By Mike Wilson

The 16th annual Italian Concours (sponsored by Cats Exotics) was a resounding success this year! I was a bit concerned as my wife and I drove down to the site at 6am for final preparations to see a slight drizzle in the air! However, by the time the gates opened at 11am to the public, you couldn’t ask for a better day! Blue sky, puffy clouds and slight breeze off the water to keep everyone cool!

There were over 140 Cars, Motorcycles and Scooters in attendance this year. Another record for the Italian Concours! Some of the totals: Ferrari – 28, FIAT – 24, Lamborghini – 18, Alfa Romeo – 11, Maserati – 9 and the list goes on. With 28 Motorcycles also in attendance, we had everything from Kerry McMullen’s 1955 Maserati T160 single cylinder, to the new 2008 MV Agusta F4-R 312. The field was rounded out with numerous entries from Lancia, DeTomaso, Laforza, Benelli, Ducati, Aprilia, Motobi, Moto Guzzi and the fastest Ferrari in the world! A re-bodied 288GTO just back from Bonneville, where it hit 292MPH!!

Maserati trophy winners were:
1st Place Maserati “Classic”: Al Lancaster – 1972 Ghibli
1st Place Maserati “Contemporary”: Jack Brown – 2006 MC Victory GranSport
2nd Place Maserati: Diane Murray – 1960 3500GT
3rd Place Maserati: Frank Mandarano – 1965 Quattroporte

Other notable trophy winners were:
Best of Show (Auto) – Steve Trafton 1967 Ferrari 330GTC
Best of Show (Motorcycle) - Dennis Merwood – 1961 Motobi Imperiale Sprint
Griots Garage Preservation Cup - Richard Judy - 1959 FIAT 1100 Millecento
Lamborghini Bellevue Cup - Mark Richardson – 1983 FIAT Turbo Spider
People’s Choice Award – Tom Nault, 2008 Lamborghini LP-640 Roadster

This year we also raised nearly $3500.00 for the “Make-A-Wish Foundation”! An anonymous donor provided a brand new 2008 Genuine “Buddy 50cc” Scooter for the raffle, which really generated a lot of ticket sales! Many thanks go to him and Ducati of Seattle for working such a good deal between me and the donor!

We look forward to seeing everyone next year (Sept. 6th 2009), for the 17th annual Italian Concours (once again, Sponsored by Cats Exotics) where we will feature all Italian Competition cars. Hope to see you all there!