2008 FCA National Event in Toronto July 9th thru 13th - PHOTOS & VIDEOS

Great pics....if only i had gone to see these cars in person.....drool!

 

That was a great spot... the trees made for a great background.
I was just down (up?) the road from you... got some of the same cars just 6 seconds earlier...

just an FYI.. we were warned in the main photo FCA photo-thread about posting cars without deleting the license plate numbers...
dont want to see your stunning pics get pulled...

GT
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Glorious

 

wow amazing pics
who's 275 GTB/4? is it someone from here or in the US?

 

It came from the USA.

The 275 GTB 6C did as well.

The 275 GTS is locally owned.

 

Not enough time to shrink them to fit this forum, so here is the site for them:

http://www.atspeed.ca/FCA_International_Meet/Welcome.html

Massimo

 

Well organized site Massimo, great job!

I look forward to seeing more of the site as you develop it further.

 

Well I never ended up going to any of the events. But its not to sad about it. I was really wanted to see an f50 in person and i haven't seen one in the pics. Granted there was some great cars that would have been nice to see.

 

Did you check out the rest of the Ferrari section outside that of the meet? Go to the bottom of the page and click on the "Ferrari" link.

Massimo

 

Thanks Massimo, I just had a look. Lots of great memories there!

 

finally got my Mosport pics uploaded.
still working on the Eagles Nest shots...

http://www.bildercache.de/galerie/7133

GT

some more examples to see now:
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Fantastic pics everyone. Richard, all your shots are absolutely beautiful! Works of art.

 

those are nice pics, very unusual angles and composition, I like your point of view.

 

amazing
yes all those other Ferraris are great, but that one really does something for me...

 

Wonderful shots guys! Thanks for posting!

Bill

 

Greetings Canadian Friends:

I just want to thank those of you who put this event together, and to let you know how much my first trip to your great country was appreciated. The people I met were uber friendly, generous, and kind. The roads were great, and the countryside beautiful. After some of the post, I did not know what to expect from the track, but I found the negative comments unwarranted. The track surface was superb, as I followed the tire tracks of history lap after lap, and was privileged to see Pete Lovely make that ripping sound come from the 250 59TR. I get it now-I would move there in a moment if not for my obligations here.


What an adventure....driving 958 miles in one day with at least half in the rain-twice, another 525 miles in Canada, a Concours, a rally, and a track day at MoSport. To sum up a new phrase I heard Allan McNish say..it was Mega, untill Sunday. Here are some highlights from the trip.

Richard Thompson, noted photographer, is one of the few people who agreed to take the challenge of going that far in a not so comfortable former 348 Challenge car. No air, no defroster fans for when it rained (thank you Ferrari of Washington), no mufflers, roll cage, thin carbon fiber seats, and very stiff suspension set-up. I am told it is the set-up they used for Sebring when it raced.

Here is a side story: I debated about the tires, but once I saw the forecast, my decision was made for me. The Goodyear F1s did not have enough tread. I checked on Tirerack, but the only thing they had in my size 315/35/17 that matched the front 245/40/17 was the Sumitomos. I was flabbergasted when I saw that for all four tires, the price was less than $400. I though, these cannot be any good...So I called Ferrari of Ontario to see if they could put me on some F1 Goodyears once I arrived, perhaps they have them in Canada. The did not, but told me they would call me within an hour for an alternative. Guess what, they called and said, "We cannot find the F1s, but have found a very fine tire, the Sumitomo for over $300 per tire. I was floored, and said, "I'll get back to you on that...Needless to say, my good friend Richard Gehling at Meineke of Lexington put them on the day before I departed, and I am now a fan of this tire! It did wonderfully well-for those who know me, I never let the rain slow me down, and the track grip was superb for a street tire.

The route we took-20,77,19,79,90,403/407 was good, no major delays, winding highways, and three stops for gas, multiple Starbucks and Richard's family Amish farm, still making it in 14 hours. While our host hotel was 25 miles outside of Toronto, we were still close enough to experience the culture. Toronto is known for diversity, with over 110 dialects and languages spoken.

