An incredible 1953 Ferrari 375 Pininfarina Spider has won the top gong at this year’s Quail: a motorsports gathering, scooping the Rolex Circle of Champions trophy ahead of stiff competition.
The Prancing Horse was nearly eclipsed by a stellar lineup of Lamborghini Miuras numbering 25 cars, a 1968 example of which topped the class. It was one of a handful selected by the factory for a celebratory 500km tour of central Italy, which the Texas-based owned completed with his son.
A second Ferrari picked up the latest FIVA Preservation Award, this time a marvellous 1964 250LM in unrestored condition. The racer joins an ever increasing list of cars set to appear at UNESCO’s Paris headquarters at the end of the year.
The Post War Racing class was won by the 1952 Jaguar C-type of Fred and Ramona Bolander, who were local to the area.
The hotly-contested class contained a number of other smart racers, including Don and Carol Murray’s 1955 Porsche 550RS Spyder and a 1974 McLaren M16 C/D belonging to Can Am Cars from Missouri.
Meanwhile, the Spirit of The Quail award was given to Lionel Robert, who had travelled from the UK to be at the event with his 1997 McLaren F1 – the last long-tail example ever built. The impossibly clean example – being too low to approach the ramp – delighted and frightened with its aggressive bark while being driven through the crowd.
A Ferrari 288GTO won the Supercar class, while a Lola T70 Mk2 campaigned in period by Jerry Grant won the Laguna Retrospective category.
Greg MacLeman is a contributor to and former Features Editor of Classic & Sports Car, and drives a restored and uprated 1974 Triumph 2500TC