Horse Tales August 2013 - Ferrari Club of America

Transcription

Passione in New England
Horse Tales
volume 13
issue 2
august 2013
Page 1 | Horse Tales | August 2013
Rally in the White Mountains
Concorso Ferrari & Friends
Bear Notch Road
volume 13 issue 2 august 2013
Contents
The 50th Anniversary 599 in Massachusetts
Page 20
Page 38
Page 24: A Cruise Missile in the White Mountains
Page 28: Concorso Ferrari & Friends
Page 38: Bear Notch Road in a 599
Horse Tales
Page 11: Passione in New England
Page 28
Regulars
Pg. 4: Club Business
Pg. 6: From the Editor
Pg. 8: Events Calendar
Cover photo: courtesy of Dennis Liu
club
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club officers
Regional Director
Suzanne Hiniker ([email protected])
Chairman
David Friar ([email protected])
Treasurer
Secretary
Membership Chair
Chief Judge
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Director Emeritus
Director Emeritus
Horse Tales Editor
2013 rates
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officially sanctioned events
Have an idea for an event? Want to help with an
event? Contact Regional Director Suzanne Hiniker
via email: ([email protected]).
Only events approved by the RD and listed either in
HT or on the Club’s web site are officially sanctioned
FCA/NER events. Any other event purporting to be a
Andrew Baldassarre ([email protected]) Club event and not listed on our calendar is not sanctioned and as such the Club has no affiliation whatsoBob LaRosa ([email protected])
ever with and thus can not be held liable for any doCharlie Vest ([email protected])
nations made to such unsanctioned events.
Peter G. Lombardo ([email protected])
Paul Bova ([email protected])
Dennis Liu ([email protected])
visit us on the web
Sam Hallowell ([email protected])
www.fca-newengland.org
Frank Anigbo ([email protected])
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state chapter presidents
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Maine
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Rhode Island
Vermont
Paul Bova ([email protected])
Glenn Farrell ([email protected])
Gary Hiniker ([email protected])
Laurie Sanborn ([email protected])
Barry Lundgren ([email protected])
Ian Wyatt ([email protected])
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the ferrari club of america
FCA/NER is the New England Region of The Ferrari Club of America covering Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
Rhode Island and Vermont. The Ferrari Club of America, incorporated in 1962 and recognized by Ferrari S.p.A has 16 regions
throughout North America, and 32 chapters within these regions putting on events. For membership information visit FCA on the web
at www.ferrariclubofamerica.com or call 800.328.0444 | mailing address: Ferrari Club of America PO Box 720597 Atlanta, GA 30358.
from the
Editor
U
nless you’ve been asleep all year, you know that 2013
marks the 50th Anniversary of the Ferrari Club of
America, and that a very special car made its way
through the New England states and was the focal
point of our region’s celebration of FCA’s 50th. This edition of
Horse Tales takes you through all that you missed – starting on
page 12, if in fact you have spent much of the year asleep under a
tire blanket.
Oh, you would have also missed a really cool rally in the White
Mountains of New Hampshire. Turn to page 24 for Dennis Liu’s
excellent write-up and photos that will surely make you green with
envy.
This year’s installment of the New England region’s premier summer event, Concorso Ferrari & Friends, arguably rivaled that of
any past year in shear excitement, attendance, variety of cars, and
atmosphere. See the coverage of Concorso Ferrari & Friends, 2013
from page 28.
Alas, the end of the driving season is rapidly coming upon us. To
keep your fellow club members amused during the dark and depressing months of cold air and streets covered in mountains of
dirty snow, why not send us your stories for the off-season editions of Horse Tales? Here are a few story ideas: when you finally
bought the Ferrari you always wanted; a mechanical horror story
(to make the rest of us happy we are not you); driving a really great
road you want the rest of us to know about (see page 38 about
Bear Notch Road); take us through a track-day experience; a trip to
Italy or someplace as exciting; whatever you think is interesting,
really. Send your submission to [email protected].
— Frank Anigbo, Editor, Horse Tales
Correction
The ever-so-stylish Suzy Hiniker takes over from Sam Hallowell as
In the April edition of HT, we incorrectly identified John Tirrell as
Regional Director. And Gary Hiniker slots into Suzy’s former apTim Stanford in the article by Domenic DiDonato, Cavallino Rekinpointment as the Massachusetts Chapter president. A big Thank
dles Story of Great Ferrari Driver and his Mechanic.
You! to Sam for all his hard work and guidance, and congratulations to Suzy and Gary!
to the
I
Editor
n response to The Other Mister Ferrari, our feature article in the April issue of HT, we received the following kind letter from
Elizabeth Bresiger, widow of our dear friend, the late Werner Pfister.
“I read your tribute to Werner and was deeply moved. I am Werner's wife, Lee. We would have been married 26 years this August.
