The Charlotte Area Ferrari Enthusiasts’ second annual “Motori Italiani – A Celebration of Italian Motoring” was held Saturday, March 29th in Charlotte, NC.
Although the weather was unseasonably cold and rain loomed, numerous Ferrari, Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Iso owners braved the conditions to show off their Italian hardware. There were also several Ducati, a race MV Agusta F4, plus displays from Foreign Cars Italia, Sport Auto/Lamborghini of the Carolinas, Privatus and Vespa of Charlotte. And, of course, the external parking lots were filled by enthusiasts that drove their non-Italian rides to the show, including a Lotus Esprit V8, several Elise, Vipers and a NSX.
CAFE was formed by Ferrari owner Kevin Fielden four years ago in an effort to bring together Charlotte-area Ferrari enthusiasts. “At the time, I had owned my personal Ferrari just under a year. While I certainly enjoyed every moment behind the wheel, I thought it would be much more fun with others who shared the same passion,” stated Fielden.
CAFE has approximately 75 members; while most are owners, the only membership requirement is being a fan of the marque. Fielden added, “Our normal schedule is to gather about every two to three weeks for a Saturday lunch at a given restaurant. We also take part in shows, rallies, tours, and so forth.”
Sports Car Digest enjoyed the show very much. Our favorites included the Lamborghini Miura S and Murcielago LP640, the Ferrari 365 2+2 and F50, plus the Iso Grifo. We really enjoyed seeing the Alfisti contingent as well.
SCD would love to have seen more obscure Italian marques at the event, but perhaps the pending rain kept them tucked away in their garages. However, with or without the lesser known Italian cars, the second annual “Motori Italiani – A Celebration of Italian Motoring” was a very successful event.
Awards were presented to the following class winners:
Ferrari Classic 8-Cylinder: 1984 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole
Ferrari Modern 8-Cylinder: 2004 360 Spider
Ferrari 12-Cylinder: 1969 365 2+2
Lamborghini: 1970 Miura S
Alfa Romeo: 1987 Spider Quadrifoglio
Specialty Italian: 1969 Iso Grifo
Motorcycle: 2006 Ducati S2R 1000 Monster
Best in Show (tie): 1970 Lamborghini Miura S and 1969 Iso Grifo
Motori Italiani Photos:
