#7 - MACCHINISSIMA II - FROM MY POINT-OF-VIEW
In the heat of Summer 2024 the group of Dorian Valenzuela, Michael Baum and Bronson Page dropped a gem for the automotive community. Curating the Los Angeles River & Gardens Center for an Italian mondo dei sogni (dream world). This was a welcomed opportunity to learn more about Italian cars with some motorbikes thrown-in. Perfectly balanced between focusing on the media side of things while also heavily socializing. The show in the parking lot was enough that the main venue was almost forgotten. From the first walk-through inside, the section with a Lancia Stratos and Lamborghini Miura seemed like the end, but opening doors and rounding corners there were more special spaces to be found. The Fiat 126 parked indoors looked right at home, and outside they placed a one-off, 2009 Moto Guzzi V7 Dustbin Racer by Pro Italia Motorcycles (currently for sale). Inside I caught up with Avant’s SoCal Director Leif Bergerson at their booth and that was the place to be for heat relief.
It was a hot one and while the food & drinks were enticing, the lines were long. Not worth the wait for many of us, so we toughed it out while otherwise having a great time. The Ecco Un Poco gelato line was short in comparison and it was there I made a great connection with Damiano Starr. Dam has a food catering business, Foodcy (tryfoodcy.com), with experience servicing some special automotive events. He is from NorCal and once ran the largest Exotic Car Club in that area. As you'd guess, they got into some trouble doing so, but it sounds like they are having fun up there. This meeting led to an invite to some special events during Car Week.
I met @paulywalnut5 randomly. They have a full GT Silver spec 992 Turbo S that matches a Good Vibes Breakfast Club regular I know. I'm hoping to get them together for a photo-shoot now. While exchanging Instagram pages, @prolificautodetailllc was shown as our only mutual following. What are the odds Prolific was arriving to wash Paul's 992 TS parked outside the show. Prolific came to get his keys, and among multiple conversations, I didn't get to make an introduction and share this coincidence with them.
Not everyone's on Instagram, including this fellow I spotted pulling up in a Maserati 450S recreation by Veloce Cars. We later spoke while viewing a one-of-28 produced, Mille Miglia participant Maserati 200Si. He shared the differences between them, with the 200Si sporting a four-cylinder while the 450Si wears a V8. Theirs is a recreation, but a good one, in-part due to their Dad previously owning an original. This lent to better references, including photos to draw upon for getting it right. The details are listed on their Veloce Cars website, with no corners cut in the recreation process.
You can't go wrong with Italian food and they picked a winner, teaming up with Nancy Silverton's Triple Beam Pizza. It looked and smelled amazing and set the mood for the authentic experience. The line was long and many of us were not willing to wait in it. At least it's easy to past 20-30 minutes these days. Do some stuff on your phone, talk to people in line, stare off into space thinking about things you need to get done...there are still ways to be productive. Having said this, the idea of waiting around anywhere non-shaded for too long was not appealing. The line for coffee was short by this time, so that was your option for quick drinks.
This show featured some all-time favorites like the Lancia Stratos and Lamborghini Miura, with previously undiscovered goods like the Abarth 750 Zagato Double-Bouble, Maserati 450Si, and the Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ. This was an all-time great show and Macchinissima III gets priority when announced in 2025. Thanks to everyone involved in setting this up and the stellar support that came out for this one.