“It has been very difficult these past few weeks without him, but your tribute gave me solace during this time. We married in 1987. It
was then that Werner contemplated leaving a corporate life [to] pursue his passion. I hope in a small way I gave Werner the encouragement to follow his dream, a dream that we know now exploded into many friendships and associations. He impacted and inspired so
many people he met and worked with. I don't think Werner ever realized his impact on people, how he help and encouraged them. I do
know that he felt he was blessed. He often said he was so grateful for the life he had - his family, his friends, his art, his writing, and his
job which he did not think of as work but where he pursued his passion. Werner said he could never have imagined when growing up in
Germany and those
early years in the Bronx, he would have so much in his life. That was Werner - living his life well and grateful for all he had. No complaints. One of the readings in the mass said it all:
".....I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith....."
“Thank you again for your beautiful tribute.”
Elizabeth "Lee" Bresiger
from the
Regional Director
Connecticut
Maine
Massachusetts
Hello Fellow FCA Members!
I am both honored and thrilled to be chosen as new
Regional Director of the New England Region. I thoroughly
enjoyed being MA Chapter President for the last 3 years, and it is
with great pride that I turn over the position to my dashing
spouse, Gary Hiniker. We have a long tradition of car enthusiasm
here in New England, and I look forward to meeting all our club
members at upcoming club events. Two goals of mine during my
RD term will be to encourage more local Ferrari enthusiasts to
join the FCA, and also to increase the value of having an FCA
club membership. I look forward to hearing your comments and
suggestions.
A BIG thank you goes to outgoing Regional Director
Sam Hallowell for his always positive, always encouraging, and
always thoughtful leadership of the New England Region. Sam
has done a top job of orchestrating and attending events, engaging members, encouraging new memberships, sharing his vintage
Ferrari 365 GTC, and working as a steadfast liaison between the
Chapter Presidents and the national FCA. His final swan song
organizing the FCA 50th Anniversary event at The Ocean House
in Westerly, RI was a tremendous success. Congratulations to all
of the New England Chapters for fundraising a total of $20,000
for Ronald McDonald House Charities.
New Hampshire
Rhode Island
Vermont
Sam, I just want to let you know you are appreciated.
Your leadership and ability to get things done are an inspiration
to us all. Thank you. And many thanks go to your lovely wife
Elizabeth for sharing you with the club. On behalf of the New
England Region we look forward to working with you in your
new position as Director Emeritus.
Warmest regards,
—Suzy Hiniker, Regional Director
Retired regional director, Sam Hallowell and his
successor, Suzy Hiniker
calendar of
Events
for continuously updated information: www.fca-newengland.org
www.empirestateregion.com | www.fcacanadaeast.org
04/20/2013: Tour and tech discussion at American Dry Stripping
05/04/2013: 50th Anniversary Rally — New England Kick Off at Miller Motorcars
05/10/2013: 50th Anniversary Rally moves to Rhode Island — Weekend fun
05/16/2013: 50th Anniversary Rally cocktail party at Ferrari of New England
05/17/2013: Return of the New England FCA Challenge Rally
06/06/2013: Grand Prix in Montreal weekend — come join our group
06/09/2013: Grand Prix of Canada viewing at Rizzuto’s
06/15/2013: Private showing of the Klemantaski Collection
06/30/2013: The 13th Annual FCA-NER Concorso Ferrari
07/30/2013: 2013 FCA International Meet
08/24/2013: DREAM Ride and Cruise
09/29/2013: Myopia Polo — The Ferrari Cup
10/18/2013: The 12th Annual Maine Event
11/17/2013: US Grand Prix viewing party
Passione in New England
The 599 Returns to New England
By Paul Bova
O
n Saturday May 4th the Ferrari
Club "One Lap of America"
Fiftieth Anniversary celebration hit Connecticut to start its
swing through the New England States.
The Anniversary 599 arrived at Miller Motorcars (the original selling dealer) earlier in
the week and the expert crew at Miller performed a required service. They not only
serviced the car they showered it careful
attention to every detail. What emerged was
a beautifully detailed and prepared car ready
to begin its New England adventure.
Miller hosted a cocktail party and buffet at
their recently opened service facility in
Stamford. Over 60 members and guests
attended in a variety of new and vintage
Ferrari automobiles. Miller also had several
significant vehicles on display for our
browsing pleasure.
We took the occasion to honor two longtime friends and supporters of the club.
Charles "Chuck" Queener, artist, designer,
author and big supporter of our club.
Chuck's books and artwork as well as his
association with Motor Trend, Road &
Track, Cavallino and Rosso are known to
many.
Also honored was a longtime friend and
sales manager at Miller Motorcars who recently lost a three year battle with cancer.
