Concours Report

A Perfect Tribute

Concours Report The Maestro, SERGIO SCAGLIETTI, took the Pebble Beach croud by storm. WINSTON GOODFELLOW was there.

It was long overdue. Despite being one of the most important names in Ferrari's 50-year history, Sergio Scaglietti had never been honored at any type of automotive event.
That changed on Sunday, August 16, thanks to the collector-car world's most prestigious venue, the Pebble Beach Concours; d'Elegance. "We were delighted when Mr. Scaglietti first expressed a willingness to attend," says Sandra Kasky, the concours' executive director. "He fit the bill as to whom we like to honor-an unsung hero who greatly contributed to the history of one of the automotive world's most famous marques. That he had never been to America, and that he and his creations had never been featured anywhere, made the concept of honoring him all the more compelling."
With the decision made, the concours' in-depth analysis of Scaglietti designs was passed on to Ed Gilbertson, the Ferrari class chief judge. Working with other concours personnel, "we felt it best to have the cars be representative of his overall body of work," Gilbertson says. "That included the models he designed and built, as well as those he built that were created by other designers. This was the reason for choosing some Pininfarina-designed Ferraris, as well as one of the Scaglietti Corvettes."
Concours Report From a long list of models, Gilbertson concentrated on those cars whose owners he was familiar with. "This made it a Ferrari community effort," the exhibit's point man reflects. "For example, there were a couple of Ferraris we were interested in that, unbeknownst to me, had changed hands. The previous owners were more than happy to contact the new owners, encouraging them to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime experience."
On the other side of the Atlantic, Scaglietti met a number of times with the concours' European representative. "It is going to be a whirlwind of activity," the coachbuilder was warned. "When you are at Pebble Beach for the weekend, and particularly during the day of the concours, be prepared to be treated like a rock star, or more appropriately, like F1's Michael Schumacher!"
At age 78, Scaglietti remains a humble man. Astonished that an organization would provide himself and grandson Stefano with round-trip airplane tickets, accommodations in the Lodge at Pebble Beach, and a headline appearance at a world-renown event, Scaglietti simply nodded, smiling in appreciation. For the first time, he would see both California and America-those magical places on the other side of the Atlantic.
On Tuesday, August 11, Scaglietti's Virgin Atlantic flight touched down at San Francisco International Airport. Despite the nine-hour time difference, the Maestro was alert, ready to experience all the sights and sounds of California. He often marvelled at the grand scale, frequently muttering "immenso immenso "during the trip to Pebble Beach.
The first stop was Carmel. "Did you see the GTO?" his host inquired during a drive through the town. "Where?" Scaglietti asked. "There!" his smiling host said, pointing to the Pontiac parked on the corner. "That is the GTO you didn't build!"
Two days later, Sergio and Stefano Scaglietti were introduced to another American automotive icon on the inaugural Pebble Beach Tour, a 50-mile drive throughout the Monterey peninsula for cars exhibited at the concours. With no seats available in a Scaglietti car, the concours' executive director decided to let the Italians try something completely different: a 1937 V16 Cadillac Fleetwood Convertible.
Concours Report The Maestro could not have been more pleased. "Being in such a big, regal car, waving at so many spectators," Scaglietti joked after the tour, "I felt like the Pope!"
Though Sergio and Stefano Scaglietti were often the center of attention at the weekend's other events-FORZA's "Meet I the Maestro" dinner (covered on pages 79 and 80), Concours Italiano, the annual North/ South Barbeque, the Monterey Historics-the day that truly belonged to Sergio Scaglietti was Sunday, August 16.
The whirlwind started early, with Scaglietti being escorted down to Pebble Beach's 18th fairway shortly after seven in the morning. The old craftsman was all smiles as, one-by-one, his beautiful creations took up their positions on the immaculately manicured grass.
While strolling among the sensuous shapes, Scaglietti got his first taste of the Schumacher treatment: Road & Track's John Lamm set up for a portrait and, within moments, another 1520 photographers were joining in, forming a large semi-circle. Shutters clicked and flash bulbs popped, recording the moment. After the taxing ordeal, a "flashshocked" Scaglietti was rescued by a gentle tug on his elbow-it was time to head to the judges' Breakfast at The Lodge.
Ed Gilbertson had done a marvelous job of bringing together a group of cars that truly represented the breadth of the coachbuilder's work. From oldest to newest, the "Scaglietti Coachwork" class included: 0 1954 375 MM Spyder (s/n 0366AM), owned by Scott Rosen, Bedford Hills, New York.


