Gallery: Italian masterpieces at Concorso Italiano

Alfa Romeos on display at the 2014 Concorso Italiano. Photos by author.

For lovers of Italian automobiles, a visit to Concorso Italiano, held annually during Car Week, may be reason enough to book a trip to California’s Monterey Peninsula in mid-August. If last year’s event was a disappointment, this year’s show exceeded expectations in every regard, and we were left with the impression that organizers had put a considerable amount of effort into making Concorso Italiano stand out in a sea of automotive-themed events leading up to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

The move to Saturday likely helped draw more attendees (as Concorso no longer conflicts with The Quail, a Motorsport Gathering, held on Friday), and a change in venue to the Bayonet Black Horse Golf Course improved accessibility for both exhibitors and attendees. While there was no shortage of Ferraris to appreciate, it appeared that participation among other Italian marques was up this year as well. Maserati, celebrating its centennial in 2014, was well-represented, as was Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia, De Tomaso, Lamborghini and Ghia.

1953 Alfa Romeo AR51 Matta.

Among the standout vehicles was a 1953 Alfa Romeo AR51 Matta, the Italian equivalent of our beloved military Jeep. Constructed from 1952 through 1954, the Matta was intended for use as a scout car, and like the Willys Jeep, later saw service as a civilian vehicle (in AR52 guise). The example shown was one of 2007 AR51 models built (versus just 154 AR52 models), and was owned by Gerard Kassarian and Manuel Minassian of Beverly Hills, California.

As with the gallery of images from Pebble Beach posted earlier this week, each thumbnail image is labeled with the make and model of vehicle shown, and when possible, the year. Godetevi le immagini!