Werner Pfister was universally loved and
admired by all who knew him. His encyclopedic knowledge of the Ferrari Brand as
well as general automotive trivia was legendary. We presented his widow with one of the Paul Bova (right) presenting a Schedoni award
to Elizabeth Bresiger, Werner Pfister’s widow
Schedoni awards with a simple inscription..."The other Mr. Ferrari"
Ferraris for an 85 mile drive to West HartSunday May 5th dawned to bright sunshine ford CT. we would have 5 different drivers
and mild temperatures. We assembled 17
share the driving pleasure in the 599. Our
Chuck Queener receives an award for his
long friendship and support of the club
route took us across Stamford and on to the
scenic Merritt Parkway for a spirited drive.
Driving slots were decided by competitive
bidding to raise money for the Charities.
The sight of a couple of dozen Ferraris
cruising up the highway received its share of
double takes and thumbs up. We especially
liked the looks of the little kids who, even if
they didn't quite understand the Ferrari mystique, knew they liked what they were seeing.
At Miller Motorcars, May 4, 2013
the Ronald McDonald House Charities
and "Hole in the wall Gang Camps"
with some more potential donations
pending.
On arriving in West Hartford we were treated to lunch at Max Burger, an outstanding
burger restaurant. The special of the day was
a delicious "Hole in the Wall Gang" burger,
a portion of the proceeds from which will
be donated to charity.
We now reluctantly pass the car off to
our brethren in Rhode Island for the
next exciting step in the "One Lap of
America" adventure
After lunch we took a short (17 mile) ride to
the New England Air Museum where we
were treated to a private guided tour. The
museum has some spectacular pieces of
aviation history, both military and civilian.
After the tour we parted company and enjoyed the drive home in our favorite cars.
We are happy to report that so far we raised
a combined total in excess of $12,000 for
Andrew Baldassarre of the Connecticut chapter
hands over the baton to the Rhode Island chapter
Little Rhody’s 50th Celebration
By Samuel Hallowell
House in Watch Hill, RI where the bulk of
our 50th Anniversary festivities would take
place. Barry and Veronica surprised us all
with a wonderful alfresco lunch in their garden and though I had thought we would
leave around 1 o’clock, good food, fun conversations, and, yes, car talk delayed our
departure for an hour or so. No matter, we
did not have to be at the Hotel until 4PM.
Our intrepid band included: John & Jayne
Tirrell - 575M (John is driving the Rally Car
ith great anticipation the 599 all weekend – none of the rest of us had
Rally Car was picked up in
signed up for seat time….or knew our recConnecticut on May 8th by
ords would prohibit it!), Bob and Marie Petflatbed and the 50th Anniver- rarca - 328GTS, Lee and Wendy Cappola sary Celebration moved to RI Chapter Presi- 360 Modena coupe, Peter & Rosemary
dent Barry Lundgren’s garage for a needed
Lombardo - 2010 California, Chris Pedorelrest and wash. At noon on a bright, sunny
la - 1984 308, Andrew Kelly – 360 CS, Barry
Friday, May 10th a small group of Ferrari
and Veronica Lundgren – Barry in a 1971
owners, spouses and their cars began gather- Daytona and Veronica in their 612 – and
ing at Barry’s house to prepare for the 50
yours truly in my 1972 365 GTC/4.
mile drive from Providence to the Ocean
W
After making it through the middle
of Providence without issue we merged onto Route 95 South and promptly hit heavy
traffic, made worse by a great number of
rubber neckers wanting to take cell phone
pictures of our caravan. At one point I was
forced to change lanes to avoid an idiot
trying to drive and shoot pictures too. Fortunately we had planned for this and within
a few miles exited 95 and joined coastal
Routes 4 and 1 where the traffic was relatively light. As we passed the turnoff to
Newport, Steve Frary and his wife joined
our band in Steve’s beautiful NART Spyder
conversion. For the balance of the run we
all moved back and forth in line, and Bob
Petrarca took over the lead role.
We arrived at the spectacular
Ocean House on time, parking our cars
around its rotunda and on the front lawn to
be greeted by Daniel Hostettler, the Presi-
Gatherings at The Ocean House and (below) at Barry
and Veronica’s home — Rhode Island
dent and Managing Director of the hotel,
Michael Fantom, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Providence and several more
Ferraris and their owners: Joshua Teverow 2013 458 Italia & FF, Paul Hansen – F430,
Bill Colom – 360 Spyder, Alfred Bartkiewicz
and Lefty Valsamis – 360 Spyder, Wayne
Zuckerman – 360, and Barry Jagolinzer and
his spectacular 1950 225 Vignale Coupe,
which had just arrived in the US. Naturally,
we started chatting again and in about an
hour Barry and I chose the 7-8 cars that
were positioned around the Rally Car in the
hotel’s garage. We tried for a car from every
decade and chosen were: the Vignale coupe,
NART Spyder, Daytona, C/4, 308 GTB,
575M, and 458. Then it was off for an hours
rest to prepare for the cocktail party and
auction.
