After a 34-year run at The Breakers, the prestigious Concours d’Elegance will plop a curated field of 180 rare Ferraris onto the lawn of The Boca Raton. And the 35th anniversary show is going over-the-top like a fizzy flute of Krug.

A “Cavallino Auction by RM Sotheby’s” is a first for this international show, which makes annual stops in Modena, Monaco and the Middle East. Breathtaking bids will underscore Ferrari’s unrivaled status among car collectors: RM Sotheby’s sold a 1962 Ferrari 330 LM/250 GTO for an astonishing $51.7 million in 2023, a record auction high for the “Prancing Horse” brand.

Since Ferraris belong on the road, not just on pedestals, the show weekend, Feb. 13-15, kicks off with a Tour d’Eleganza. The scenic road tour gets an escort from Florida State Troopers — you wouldn’t want to scratch that pretty red paint — and ends with a grand arrival at The Boca Raton. Saturday brings the main concours on the resort’s stunning 18th fairway, but with sporting competition focused on some of the world’s rarest, lovingly restored or painstakingly preserved Ferraris. Sunday festivities move to Mar-a-Lago, with a charity brunch and its own à la carte selection of sumptuous cars.

Show judges, essentially walking encyclopedias for company founder Enzo Ferrari’s legacy, have their work cut out. Among the awards, organizers have gathered a deep field of previous Best of Show winners, museum-worthy machines that will vie for a Cavallino Legacy Award.

“We will be crowning the best of the best,” says Domenic Colasacco, Cavallino general manager.

The show bookends nearly 80 years of high-speed history. A romantic, red-hued postwar era will come to life via the first two Ferraris brought to the U.S. by Luigi Chinetti. Enzo’s U.S. importer was a pivotal figure, a three-time Le Mans race winner who built the fledgling brand’s reputation in America, and helped launch the careers of American driving champions such as Mario Andretti. First is the 1948 166 MM Barchetta — that’s Italian for “little boat”. The adorably streamlined roadster was the rosso-painted underdog that put Enzo’s then-struggling company on the map. Only 25 were built. Chinetti shipped chassis number 0002M from the Paris Motor Show to Tommy Lee, a wealthy Los Angeles socialite.

The second car has an enduring connection to the Sunshine State. A 1948 166 Spider Corsa, with its evocative bicycle fenders, was owned by Briggs Cunningham, the dashing gentleman racer who founded his own American sports-car company. This 166 Spider took the life of racer Sam Collier in 1950, when he was thrown from the tumbling Ferrari in Watkins Glen, New York. Collier himself had introduced Britain’s MG brand to America. He and his racing brother Miles were the sons of Baron Gift Collier, whose 1.3 million acres of undeveloped Florida real estate made him the largest private landowner in the U.S. The car is part of the Collier family’s collection at The Revs Institute in Naples.

Juan Manuel Fayen got the Ferrari bug as a child from his father, whose own racing adventures took him from South America to races at Daytona and Le Mans. The entrepreneur and founder of CollectionSuites, which offers luxury car storage in Greater Miami and Palm Beach, has acquired an extensive collection, including the fabulous F40 hypercar. There are many sports cars, Fayen says, but everyone recognizes there’s something special about a Ferrari.

Fayen will be showing a 1991 Testarossa that one might call well-preserved, with fewer than 400 kilometers, or 250 miles, on the odometer. Cognoscenti will spot its famous “cheese grater” fenders, the side intakes that feed air to the car’s howling V-12 engine. Showgoers of a certain age will call out a pop culture reference instead.

“Yes, it’s the Miami Vice car,” Fayen says with a laugh, the signature ride of Don Johnson’s pastel-suited Sonny Crockett.

Driven to Collect

A word with race car driver, car collector and Collection Suites CEO, Juan Manuel Fayen

Q. For those just entering the market, what qualities should matter more than hype or price—provenance, rarity, usability, or design?
Rarity is the most powerful argument and design too, for example 250GTO Ferrari is a spectacular design that is strange, beautiful and hard to procure. Only around 35 were produced between 1958 and 1962.

Q. Are there marques or eras you believe new collectors should be paying closer attention to right now?
Eras from the 1990s and forward is where the good collectors are looking right now. Ferraris are still sought after, but Maclarens and Lambourghinis are gaining a lot of attention.

Q. How critical are relationships—with dealers, auction houses, restorers, or fellow collectors—when building a serious collection?
Relationships are almost as critical as the cars themselves if you want to build a serious collection. Being a serious buyer and special customer with a history will get you in with the important contacts that you need to continue building your collection. It’s like getting an Hermes Birkin, you need to work yourself up to that bag.

Q. Many first-time collectors focus on acquisition. What aspects of ownership—maintenance, storage, restoration—tend to surprise them most?
Proper storage is more than a garage. Humidity control, temperature, and pest protection are important. Security is also paramount when you have multiple cars. It’s one of the reasons I launched Collection Suites in Miami and Palm Beach.