Our team of Parts Experts at T. Rutlands had the wonderful privilege of being able to attend Monterey Car Week 2019 in August. Each year thousands of collector and antique car enthusiasts gather to admire some of the most amazing 2- and 4-wheeled machines ever created, among them many historic, classic Ferrari models. If you’re a Ferrari nut like we are, this is THE event of the year to attend.
Following this year’s event, we had the chance to sit down with our very own Patrick Knapp, General Manager, to learn more about how the show went and what were the highlights of the week.
What were your overall impressions of the week and the events you attended?
We were extremely pleased with all the events we attended! This was our first time at the Automobilia show, and we had a blast. We will absolutely be back at that show next year! Concorso Italiano was as busy as ever, and the new layout of the show seemed to make things flow a bit better! Pebble Beach was more glamorous than ever, and we really enjoyed the Casa Ferrari display.
Where were some of the attendees from? What was the furthest away or weirdest place someone was from?
We had the pleasure of meeting attendees from all over the globe! We love talking with customers and enthusiasts from different walks of life. We spoke with customers, vendors, and attendees from England, Germany, Australia, etc. This is truly a global event. We ran into customers and attendees from just about every state in the Nation, and that is half of the excitement of these events!
What are the biggest things you learned from Monterey Car Week 2019?
We learned that this business is always evolving, and spans several generations. It was great to see how many different vendors were present at the assorted events, the massive turnout of cars, and an overwhelming amount of attendees to the events. We spoke to people ranging from toddlers all the way up to folks well into their 90s! It is always refreshing to see the passion for this industry as strong as ever.
What are some of the ways you helped customers during Monterey Car Week 2019? Do you have any specific examples?
We love working with our customers face to face at these events. We love getting to see their projects (in any stage) in-person and offering any advice we can to help them reach their goals. This event is always a great time to network with customers you would never have the chance to meet in-person otherwise. Being that we truck out displays and inventory, we brought several customer shipments straight to the event to save on time and freight costs. The Monterey warehouse is a great central hub during Car Week. We always have customers with last-minute needs – whether it be a replacement Ferrari part and an extra set of hands, or a convenient, trusted location to ship their “car week haul” home from!
What was the coolest vehicle you saw at the show? What was the most expensive? Anything super cool specific to Ferraris?
Monterey Car Week is overwhelming with amazing vehicles! Being that we are all Ferrari nuts at T. Rutlands, we were especially thrilled with the beautiful assortment of Ferrari cars there! While it is a common occurrence to hear a Ferrari car roar past you in traffic, it truly does not grow old. It is a week full of excitement that never disappoints.
We always enjoy seeing the astonishing display of cars on the lawn at Pebble Beach. Some of the rarest and most elaborate cars in the world are amassed there every year. The Competition and GT Ferrari classes are always extremely competitive and improve every year. We spent hours drooling over some AMAZING early Ferrari race cars, and some of the most elegant Ferraris of the 50s and 60s.
What are some of the questions people asked of you?
Customers always ask us a wide assortment of questions every year. A lot of the focus this year was on our new product lines and sister companies. Customers were extremely interested to hear that we are the USA Classiche Exhaust distributor and that we are now representing Black Barts Emporium and Kilimanjaro Designs. There was a lot of buzz over the new website, and customers were excited to see us step up our technology!
Were there specific products people were most interested in?
We were fortunate enough to have purchased a lot of vintage Ferrari parts that were in storage for decades. The customers were all intrigued to see some extremely rare parts that haven’t been available for ages. Rare items such as these are always a huge hit! Another big hit was the Ferrari “lifestyle” items. Official licensed Ferrari merchandise we offer such as luggage, pens, illuminated signs, and other oddities and accessories are always a crowd-pleaser.
Was there anything that surprised you? If so, what?
We were surprised that Car Week seems to grow at an exponential rate every year. We are extremely happy to see interest and enthusiasm for this industry continue to grow. We are confident that we will be around to help our passionate Ferrari customers for decades to come!