As you can tell from the photo’s
accompanying the article this was a garage
party with flair. The hotel staff set up special
lighting for the cars, a bar, carpets, tables
and chairs all highlighted by posters and
billboards announcing Ferrari’s 50th and
RMH’s affiliation. Barry and I welcomed
everyone and invited Michael Fantom to
talk about RMH’s mission. We were delighted to tell everyone that the 50th Anniversary
Rally had generated over $100K so far in
donations for RMH and the Hole in the
Wall camps. We hoped the results of the
night’s auction would result in a significant
addition to the total. We had a number of
people attend the party that were staying at
the hotel or in the area, and I for one spent
the next couple of hours answering questions about the cars and discussing the virtues of being a Ferrari owner. I did not even
get a chance to bid on any of the items up
for auction! It was a lot of fun, made all the
better with the tremendous help of the staff
from both the Ocean House and Ronald
McDonald House, with special thanks to
Nicole Anderson, Michelle Wade, Natalie
by the Westerly Police Department (they
were very helpful all weekend) that was scenic, twisty, but with some straight pieces so
we could give all our passengers the real
Ferrari experience. I counted 28 rides in the
rain all told, though I know there was one or
two given for fun. Everyone had a blast, and
judging by the grins on the faces of several
kids we have a new crop of Ferrari owners
coming up. Imagine what it would have
been like if the weather had cooperated!
Sowa and Jill Precopio and Hillary Federico.
We could not have done this without you.
Thank you to all FCA members
Dinner and bed…..Saturday was going to be who came down for the 50th festivities, you
very busy!
made a real difference for a lot of families
and their children. I would also like to thank
Saturday dawned with a heavy
those who were able to put in time with
overcast and the threat of concours events
their cars in the pouring rain Saturday, espeworst enemy…rain. And rain it did, which
cially John Tirrell in the 599 Rally Car who
was too bad because a play area set up for
showed our colors on at least half if not
kids by RMH was washed out and the
more of the rides. And lastly, a special
hoped for participation by other car clubs
Thank You to employees of the Ocean
and vintage car owners failed to materialize.
House and Ronald McDonald House for all
The weather in Rhode Island in May is althe help and consideration you gave to this
ways suspect. Fortunately, Ferrari owners
Celebration
are a hardy bunch and most cars were still
around the next morning at 10 willing to
join the Rally Car in giving rides by choice
of car to anyone for a donation to RMH.
We had a nice 4 ½ mile route selected for us
The 50th Anniversary 599 in Massachusetts
Words by Suzy Hiniker—Regional Director, NER
O
n Saturday May 11th, under the
skilled driving hands of John
Tirrell, the 599 gave many a
passenger and voyeur a thrill at
The Ocean House in Watch Hill, RI. Many
thanks go to Mr. Tirrell for driving those
lucky passengers for five hours straight in
the cool rain. He and the car looked none
the worse for wear. After a full day of fun
in the wet, the 599 was trailered uneventfully to Massachusetts by me and handsome new Massachusetts Chapter President Gary Hiniker. After a couple of days
of sponsored drives, the 599 was handed
off to Ferrari of New England for a much
needed detailing.
On Thursday May 16th Ferrari of
New England in Norwood, Massachusetts
hosted an elegant cocktail party with the
cleaned-up 599 as center piece in their
beautiful showroom. The event was
sponsored by Ferrari of New England and
The Improper Bostonian. With a crowd of
well over 200, which included many FCA
members, Ferrari of New England customers and other guests in attendance, all enjoyed the event with delightful libations
from Bulleit Bourbon and Peroni Brewery,
and delicious hors d’oeuvres provided by
Tables of Content Catering. The party was a
great success!
A huge thank you goes to event
planner Leslie Stormes and Sales Manager
Jesse Berger for organizing the awesome
event at Ferrari of New England, our FCA
members who donated to the Boston
Above (L-R): Sam Hallowell, Suzy Hiniker, Dennis Liu and Glenn Farrell with the One Lap of America
baton
Ronald McDonald House for decals and
drives, Dellaria Salon for a product filled gift
basket, and Ferrari of New England Service
Manager Michael Shalhoub for gifting two
service certificates for the silent auction.
Also a special thanks to FCA member Ara
Gechijian for documenting the event with
his always ready camera. The 599 left
promptly at 11 AM Friday morning for
Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont under
the leadership of Dennis Liu who had a fun
filled proper rally weekend planned to continue the FCA 50th celebration in New England
(L-R): Konstantinos Andrikopoulos, Jamie Liu and Natalia Escallon
A Cruise Missile in the White Mountains
Words by Dennis Liu
O
n Thursday, May 16, Ferrari of
New England hosted a glamorous cocktail party to celebrate
the arrival of the Passione 50th
Anniversary 599 GTB in Boston. The party
was co-sponsored by a local glamour magazine, so models of the willowy kind mixed in
with models of the aluminum and carbon
fiber kind. Gary Hiniker, the newly elected
president of the Massachusetts Chapter remarked to me as he handed over the keys in
the baton ceremony, “this car is truly remarkable; it’s a damn cruise missile on the
highway!” Overnight, with this description
hanging in my mind, I pondered how well it
would acquit itself not on a 6-lane highway,
but on a curvy 2-lane mountain road.
gion accidentally knocked it down with our
Tubi exhausts precisely a decade previous
(but that’s another story). As Gary counseled, the 599 GTB was indeed a cruise missile on the highway, as various drivers who
had made generous donations to Ronald
McDonald House rotated in behind the
wheel. Our dozen-car caravan made its way
to our host hotel for the weekend: the historic Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton
Woods, New Hampshire.
