Does Ferrari F50 GT1 win at The Quail usher in a new era?

Words:

David Lillywhite

| Photography: Rolex, Peter Singhof, David Lillywhite

Every year, the Best of Show winner of The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering goes on to to be judged for the Peninsula Best of the Best Award, along with winners from other world-leading events – so it’s a big deal.

This year’s Rolex Best of Show winner was Art Zafiropoulo’s 1996 Ferrari F50 GT1, the first of just three GT1s built, using Formula 1 technology of the time – you may recognise it from the major feature in Magneto issue 26. It’s one of the most important Ferrari’s built in recent times.

The F50 GT1 is by far the youngest of any of The Quail’s Rolex Best of Show winners in the event’s 21 year history, and represents a noticeable shift in the cars appreciated in the concours and the wider classic car world – while there’s still strong interest in earlier cars, those of the 1990s and 2000s are fast gaining new appreciation. The Ferrari will be the youngest winner to join the Peninsula Best of the Best competition.

Art’s car was the star of a line-up of F50s at The Quail, to mark the model’s 30th anniversary. On stage, Art was presented with the trophy and a specially engraved Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 36 watch.

“Usually race cars don’t win at concours, which makes this moment even more extraordinary,” said the delighted Art. “This car is truly one-of-a-kind, the very first of its type ever built so it is unlike anything else in the world. To see it recognized here, at such a world-class event such is deeply meaningful – not just for me, but for the entire concours community. Thank you to The Quail and Rolex for being a part of this special moment.” 

As master of ceremonies Richard Chatsworth noted, there was a trend this year among award winners for prototypes and one-offs. They included the winner of our Magneto Art of Bespoke Award, which this year editor David Lillywhite awarded to Jim Utaski’s stunning one-off 1959 Maserati 3500GT – the 1959 Turin Auto Show car, and the last car to be designed by Franco Scaglione during his time at Bertone.

Jim’s Maserati was featured in sister publication Octane last year, following its Best of Show win at the 2024 Audrain Concours. Jim is pictured below at The Quail with the car and the Magneto Art of Bespoke trophy, which was designed and created by artist Jonny Ambrose.