesting for Gerelli, as well as the 512M and BB LMs.
Gerelli was glad to see the many production berlinettas in the paddock (F40, F50 and Enzo), "whose owners have enjoyed some fast laps in the circuit together with some 360 Challenge cars."
This 166 Inter Vignale bodied Ferrari is raced all over the world. It is serial number 0071 S and built in 1950.
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Don't touch that car! 0790 is a honest, original Ferrari race car.
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0790 is a 196SP Dino, campaigned in 1963 by Edoardo Lualdi-Gabardi.
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Engine compartment of 0790 is refreshing filthy!
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Cockpit shows a evidence of an active racing life, primarily in Italian hillclimbs.
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The Dino on the track.
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Ferrari GTO was among three at Moroso; this one belongs to Tom Price.
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512M owned by John Goodman.
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Ed Davies' later 512M.
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The awesome 512 engine.
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Goodman and the GTO of Charles Arnott get on it down the straight.
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Ferrari 250GT TR owned by Jon Shirley.
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Todd Morici's BBLM.
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Carlos Monteverde's 250 TR chassis 0738 TR, lead his team of three yellow Ferraris.
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Just a nice Ferrari SuperAmerica.
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