Completed in 1902 by 250 Italian
craftsmen and the most luxurious hotel of
its day, the Mount Washington catered to
wealthy guests from Boston, New York and
Philadelphia. As many as fifty trains a day
stopped at Bretton Woods’ three railroad
The next morning, our fearless
stations. In 1944, the Mount Washington
group departed Ferrari of New England and hosted the Bretton Woods International
headed North for New Hampshire. Our
Monetary Conference, establishing the
route up included passing through Franco- World Bank and International Monetary
nia Notch, where Interstate 93 narrows to
Fund, and setting the gold standard in the
one lane in each direction, and where the
Gold Room, now preserved as an historic
legendary Old Man of the Mountain stood . site. The Mount Washington Hotel has
. . at least until the FCA New England Rebeen listed in the National Register of His-
toric Places and 6,400 acres of beautiful
woodlands were included in the White
Mountain National Forest. As we arrived,
the hotel staff turned out to warmly welcome us under the porte-cochere – exceptional indeed.
In the evening, the hotel hosted us
in a champagne reception, before we joined
other guests in the Mount Washington’s
Food and Wine Festival. Designed as an
indoor street food fair, we strolled among
the stations and sampled everything from
pirogues and fresh pho to carved roast sucking pig and lamb skewers. We tried to avoid
drinking too much of the copious samplings
of whiskeys and cigars, as we had a long day
of driving ahead of us….
Saturday morning dawned cool and
sunny. The drivers received the route book,
rally questionnaire and trivia quiz sheet.
After the hotel’s professional photographer
took some portraits of our cars with the
mountains and the Mount Washington as
backdrops, we hit the road. Our route for
the day included crossing several White
Group photo behind the Mount Washington Hotel (back row from L-R): Rita and Gene Spivak, Karen Anigbo, Ken Goldman, Leslie and Eric Wickfield,
Dennis Liu, Sandra Goldman, Frank Anigbo, Carol O’Loughlin and Ed Kemp, Maria Forcucci Cue and Jonathan Cue, Michelle Lyndon and
Christopher Vlachos, Michael and Jeanne Fandozzi, Eric Hamel and Sarah Villanueva, Jamie Liu, Dave and Fiona Friar
Front row (L-R): Vassilis and Elena Kontoglis with son Sebastien
Mountain notches, a diversion along the
Connecticut River in Vermont, and a couple
of semi-secret side roads known mostly to
locals. At various intervals on our route,
participants had to answer assorted ques-
tions relating either to Ferrari history or
roadside items. Samples: “Enzo Ferrari died
in 1988. In what year was he born?” “What
was Enzo Ferrari’s wife’s name?” “What
was the name of the engineer who designed
of the first original Ferrari engine?” “What
does ‘cansone del dodici’ translate into?”
The 599 GTB was acquitting itself
quite well. While not as light nor nimble as
the 430s trailing it, the 599 nevertheless was
very well balanced. The HGTE handling
package shined here, carving apex through
apex, guiding the missile. We passed
through Dixville Notch, where one crest in
the road may have gotten all four wheels
airborne among the more enthusiastic participants. The worst thing one could say
about the 599 perhaps is that the limits are
so high, it would take extraordinary amounts
of speed through the curves to challenge the
car’s limits – nothing any of us was brave
enough to attempt.
After a lunch stop for ribs at the
Moat Mountain Smokehouse in North Conway, some of the gang retreated directly to
the Mount Washington Hotel for scheduled
spa visits and tours of the historic resort.
The rest of us, having had not enough of
the passes, traversed Bear Notch Road, a
small, untraveled roller-coaster ride over
freshly paved rises and drops, followed immediately by the legendary Kancamangus
Highway (with weekly motorcycles crashes).
A more beautiful day for a road rally could not
have been envisaged!
On Saturday evening, our group
enjoyed a tasting menu at dinner, paired
with the best wines on offer from an Austrian wine importer presenting tastings. At
each stop during the day, everyone drew
cards from a deck for the poker run. Both
the driver and the passenger with the best –
and worst – five-card hands would win a
prize. During the reception and dinner,
horse trading of cards flourished, as players
bluffed one another as to what might be
winning hands. After dinner, we had a dessert reception along with our prize ceremony – victors in the trivia and rally quizzes,
along with the poker run, got to pick from a
selection of FCA and Ferrari gear. Topping
off the night was the hotel’s ice carving
competition and fireworks ceremony.
