Concorso Italiano, Saturday August 20, 2016 Celebrating the Mangusta's 50th Anniversary

Would love to show, could not find a hotel?
Please if you are aware of a place can you contact me?

quote:

could not find a hotel?

Salinas.

IIRC, George stays there, as have others I know.

Just spoke with an owner who recently booked four nights at less than $100 a night in Salinas.

Larry

I have stayed out in Salinas for a number of years now, it was ideal when Concorso was at Laguna Seca and on a Friday, but traffic into Monterey can be a bear. The hotels out there are catching on, even a Motel 6 is $100/night now.

This year we are trying something different at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove and it was only $30/night more than the Best Western in Salinas. Check the re-seller websites like Trivago etc., payment is up front, but you can still get some good deals.

Julian

I've got a room booked at the Asilomar, like Julian. $166 / night (plus fees) through Expedia.

I hear it can be kind of like a dorm, but it seems to be right close to the action.

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Joules

Does anyone have the dates? Haven't gone in so long, is it still in Aug.? ( I have to tell you Joules about my meeting Steve M. )

Chris the date is in the title of the post!

Saturday the 20th of August, for anyone else

I've been to CI as a spectator, but never with a car. I was wondering if anyone can comment on the Extras and Add-Ons in the registration page. Can't seem to find the descriptions on the concorso web site.

What are the "CI Club Upgrade ($200)" and "CI Club Package ($350)" ?

Are they worth the extra $$?

Thanks,
Dennis

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What are the "CI Club Upgrade ($200)" and "CI Club Package ($350)" ?

A waste of money!

I couldn't find anything current on the website about the CI upgrade of CI Package, but here are some links to info posted in 2014:
http://concorso.com/join-the-ci-club/
http://concorso.com/ci-club-tickets-now-on-sale/
Basically, you're a "VIP" and get to buy Concorso tickets for next year's event before everyone else, you get a nice lunch, local wine to drink with lunch, and some afternoon snacks.

Ahh Thanks Garth,

So the Club package is $350, but if you're showing a car it is a $200 upgrade in a addition to your $100 registration fee. ($50 discount)

I don't recall, but I would assume there are decent food and drink vendors around the site, no?

If not, we can bring a bag of burritos and some oreos, but we may miss out on the secret CI club handshake!

Dennis

I may be misremembering, but when I was there years ago with a friend and his cars we did the club level (or whatever it was called back then). The food and wine were reasonable, but the real benefit was clean actual washrooms and comfortable places to sit in the shade.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by sjdennis:

I've been to CI as a spectator, but never with a car. I was wondering if anyone can comment on the Extras and Add-Ons in the registration page. Can't seem to find the descriptions on the concorso web site.

What are the "CI Club Upgrade ($200)" and "CI Club Package ($350)" ?

Are they worth the extra $$?

Thanks,Dennis

quote:

Originally posted by garth66:

A waste of money!

I couldn't find anything current on the website about the CI upgrade of CI Package ... Basically, you're a "VIP" and get to buy Concorso tickets for next year's event before everyone else, you get a nice lunch, local wine to drink with lunch, and some afternoon snacks.

quote:

Originally posted by sjdennis:

Ahh Thanks Garth,

So the Club package is $350, but if you're showing a car it is a $200 upgrade in a addition to your $100 registration fee. ($50 discount)

I don't recall, but I would assume there are decent food and drink vendors around the site, no?

If not, we can bring a bag of burritos and some oreos, but we may miss out on the secret CI club handshake!

Dennis

quote:

Originally posted by Mark Charlton:

I may be misremembering, but when I was there years ago with a friend and his cars we did the club level (or whatever it was called back then). The food and wine were reasonable, but the real benefit was clean actual washrooms and comfortable places to sit in the shade.

Mark

Dennis & Mark I'll try to sort through the crap. I'm basically agreed with Garth.

The Concorso changed in 2009. That's when Tom McDowell took the helm. Restroom accommodations, shade, and stuff like that has improved. You don't need a "special pass" or a "club pass" to have nice accommodations at the Concorso. There is a "CI Club" upgrade, which is quite expensive. It buys you access to a tent with special food and drink, the afternoon before the event, and the day of the event. I think this appeals more to Ferrari and Lamborghini folks. Debbie and I don't go there. If you're not showing up the day before the event you don't need it either. After receiving early arrivals the day before the event Debbie and I go back to our hotel, 1/2 hour away, and enjoy the restaurant and bar there. There's live music, good food, a swimming pool, and people who aren't trying to impress other people. Its a place we can relax after a stressful day.

For those of you with good memories, Pantera International no longer offers "package deals" as we did up to 2006. We handed the Laguna Seca event over to the PCNC club for 2007. The motel in Seaside wanted us to assume all liability in 2007, the year the economy went to hell. We don't do business with them any longer. They, like everybody, assumed I was a bottomless money pit.

In today's world you contact the Concorso directly to enter that event. The PCNC folks offer a parking deal in regards to the Laguna Seca Historic Racing event, and if you want to spectate trackside Garth's BBQ is a good thing. The PCNC club is run by good folks. Garth is a good guy too. Both have my full support, and Debbie and I are blessed to have theirs.

I've asked every year for "out of area" folks to contact me in regard to hotel suggestions in Monterrey, but few respond. Debbie and I have to stay several days up there every year, and we've discovered a wonderful place, a good compromise between price, distance, convenience, and quality. We enjoy ourselves. If enough people joined us I'd rent a meeting room so we could have a tech/social session or something. Or at least we could sit in the bar and get drunk together. I'd be just as happy either way, and everyone that knows me also knows I'm being honest. I love Pantera people, and I love a good bar.

Thanks for the kind words George!

