The Best of France and Italy Show November 3, 2024

Text and photos by Wallace Wyss –

This show, taking place the first Sunday of November in Woodley Park in Van Nuys, California, is almost an anti-concours.

Oh to be sure, many of the cars, heredity wise, were worth showing–rarities like Alfa Sprint Speciale or Iso Grifo Can-Am but many were pre-restoration as it were. But no matter–no judges walking around to mark your point score lower if you had the wrong wheels or headlights. This annual show is more of a run-what you brung with many coming to see what treasures are hiding in Los Angeles.

Iso Grifo

The purebred Lamborghinis and Ferraris are almost too common to be in this show, for here spectators wanted to see rarer cars you seldom see like an Alfa Sprint Speciale or the Citroen sedan later than the Citroen Maserati.

Citroen SM

Those who arrived early to show their cars had a helluva dust rag job–the wind gusts were 50 mph. There was even a motorcycle contingent with Ducatis and it looked like an Italian army bike that had great lines when normally military equipment is not stylish.

The car I liked the best was a yellow Renault roadster with flip up doors that looks very new but the lady that arrived in it told me it was of course 25 years old so as to be able to skate under those nasty laws regarding lights, bumpers etc. We both tipped our hats to Bill Gates who got that law passed so he could bring in a particular Porsche that was never officially imported (the Porsche 959).

Alfa Romeo

The swap meet was there but for less vendors than usual because of the nasty wind. One vendor gave me some programs for Concorso Italiano–another gave me a Ferrari themed shirt. I knew their quandary–a wife that has issued the command: “don’t bring any of that stuff back”.

Red Ferraris

There were model cars–and many were happy to find really obscure models represented. Food choices were limited to food trucks but hey this is not Pebble Beach with their VIP dining areas. This show is more about finding-treasures than admiring cars already found, disassembled, restored, coddled and displayed.

Let us know what you think in the Comments.

THE AUTHOR Wallace Wyss, an octogenarian fine artist, talks rare cars on Autotalk, a weekly show coming out of Riverside’s KUCR FM.

 
 
 
 
 
 

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Article Name

The Best of France and Italy Show November 3, 2024

Description

The Best of France and Italy, taking place the first Sunday of November in Woodley Park in Van Nuys, California, is almost an anti-concours.

Author

Wallace Wyss