As Sunday morning broke, the
hotel’s photographer asked a few of us to do
a photo session with him and his crew. We
started by doing a few laps of the hotel’s
rotary, only to have one of our drivers get a
little too excited with his right foot, on cold
tires, thereby causing a graceful tail-forward
“OTE”, all caught on camera. The only
“incident” of the weekend! No harm, no
foul, and nobody laughed harder than the
driver himself. This was followed by some
photography runs through the Crawford
Notch. After we returned, John Peterson
and Ian Wyatt, VT Chapter President, arrived at the Mount Washington Hotel and
we did the ceremonial passing of the Passione Baton and the hand-off of the 599 GTB.
John was driving his 1983 512BBi, and the
two 12-cylinder beasts made quite the contrast, yet shared many of the same virtues.
After brunch, the gang said our
goodbyes, packed up our cars and hit the
road for the drive home. Driving home
with the top down, I gave a salute to the site
of the Old Man of the Mountain as we descended through Franconia Notch again, to
pay respect to that icon in which downfall
our club had a hand…
Ian Wyatt (Vermont) receives the baton and
keys from Dennis Liu
Again, thanks to EVERYONE
who came along and made the weekend so
wonderful. As nice as the cars were, and as
much fun to drive as they are, what really
made this trip fun and memorable were the
people
Concorso Ferrari & Friends
FCA/NER’s Premier Summer Event Returns to West Hartford Center, Bigger than Ever
Saturday...
Words and Photos by Andrew Baldassarre
I
t was a beautiful night just before the
Concorso as about 50 tifosi gathered
at the Children’s Museum of Connecticut on Saturday night around 5
pm for an evening of fun and hospitality.
The party, which was hosted by FCA-NER
for all Concorso participants, was originally
intended to honor our presenting sponsor
Michael Bozzuto. Mike was however called
away last minute to Italy from his friends at
Maranello. We honored Mike by partying on
without him. Thanks to the great work of
Helen Lovas from Bash Signature Events,
who outdid herself once again, the lower
level of the Museum was transformed into a
special place with an amazing attention to
every party detail that made the evening
wonderful for everyone. The FERRARITINI was a signature drink that many enjoyed
which helped to fuel a good time along with
a great spread by Nick Faenza from Prospect Café Catering. This was topped off
with deserts from Stanley Cohen who is
quickly become known as the “Cake Man”.
His friends from Modern Bakery in Hartford provided yet another wonder, complete
with a picture of the waiting room at CCMC
that displays the Crayola Enzo Ferrari model
that the kids love! Numerous awards to be presented
the next day at Concorso
were also on display.
Clearly the dearest was the
Werner Pfister “Mister
Ferrari” award. This award
was to go to the most original and highest mileage
Ferrari and would be pre-
sented by Werner’s long time friend and
associate Steve Daley. That evening Concorso Chairman Charlie Vest received Steve’s gift from his “Matching Gift Challenge”
to Miller Motor Employee’s. Steve raised a
whopping $7500. Proof that Werner’s spirit
lives on through Concorso and his wonderful friends! The evening went fast and included a terrific 30 minute show on the
Wildest Weather in the Universe by our
friends at the Children’s Museum in the
Gengras Planetarium. It was a fabulous
evening in so many ways. For those that
missed out, please be sure to think about
coming next year to share in the fun and
laughter.
Sunday...
Words and Photos by Frank Anigbo
S
unday June 30th was a very hot one! But that did not
in any way hamper what was perhaps the biggest
turnout of any Concorso Ferrari & Friends to-date.
Even the variety of cars and the din they brought
along felt more electric than ever, helped in no small part by
the elegant West Hartford Center venue of LaSalle Road.
The following pages tell the story of Concorso Ferrari
& Friends, 2013.
8:00 AM
Participating cars began to arrive at the display grounds on LaSalle Road, West Hartford, including the flawless
Ferrari 275 GTB and Maserati MC12, both belonging to Joe Capasso of Connecticut.
10:00 AM
Top: the 40 cars selected to make the run to Connecticut Children Medical Center to pick up and a child per car line up at the staging area.
Middle and left: Cars arrive at the children’s hospital with great fanfare
and the delight of waiting children and their parents.
Opposite page:
Interviews, admiring the cars, and a group photo followed before each
child clambered aboard their assigned car for the ride of a lifetime back to
a waiting crowd at LaSalle Road.
Group photo with drivers and riders
11:00 AM
On arriving back at LaSalle Road with their
precious cargo, each car in turn stopped at the dropoff stage followed by the emergence of the “Copilota” to cheers and clicks of many cameras.
