The 10 Most Exciting Cars From This Year’s Quail Motorsports Gathering

It’s become a bit of a tradition for Robb Report to pick our favorite cars at the Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, the annual concours held at the Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel, Calif., since 2003. As he’s done in years past, automotive photographer Scott Williamson joined this observer to discover some of the best and most interesting cars—many of which are unique—among the 200-plus entrants on the field.

With a friendship going back 23 years, Williamson and I have come to nearly read one another’s mind, and this year was no different, except that remarkably, many of the cars we chose were also selected by the Quail’s judges to cross the ramp! Although we had our list dialed in by noon—well in advance of the official awards—you’ll simply have to trust us that we picked them independent of the official results.

Those in attendance might rightfully ask why a priceless jewel like the 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO, owned by Gwen and Tom Price, isn’t included here, and it’s only because we’re pretty sure that you’ve seen one of the 36 GTOs somewhere before. But it’s virtually certain that the one-off 1949 Lancia Aprilla—with Ghia coachwork—constitutes a new discovery, and after all, isn’t that what concours like the Quail are all about? Herewith, we present ten cars, with the promise of more than a few surprises.

This Ghia-bodied Lancia Aprilla was the subject of a painstaking 12,000-hour restoration completed in Costa Rica by master restorer Diego Rodriguez and his team. The exquisite car, owned by Nigel Churcher and which received the Spirit of The Quail award, was one of our very favorite discoveries at this year’s event.

Designed by Giovanni Michelotti during his tenure with Ghia, the one-off creation was commissioned by Bocca, the Lancia dealer in Biella, Italy, and debuted at the 1949 Villa d’Este Concours d’Elegance. While its first owner is not known, it came stateside in the early 1960s, and remained hidden for more than 40 years in a barn in Chino, Calif., prior to its recently completed restoration.

Recognizing its uniqueness, the Quail judges gave this Delahaye prototype The Art of Bespoke Award, presented by Magneto. The body, designed by French firm Faget-Varnet Carrosserie of Levallois (near Paris), foreshadows the design language of Facel Vega.

A one-off creation intended to premiere at the 1953 Paris Motor Show, it for some reason did not, and the demise of both coachbuilder Faget-Varnet and carmaker Delahaye in 1954 ensured its uniqueness. The Spéciale was subsequently preserved by Jean Faget for his personal use, and eventually acquired by its Swiss owner, Anthony Collé, in 2017.

Siata, like Abarth, manufactured performance parts for Fiat cars just as motorsports in Europe and the Americas gained popularity after World War II. Fiat, under the aegis of Siata engineer Rudolf Hruska, developed a 2.0-liter V-8 engine intended for a luxury sports car, about 114 of which found their way into Fiat’s 8V. The remaining engines went back to Siata, and thus, the 208 CS was born.

Giovanni Michelotti designed the body for the Siata spider, a perfectly proportioned roadster that defined the iconic look of the era’s rugged sports cars. More stunning was the 208 CS coupe. Only about 16 examples were made; seven by Stabilimenti Farina and nine by Balbo of Turin, of which seven remain. This mouth-watering example is owned by Raffi Najjarian.

A 1950s Alfa 1900 is a tough act to follow, and when it wears Zagato coachwork, it’s a safe bet that few cars can match the curvaceous and often quirky perfection for which the Milanese carrozzeria is known. And because every Zagato body was handmade, few cars within a given series are alike.

This is the last of three known examples featuring the low-nose front end and signature “double bubble” roofline that distinguished many Zagato designs from other coachbuilders. The car has participated in six Mille Miglia Storica events. Understandably, this maroon jewel, owned by Ken and Dayle Roath, was presented the Post-War Sports 1945-1960 award by the Quail judges.

This unique roadster was designed and hand-built by Luc De Ley in tribute to his father, founder of Marcel’s Custom Metal in Norco, Calif. Marcel De Ley, who passed away in 2018 at age 89, was a master metal-shaper with a passion for French coachbuilders like Figoni et Falaschi. The Marcel Roadster is a pure form that reveals the beauty inherent in an unfinished aluminum body, whose precise welds remain faintly visible as a testament to the fabrication process and consummate skill of its maker.

