Luigi Chinetti’s iconic North American Racing Team—represented by Luigi Chinetti Jr.—and several of its legendary drivers, including Sam Posey and Denise McCluggage, will be honored at the Saratoga Wine & Food and Fall Ferrari Festival, presented by the Saratoga Automobile Museum and Saratoga Performing Arts Center in the scenic Saratoga Springs-Lake George, New York area, September 10–12.
Wines from more than 250 vintners—including the Pininfarina and Andretti wineries—will be featured, as well as Ferraris from around the world. Among the famous Prancing Horses on display will be the N.A.R.T. 512M driven to 3rd place at Le Mans in 1971 by Posey and Tony Adamowicz, and the first 275 GTB/4 N.A.R.T. Spyder, driven by McCluggage and Pinkie Rollo at Sebring in 1967.
N.A.R.T. was established in 1958 as Ferrari’s official entrant for North American races by Luigi Chinetti, winner of the 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans with a Ferrari 166MM. The team posted Ferrari’s most recent overall victory at Le Mans in 1965 with a 250LM driven by Jochen Rindt and Masten Gregory. The impressive list of N.A.R.T. drivers includes World Champions John Surtees, Phil Hill, and Mario Andretti, as well as Dan Gurney and Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez.
The festival begins Thursday, September 10, with wine-pairing dinners at area restaurants, followed on Friday by an Adirondack Tour for Ferrari owners with lunch at the historic Lake George Club. That evening, the Festa Italiana gala welcomes participants for dinner and wine tasting in the neoclassical Hall of Springs on the historic Roosevelt-era Saratoga Spa campus.
Everything culminates Saturday, September 12, with an all-day Grand Tasting, silent and live auctions, gourmet food and wine seminars, a raffle for a week for four in Umbria, Italy, and the first annual Ferrari Concours on the grounds of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center at the Spa. Dick Fritz, former N.A.R.T. team manager, general manager of Luigi Chinetti Motors, and co-chairman of the festival, will serve as moderator for Saturday’s panel discussion.
The festival benefits classical programming at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center and the Saratoga Automobile Museum. For further information please visit www.saratogaautomusem.com