Each child was received by Erin Brady, Miss
Connecticut and newly-crowned Miss USA. Also
receiving each child was a representative of Italy
who presented each child with a medal that granted
them honorary Italian citizenship for the day.
L
est we forget what this is really all about, the following letter was received from a mother whose son was chosen to be one
of the riders in this year’s Concorso Ferrari & Friends event. It is a poignant reminder that the small effort and individual
expense of each participant pales in comparison to the healing effects of a simple ride in a Ferrari for a child and a family.
“Tears are running down my face as I type this to you. We just received the call that Tyler will
be one of the riders at the West Hartford Concorso event. I wanted you to know a little
about him, as to know the impact and magnitude of what you are doing for my son. Tyler is
20 years old. He has spent many holidays, vacations and school time in hospital rooms. He
has had 14 surgeries and another one is scheduled. He has Craniosynostosis, Asperger's
Syndrome, ADHD, Kidney disease plus a bunch of other issues.
“Tyler is one of the best people I have ever met. He is smart, funny, insightful and you will never forget him. I
hope you have the pleasure of meeting him! He was born on Christmas Day and has been a gift to me since.
One of Tyler's loves in life is CARSSSSSSSSSSS!! His uncles are both "gear heads". One has a 69 Camaro
convertible and the other a 1986 5.0 Super charged Mustang. They bring him to car shows and drag races when
Tyler is well.
“It has not been an easy path by any means. I was a single mom with a special needs child. I put myself through
school while going through the hospital stays and surgeries. I worked nights after he went to sleep, went to
school during the day and hammered down. I wanted a better life for him.
"The people we have meet throughout have changed our life forever! You are now part of that list. People ask
me on a regular basis, "How come you are always so happy?" Because my eyes have seen so much kindness of
others, so much love and so much raw emotion. It changes you. It changes how you view people. Politics,
money, power become mute. I have had the pleasure of seeing peoples hearts and souls. You are making a
dream come true for not only my son, but for his mom. What a joy!!! May God bless you and all involved as you
will probably never know the eminence of how these acts of kindness get us through.
“Thank you with all of my being!”
--Tamatha Wolfel
winter – which, of
course, makes me
want to drive it at
every opportunity. Just
beyond the gate, the
formal atmosphere of
a small town with
errant small children
playing too close to
the road gives way to a
feeling of intimacy as
houses with manicured lawns and unnaturally placed shrubbery are replaced by
trees that hug the
road’s edges and canopies that close in
above to create a living tunnel. The road
By Frank Anigbo
surface is billiard-table
-smooth and rises
There is a road off Route 302 in the town of sharply toward the clouds. I was in a PorBartlett, in Northern New Hampshire,
sche that first time, and I drove with images
named Bear Notch Road. You can also get of the Targa Florio in my head.
to it from the Kancamangus Highway shortWhen I learned that I was one of the chosen
ly after the sign for Jigger Johnson
Campground headed in the direction of
Conway. The sign at both entrances of Bear
Notch Road spell out in black and white
that it is closed during winter – and for very
good reason.
Bear Notch Road in a 599
I have driven a number of great roads in
New England, especially in Vermont where
I lived for a few years with a decrepit white
and rust 1979 Fiat Spider. With my wife’s
parent’s recent move to the White Mountains region of New Hampshire, more amazing roads have followed, driven this time in
much finer sports cars.
It was late one evening last fall that I first
made the left turn onto Bear Notch Road
from 302 and discovered the best road I
have driven in recent memory. As if to herald the promise of delights to come, there is
a gate just after the turn off which at that
time of year was still open to traffic. And a
sign by it that indicates it will be closed in
few to have seat time in the 50th Anniversary
599 GTB Fiorano, and that the opportunity
to drive the mighty 620 horsepower Ferrari
would come during a road rally in the White
Mountains of New Hampshire, in the vicinity of Bear Notch Road, I knew exactly how
I wanted to use my drive.
All of the other selected drivers for the New
Hampshire leg of the 599’s One Lap of America tour took their drives at various sections
of the rally; I elected to wait until after returning to our base of operations at the
Mount Washington Hotel before taking my
turn. I made a quick phone call to my father
-in-law whose new home is about twenty
minutes from the hotel: “meet me at the hotel at
5 o’clock, we are going on an interesting drive.”
I didn’t exactly tell Dennis Liu, the rally
master and safe keeper of the 599’s keys
what my plans were. Then again, he didn’t
exactly ask. I wanted to enter Bear Notch
Road from the Kancamangus side which
meant that I had to drive well beyond my
allotted mileage just to get to my starting
point. Oh well, I thought, Dennis will eventually get over it.
Richard met me at the parking lot of the
hotel at 5 o’clock, eyes glinting with excitement. I explained he could only be a passenger as my agreement with the club forbade
giving him the keys. Belted in, I turned the
ignition key, then pushed the Engine Start
button on the lower left side of the leather
and alcantara covered steering wheel, the 599’s big V12
burst into live with a roar
before settling to a steady
growl. Then I remembered
what Dennis had said when
he handed me the keys: “put
it in RACE mode.” I twisted
the little red manettino on the
right side of the wheel from
SPORT to RACE and set
the gearbox to manual mode.