The shape recalls the Ferrari Testa Rossas, Aston Martins, Scarabs, Maseratis, and Jaguars of the era. The deep-red chromoly tube chassis makes a striking contrast with the natural aluminum bodywork. A fuel-injected Chevrolet LS3 V-8, looking for all the world like a 1950’s engine, is mated to a Tremec six-speed transmission. Halibrand magnesium wheels complete the period picture.

With approximately 133 examples of the Bizzarrini 5300 GT built from 1964 to 1968, the short-lived creation of Giotto Bizzarrini was a brief sensation at Le Mans and cut a dashing profile on the street. Under the hood of its Giugiaro-designed body is a Chevrolet 327 ci (5,358 cc) V-8 engine, a practical solution that allowed the small-volume manufacturer to concentrate on engineering, not engine building.

Showing fewer than 10,000 miles, this rare green Bizzarrini 5300 may be the most original example extant. Purchased new by Sicilian Count Fridi Osvaldo, it passed to four other Italian owners and then came to the U.S. in 2004. Its current owner, Michael Kerns, acquired the car in 2022, and it received the Eyes on Italian Design award at this year’s event.

Decoding the many different models of 911 is all in a day’s work for Porsche aficionados, and for its collectability, unadorned simplicity, and sheer driving pleasure, the 1973 911 Carrera 2.7 RS is at the top of most enthusiasts’ lists. Intended for Group 4 racing, Porsche was required to build 500 identical cars for homologation, eventually constructing 1,580 examples; 1,308 of which were “Touring,” 200 lightweight “Sport,” 55 racing, and 17 “base homologation” versions.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the RS, the Quail featured this model in an assortment of colors and specifications. Perhaps the most rare and interesting is this RSH, one of the 17 base homologation cars. It was imported by racer-dealer Vasek Polak, and is now owned by noted collector Bruce Meyer.

Even with a plain white paint job, the BMW M1 is a standout car. A few BMWs have been transformed into rolling sculpture through BMW’s Art Car program which has, since 1975, commissioned some of the highest-profile artists to use the car as canvas and present unique four-wheeled creations.

While Frank Stella’s 3.0 CSL Group 5 racer of 1976 was an “official” BMW art car, this BMW M1 Procar was not. Instead, it was commissioned by racer Peter Gregg from his friend, the abstract artist Frank Stella, who completed the car in 1980. It riffed on Stella’s “Polar Coordinates” design, based on a series of prints dedicated to their mutual friend, racer Ronnie Peterson, who died following a crash in September of 1978 at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. It is owned by Peter Gleeson.

Always pushing the limits with its Porsche 993–based projects, Gunther Werks debuted Project Tornado at the Quail this year. The Turbo coupe is powered by an air-cooled, 4.0-liter turbocharged flat-six engine that makes up to 700 hp in track mode, with 560 ft lbs of torque.

Sophisticated design and exemplary craftsmanship are evident in the carbon-fiber bodywork, exterior fittings, and interior appointments that pay homage to the original 993 but elevate every detail to a show-car level of fit, finish, and refinement. Weighing about 2,700 pounds—500 pounds less than the original 993 Turbo—Project Tornado is built to deliver serious performance as well as style. Production at the factory in Huntington Beach, Calif., is planned for 25 examples, each built to the buyer’s particular specification.

The Quail’s “Best of Show” was ours too, not so much a coincidence considering that the ivory-and-mist-green metallic creampuff was as elegant and composed as its owner. More beautiful than just about any Ferrari ever made, chassis No. 0483SA, presented at the 1956 Paris Salon, was the first of four special-bodied prototypes for Ferrari’s 410 Superamerica. The only 410 Superamerica prototype designed by Pininfarina, it features an audacious shape and ample brightwork that are proof that the Italians could out-fin any American stylist, while the luxurious leather interior is true to the grand touring spirit.

The only 410 Superamerica with a 4.9-liter Lampredi-designed V-12, it boasts an engine that includes twin ignition and 24 spark plugs, mechanical underpinnings which were state-of-the-art for the period and likely used for development of the Ferrari 410 Sport racer. This car is owned by Anne Brockinton Lee, whose collection includes the other three 410 Superamericas, one bodied by Ghia and two by Boano.

Second only to the cars themselves, fashion plays a starring role at the Quail. Nearly everyone dresses to impress, including this striking Red Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps), who, like Carroll Shelby, wore his best Stetson to fend off the sun. This reptilian Porschephile basks in front of a 911 Carrera 2.7 RS, whose India Red paint complements his scales to perfection.