Comedy Day with the Ferrari folks, Sept 14 in San Francisco

Although we are always pleased that there are great events to take your Pantera to, the directors of Pantera International must comment on Mark's announcement bringing this new event to BB reader's attention.
It is our careful opinion that the Concorso Italiano is the finest event in the US, if not the world in which the DeTomaso marque participates. If you attended or participated at this year's meeting, clearly, the DeTomaso display was located in the best area of the entire show and was also one of the largest display grounds. This was no accident.
Historically, the organizers of the Concorso, the Mandarano family have always worked closely with Pantera International to make sure that our participation was always special and suitable for DeTomaso enthusiasts. Whether it be in the placement of our cars, participation in judging, the drive-by or the superb event program, the DeTomaso marque is front and center, standing shoulder to shoulder with all the important Italian marques. Although the various marque clubs enjoy direct input with the organizers, we do not share in the revenue nor in all decisions. In a way, this is a blessing. Having worked on the now defunct, Newporter Concours in past years, we can tell you that the work that goes into putting on a world-class show like this is massive. Our board was practically worked to death trying to stage a quality, regional event that drew thousands of spectators but nowhere near the number of cars, vendors and gate. We appreciate the amount of effort and expense the Mandaranos put forth year after year to pull off a show the quality of which is undisputed. Just check out the various publications, television shows, etc. that cover this event. If the event seems expensive, simply observe the Pebble Beach show at $100 per ticket and compare the entertainment value to that received from the Concorso.
Sadly, a chism has developed between the organizers of the Concorso and some Ferrari leaders that led to a partial boycott of this year's show by that marque and a failed attempt to stage a competing event in Monterey. It is my understanding that even with the boycott in place, the Ferrari turn-out was substantial under the Cavallino Classic direction instead of the former direct involvement of any single marque club.
PI navigated around any of these problems this year. However, in 2002 at the prior Concorso, a dispute arose at the former display grounds at the Quail Lodge which were oversubscribed, between the PI Directors and certain Ferrari leaders who attempted to claim part of the DeTomaso display area as their own, which would have resulted in severely cramping our own display and making the overall presentation less pleasing. When I was unable to resolve this myself with the Ferrari leaders, Frank Mandarano stood up for our club and kept the Ferrari folks from taking over our area which was not done without objection by the Ferrarista involved. I also recall in past years DeTomaso being selected as the featured marque of the entire Concorso and having 115 Panteras on display and a substantial monetary grant offered to bring over DeTomaso family members and cars from Modena. These things are not forgotten.
Thus, it is the formal position of the PI directors that we will give our full support to the Concorso Italiano and the Mandarano family in future events. We are totally pleased with how things are going for the DeTomaso marque. If overtures are made to attract other owners or DeTomaso marque clubs to a competing event next year, it is our careful opinion an unwelcome attempt to dilute the market, create ill-will and detract from all the work that the Concorso organizers have done (sweat-equity). If a problem exists, let the Ferrari leaders work it out with the Mandaranos, who we have always found to be very fair. An aggressive and provacative act such as trying to force out the Concorso with another show could well back-fire on everybody, yes, including DeTomaso owners when both events fail. Also, if any marque is going to get lost in the shuffle, we can guarantee you it will be DeTomaso, not Lambo, Maserati, Alfa or Ferrari. Two competing events have recently been proven to be a disaster, remember the IRL and CART? We don't want to see that.
The bottom line is, please feel free to partake in any event where Panteras are invited to display, however, just remember who was there for the DeTomaso marque in past years and who we expect will be there for the DeTomaso marque in the future. Thanks for listening, Paige, Linda and Dave Adler

Paige, Linda and Dave,

Very well stated! People do not realize how much effort it takes to get a really super event going and keep it going year after year. The focus of an event can easily get off track if people don�t pull together. We had a guy show up at the Atlanta Donut Derelicts last Saturday in an old 57 Chevy and suggested that we move the event to the parking lot of his furniture store down the street! The event is called the �Atlanta Donut Derelicts� not the �Furniture Store Derelicts�. It�s only taken us three years of hard work to get a good group together at the Donut Shop every Saturday. This guy had some agenda and it wasn�t donuts!

Mike




[This message has been edited by Mike Dailey (edited 09-14-2003).]

Actually, I am just the messanger for the posting. Please don't shoot!

I like Concorso especially the new site.

BTW, today was fantastic. Roland Au (Fcar organizer) put out the red carpet for us -- great placement, VIP backstage passes for the show, front row seating, catered lunch, open bar, etc.