A tug at the right gearchange paddle selected first
gear. And off we went.
First a quick stop at a nearby gas station for
a few dollars’ worth of premium unleaded,
then a slow drive through small towns on
the way to Interstate Highway 93. Richard, a
gasoline-powered car guy who raced Corvettes and Alfa Romeos in his youth, sat in
the passenger seat with a permanent grin
and documented the event with his small
camera.
The drive on I-93 toward the Kancamangus
was a chance to experience the raw power
of the 599. With the oft-spoken words of
my mechanic echoing in one ear: “drive it like
you stole it!” And Dennis’ voice in my other
ear: “Don’t be the idiot who stuffed it!” I decided
on a middle ground. I would not search for
the 599’s 200 plus miles per hour limit, but I
would see what hooliganism feels like in a
big modern Ferrari GT. So I tickled the
throttle like there was an egg between the
bottom of my right shoe and the loud pedal,
the 599 responded with a surge of speed
accompanied by an increasingly urgent
shriek from its front-mid mounted six liter
V12. I glanced down at the speedometer –
“oh, dear! That’s quite enough for now!” I
quickly backed off.
Then I found a straight section of the highway, and with intent, put my foot down
again. I imagine it is ill-advised to speak in
details on the happenings of the next twenty
or so seconds. Suffice it to say that I did,
indeed, discover the meaning of hooliganism,
accompanied with visions of Richard and I
in a jail cell, and the 599 whose travels
across much of the United States had been
without drama, unceremoniously dumped
with wheels askew at an impound lot, in the
company of a sun-bleached Plymouth Acclaim or other such rubbish. Don’t be the idiot
who stuffed it!
We got off the highway at Lincoln. I was
feeling fairly comfortable with the 599 at
this point but had become very aware of the
passage of time as we hurried toward the
Kancamangus Highway.
too short to reach top gear. Something
about it gives the feeling of driving an Italian mountain pass; the forest through which
it runs isn’t so dense as to hide the expansive vistas of surrounding mountains. And
much of the area is shrouded in fog most
This was not a standard 599 GTB Fiorano.
mornings, heightening the expression of
This one was equipped with Ferrari’s HGTE
driving skill in getting through it at rapid
option, or Handling Gran Turismo Evoluzione,
pace. It is a mountain pass that rises for a
which translates to English as ‘if you pay us a
while, peaks, and then descends at an angle
boatload more money, we make your 599 GTB
that encourages dabs of the brake pedal as
handle as good as it looks.’ The result was a
you turn in to yet another corner that rushes
hard ride over the rough surfaces of the
up to you. Best of all, I am yet to come upKancamangus, but you are glad for that
on another car in the half dozen or so times
when you look down at just how quickly
I have driven it since the first.
you are carving through its many corners
and the tight hairpin at its summit.
I knew the road well enough to hustle the
599 quicker than might have been prudent
By the time we reached the entrance to Bear
given that I relaxed the electronic guards
Notch Road, the sun was almost down and
intended to keep the foolish from doing
my previous sense of time’s passage had
something, well, foolish. I rushed surebeen replaced by dread, an image of Dennis
footedly from corner to corner, the rev indipacing the parking lot of the hotel swearing
cator lights on the top face of the steering
under his breath. I needed to get the car
wheel flashing with frenetic urgency, the
back and quickly. With that purpose and a
exhaust barking and crackling with each lift
clear destination, and comfort from over an
off the gas pedal, and that harsh kick in the
hour of orientation behind the wheel of the
backside every time I tugged at the up-shift
Ferrari, I put the hammer down.
lever to execute an 85 millisecond cog swap,
Bear Notch Road is a 9 mile narrow ribbon followed by a bowel-emptying shriek. Faster
of asphalt that cuts over a mountain from
than I had ever done it, I was through Bear
Notch, past the gate at the other end and
made the left turn onto 302 toward the hotel.
Dinner was already underway when I dashed
into the dining room and sheepishly handed
the keys back to an anxious-looking Dennis.
We were in polite company so he couldn’t
give me the dressing-down I expected. No
need to wait for it, I hastily made my escape
and hurried to my place at the dining table, a
very big grin upon my face.
P.S.
A practice run in a 308 GTB the day before
Photo by Karen Anigbo
the Kancamangus Highway to the town of
Bartlett. It is also a series of fast and medium speed bends with two or three straights
It turned out that Dennis Liu wasn’t that
annoyed with my antics after all because the
very next morning he again handed me the
keys to the 599, this time to muscle it
around for an hour long professional photo
shoot; a story for another time

Horse Tales August 2013 - Ferrari Club of America

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