The Concours was lovely, literally, with famous gentleman driver Pete Lovely in attendance with the McCaw owned beautifully restored 250 TR59 . Pete was standing there, by the car with a writer for Vintage Race Car, when I said," Pete, why don't you sit in the car". He did, and the interview continued with some wonderful stories told by this great man. The pictures Richard took in this link are of that moment. I also rode in my first Enzo complements of Michael Louli, longest Challenge Series driver, and past Champion. You should have seen, smelled, touched, and heard the great cars- the 275s, 250 PF Cabriolet, Luso, 330 GTS, and the ripping sound of the 250 TR59...http://forums.autosport.com/showthre...threadid=63262

Next came the Rally and the visit to our beginning point-Legendary Motorcar Company. This is one incredible facility, with over 30 employees and millions of dollars in cars in the showroom, and under restoration or construction. Here is a funny story. I was upstairs, and right in front of me pops in Peter Klutt. I said, I know you...and only then did I put it together. From their show, Dream Car Garage on Speed TV, you would never know how large Legendary Motorcar Company is, and how many great cars they have in their possession. I asked Peter what cars he really liked to drive, and he said the race cars. I actually got Peter to come look at my car, and told him the story about our trip. I think his comment was you are a rare breed, or something like that, although he may have said crazy. http://dreamcargarage.com/dreamcarga...hp?obj=aboutus

The Winery, owned by the same people as the beautiful golf course, was simply stunning, with a view of the Great Lake in the distance. It was fabulous...although I have a story here as well. We got lost because of all things, a road was mislabeled on the rally instructions. As luck would have it, one of the cars we were with had a GPS and we went by highway and did not have to wait in line upon arriving as most others were still on the rally. If you visit Niagara, make sure to put this on your schedule http://www.vineland.com/. Then on to Niagara Falls. It is hard to describe these spectacular falls, as to me they appear nothing like what you see on TV. They are more beautiful and awesome. You can literally see the mist rising above the town center several miles before arriving. It was very hot and humid, so we stopped at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the falls and ordered some food, and tea for me. This is where I discovered, after drinking $15.00 of ice tea, that they charged by the glass. The waitress assured me I had not been cheated.

Now for why Fantango came-MoSport. One of my goals is to drive every noteworthy historic track in North America. MoSport fits the bill, with many famous drivers having driven and won on this track. It is also dangerous, being the only track a Ferrari Challenge race was cancelled at due to practice crashes, and I am sad to say a vintage Can-Am driver was killed there last month. However, the tack was incredible, and to be on it with all Ferraris, the sound and sight of the 333SP, 360GT, and of course the 250 TR59 will be remembered. Pete Lovely did not back off on that car one bit, and at 82 looks like he has not lost any speed. Here is a clip from Youtube of a lap at MoSport as well as some video of the 333SP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j82sCc7b-_g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y40EOZuX-8k

The dinner and rewards banquette was nice, with the announcement that next years event will be at another historic track, Road America. This is already on the calendar, and you must sign up early as rooms will be going fast, so don't delay. I would like to see us get up a group for this event-it's more fun with friends like Marc McConnel, the only other person from the Carolinas who attended.

As we prepared to return, I got the worst news possible, about Coach. I returned with a heavy heart, that is broken. I cannot believe it...God bless Julie and the family, and Coach I for sharing his life with us and being a friend. I will never forget his friendship.

A Dopo

Event Pictures-Hit the slide show, you can speed through these.
http://www.flickr.com/gp/50953179@N00/231232
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finally got the concours photos uploaded... all 30 pages.

enjoy...

http://s195.photobucket.com/albums/z240/ferrariartist2/FCA%20Nationals%20Concours/

GT

 

Great Pictures, we are lucky to have had such great photograpers at the event!

 

Great post Juan - great pictures everyone. Thanks.

 

Almost a month after the fact, but I didn't know the url to the Ferrari online community

Here is what I saw on Fri and Saturday from the FCA meet.

http://flickr.com/photos/borborgraphy/sets/72157606131651516/

 

It was worth the wait!! Very nice pics- my favourite is the 360 Challenge car getting up on the kerb (corner 5B?).

Welcome to fchat

 

Thanks

kerb hopping was @ T3.

 

Stunning high quality photos!!! Thanks for sharing!

 

Check out this thread for picturs just posted with the story of our trip...

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=208136