The 2020 Miami Concours took place this past February in Miami’s Design District for a second year in a row. MDD is the perfect backdrop for this one-of-a-kind automotive gathering providing world-class luxury shopping for all attendees.
By all definitions, the Miami Concours is still in its nascency, but the efforts of John Temerian, Brett David and Ronnie Vogel, have propelled the show to draw cars (and crowds) as if it were a 10 year old show.
I’ve known John Temerian for a few years and being an 80s kid, I’ve always loved the cars he is passionate about. I’ve also worked closely with Brett David and know what drives him and how important his family legacy is to him. I’ve met Ronnie through my relationship with Garage 26 and know he is also a leader in his space.
Brett and John both specialize in completely different product lines within the same automotive spectrum, but they are both the same when it comes to their passion for cars and Miami car culture. As such, the show is the perfect opportunity for them to bring cars out of the Curated and Prestige Imports showrooms for everyone to appreciate.
The Miami Concours is without doubt the best car show in South Florida that is not a marque-specific show, like DRT or Cavallino. It is also a judged show, not just any show, but a fully relegated Concours as its name suggests.
It is for this very reason that the show doesn’t just draw the exotic car crowd that is typical of all Miami car shows, but it brings in prominent vintage cars, some of which are of historical significance. There is nothing cooler than seeing a Ferrari 275 GTB Long Nose and a Jaguar XK-SS steps away from a Bugatti Veyron and Jaguar XJR-15.
I always try to get to any show bright and early to take advantage of good light and no crowds, and even thought it rained throughout the day, the photos came out as good as I hoped. I especially loved the way the Lamborghini Diablo SE30 Jota looked in this light.
I love vintage cars as much as I love exotics, but there are lines and quirks in a vintage car that you just don’t see in today’s cars. That’s not to say that the latest cars to come out of Maranello, St. Agata or San Cesario don’t have cool lines or unique characteristics, it’s just that you can see elements of hand construction and design in a Lamborghini Miura that you just can’t see in a Lamborghini Huracan.
Aside from the cars that Curated and Prestige Imports brought out, the exotics and modern era supercars at the concours consisted of Ferrari’s big 5 supercars, Koenigsegg’s CCX and a very cool Spyker C8, among others. My favorite exotic though, was the Pagani Zonda C12, which was Pagani’s first car being chassis #001. This is the car that started it all for Pagani and thus it was probably the most historically significant car at the show.
One of the coolest things about the Miami Concours is that you can be sure there will be an “it” moment at some point during the show. Last year, it was the appearance of over 10 Pagani Huayras, and the shot that I set up below for Pagani Miami made the IG rounds for a few weeks after the show.
This year, the “it” moment was the appearance of 3 Apollo IE hypercars that stopped by as part of their US tour. And, just like last year, the shot I took of the Apollo IE Orange Dragon at the end of the show went viral and became the defining shot of the show. One has to wonder what next year’s “it” moment will be.
Without a doubt, the Miami Concours has become one of my favorite shows. I was the shows official photographer this year and I hope that the images that I captured will be liked enough to bring me back again next year for round 2.
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