Dennis - I always bring a cooler full of food and drinks along with a folding chair or two so I can sit and relax by the car while visiting with friends, old and new. And as you already mentioned, there are plenty of vendors there selling a variety of delicious food too.

And frankly, George does a great job providing the DeTomaso Hospitality tent which has coffee, juice, donuts in the morning, and snacks in the afternoon, as well as tables and chairs to sit and visit with other Pantera friends.

Garth, is the Detomaso hospitality tent at Laguna Seca or CI?

And, I thought your RV was the "hospitality tent"?

LSJ

Just a reminder, Concorso ticket price goes up on March 1.

John

quote:

Garth, is the Detomaso hospitality tent at Laguna Seca or CI?

And, I thought your RV was the "hospitality tent"?

There is a CI/PI hospitality tent at CI.

Garth, and others, also bring their own refreshments to CI for at-the-car chit chats.

AND...

Garth traditionally hosts a fireside barbecue dinner event at his long-time camping spot at Laguna Seca, just up the road from the corral parking, and just inside the "A" road entrance, the one that enters from Highway 68.

Larry

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The PCNC folks offer a parking deal in regards to the Laguna Seca Historic Racing event

No longer the case.

PCNC no longer has any vested interest or participation in the Historics Corral for DeTomaso cars.

For several years PCNC, after PI stopped their long-time hosting of the corral and the catered lunch event, hosted the corral and handled the corral passes but things have changed in recent years.

There still is a DeTomaso corral parking area at the Historics. I am still their contact person regarding our corral, but all transactions are done directly with the track.

The track has noticed the low numbers of corral passes now being purchased. Used to be in the 50-80 range in the old days. Now we are not even making the minimum of 20.

I was told late last year by the lady in charge that marques not meeting the 20-car minimum are likely to lose their exclusive corral, and will likely be grouped into an as yet un-named group corral.

Whatever the outcome, it appears the track will have a method to accept low numbers of a marque's cars, and of course there always has been and will continue to be a "preferred parking" pass for any and all cars.

Be aware, general parking is on dirt/grass hills and dales and you do not want to use general parking for your collector car.

Note though, the current DeTomaso corral pass is only $25, for all three days.

The preferred pass is $75 for three days, $40 for Friday, and $50 for Saturday.

Corral passes and admission tickets - you need both - are sold online through the track and mailed prior to the event.

And finally, ONLY marque cars are officially allowed in their corral. Brand X cars may be denied corral entry and be redirected elsewhere.

Larry

Four things to announce:

(1) Tom Tjaarda shall be attending the Concorso this year.

(2) Our gift for each exhibitor this year shall be a commemorative tee shirt designed by Dick Ruzzin. See the picture below.

(3) Our trophies are even more beautiful than last year. I can't post pictures however until they arrive, which should be in about a week.

(4) We've "changed-up" the trophies a bit this year, offering a "Mangusta Class" with trophies for Best Mangusta & Second Best Mangusta (replacing the "speciale class").

Great looking shirt, George and Dick.

Did you order up some extras for those of us attending but not as registered exhibitors?

I'll take a LG or XL.

Larry

I dunno know Larry ... a tee shirt for an IBEW member? From Fresno no less?

That's asking a lot!

(FYI to those who may not have figured-out my sarcastic comment, I am a retired member of the IBEW, local 18, Los Angeles. Larry's union brother)

Yes! Great looking shirt! My wife will like it too if it makes me look like the dude in the picture!

Thanks George!

Looking forward to a great event and meeting more Pantera family. So is Garth's BBQ on Saturday after the CI? If so, do many folks drive out to the track from the golf course?

Trying to decide what tickets to buy for the Historics/parking corral etc.

Dennis

Dennis

Deb and I are out of the loop regarding the Historic Racing. You may want to PM one of the PCNC guys, i.e. Garth or Larry. They are good people.

Here's a picture of the trophies

SHINY !!!

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So is Garth's BBQ on Saturday after the CI? If so, do many folks drive out to the track from the golf course?

Yes, my annual track side BBQ is on! All Pantera family and friends are invited. Festivities start Saturday immediately following the last race.

For Concorso attendees, it's a crap-shoot whether you can get in or not. "Officially" the track folks have said no entry without a race ticket for that day. However, last year a number of folks came over after Concorso and drove right in (I think one person told the gate attendee they were only stopping at "that camp site right there for a bit" - my camp site is just inside the main entrance on the right).

I'll post a formal announcement next week.

Hey folks, FYI.

We have 37 exhibitors registered as of my last notification. This includes 6 Mangustas! The Ford Mangusta (originally purchased by Gene Bordinat) and the GM Mangusta (originally purchased by Bill Mitchell) shall both be there.

Tom Tjaarda shall be at the event, and will spend his time with us when he is not obligated to be elsewhere. This shall be an excellent opportunity for photos and signatures.

Debbie and I hope to see you there.

The Concorso is next Saturday.

Debbie and I shall be headed there soon.

We hope to see you there.

and for us that can't make it, I hope you take some photos

We'll see you there George! This will be our first time as an exhibitor and Look forward to meeting you and other DeTomaso friends!

And yes, plenty of photos to be taken

Dennis

Looks like I will be able to get the Pantera roadworthy by end of today for the Monterey weekend, so I went to purchase tickets and a corral pass for Laguna Seca, however they are apparently sold out on the corrals. If anyone has a corral pass they are not intending to use for Sat/Sun I will gladly purchase it.

Thanks,
Julian

Debbie and I shall be heading north tomorrow, destined for Monterrey.

We'll be seeing some of you at the Concorso, and others elsewhere. Last count we had 39 registered exhibitors.

We'll have the laptop with us, so we'll be able to keep an eye on our internet responsibilities.

Any pics?