With six cars entered for judging in the regular Ferrari class, only three of the 11 "Scaglietti Coachwork" class entrants would compete for class awards: the 375 MM s/n 0402AM, the Spyder California s/n 1431, and the 250 SWB s/n 1539. "We allocate 20 minutes for the judging of each car," Gilbertson says. "As we have three hours to complete our task, we can only examine a maximum of nine cars each year. Fortunately, a number of owners in the Scaglietti class were kind enough to display their cars 'For Exhibit Only."'
Concours Report As in the past, the Ferrari judging group consisted of three teams of two judges, each specializing in the interior, the exterior, and the engine/chassis. "Going into the weekend, 11 Gilbertson remarks, "we knew we had a difficult task. The cars in the Scaglietti class were all National Award winners at the Ferrari Club of America's annual meet in Toronto in June. All entrants were very experienced exhibitors and restorers, so each made sure they found out what the flaws or errors were so they could be corrected by Pebble Beach." Prior to the Scaglietti class awards presentation, the Maestro was introduced to the crowd. joining him on the concours' famed awards ramp were Testa Rossa s/n 0666 and 250 GTO s/n 3943.
Standing between these two milestones, Scaglietti was then interviewed, with his good friend Brenda Vernor (see FORZA Issue 1) acting as translator. The old master came across exactly as the person he is: a simple, genuine craftsman, who happened to make good, compliments of his innate talent and his close friendship with Enzo Ferrari.
The crowd was immediately won over by the man's humble demeanor, and completely intrigued by the realization that such an unassuming person was capable of producing shapes so arrestingly beautiful. At the conclusion of the interview, Vernor and Scaglietti remained on stage, and the applause rose to an approving thunder.
What happened next could not have been better scripted by Hollywood's most talented screenwriter. Vernor remained at Scaglietti's side for exactly the right amount of time, then quietly walked off the ramp. With the Maestro now alone to face a captivated public, their connection to the man was immediate and overwhelmingly genuine-here was their one chance to let him know how much they admired his work, to give the creator an idea of how they felt about him, and what he had given to them through his accomplishments.
In one great wave, the audience spontaneously rose to its feet, the applause tripling in volume. Scaglietti was caught completely off guard. Stunned, he arched his back away from the crowd, his arms spread in utter surprise.
Then, for one brief moment, the Maestro was swept away by the sincerity of their affection. Raising his clasped, weathered hands above his head, he then shook them vigorously in an imaginary victory celebration. At that instant, he was connected to every one in the audience, each sharing in the unbridled joy the other felt.
The deafening sound of clapping hands became even louder, quickly bringing the exuberant Scaglietti back to his humble senses. Arms now down at his sides, where he felt they belonged-and unsure of what to do next-he quickly scurried off the stage.
The audience was now more charmed than ever, their point made. A truly magical moment had just occurred, the highlight of the Monterey weekend concluding as quickly and spontaneously as it had begun.
The Scaglietti class judging was extremely competitive. An illustration of how the quality of Ferrari restoration continues to improve is found in the fact that, for only the third time in the history of Pebble Beach, a Ferrari was given 100 points. Achieving this degree of winning perfection was s/n 0402AM, the magnificent one-off 375 MM coupe built at the request of Italian movie director Roberto Rossellini. Second place went to California Spyder s/n 1431, with SWB s/n 1539 coming in third; these latter two were separated by just fractions of a point.
Some 48 hours later, Sergio Scaglietti was back home in Modena, the magic of the experience travelling with him. For that brief period at one of the automotive world's most significant events, the craftsman was touched, then swept away by the passion and enthusiasm that is so perfectly embodied in the cars he created.
We enthusiasts finally got our chance to thank Modena's Maestro for the design legacy he left us. Grazie, Scaglietti. Grazie, Pebble Beach.

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