La Dolce Vita won't return to Monterey in 2010

La Dolce Vita, the second big Italian-car event of the Big Monterey Weekend, will not return for 2010.

First, some background: La Dolce Vita came about when Concorso Italiano, the longtime favorite of Italian-car lovers at Monterey, moved from the Black Horse Golf Club to an airport north of Monterey two years ago. The airport location was panned by attendees for its cold, windswept concrete and general lack of character. When the then-owners of Concorso Italiano announced the airport would remain the home of that beloved event, La Dolce Vita was created to return an Italian-car celebration to a better location, one with grass. La Dolce organizers were able to secure the Black Hawk Golf Course for 2009 and put on a splendid, though sparsely attended event.

However, while that was going on, new owners took over Concorso and returned it to a lovely golf course location as well for 2009, thus splitting the love of Italian-car lovers.

For 2010, there will now be just one Italian-car fest, Concorso Italiano, on Friday, Aug. 13 at Laguna Seca Golf Ranch, just down the road from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (see www.concorso.com).

“We started LDV to give the Italian-car community a place to display their cars on grass after Concorso Italiano was relocated to an airport,” said Kerry McMullen, cochair of La Dolce Vita and president of Maserati Club International. “We also sought out a home for our club's Maserati Days celebration that had greater ambiance and atmosphere than tarmac, and we found that in Black Horse Golf Course. By hosting the La Dolce Vita Automobili event last year, the participating car owners, sponsors and vendors made a powerful statement to the concours car community that location and ambiance are both key to attracting classic- and exotic-car owners to this type of event.”

McMullen said many sponsors and participants hoped for a second La Dolce Vita but added, “There is no longer a compelling need to hold LDV now that Concorso Italiano has reestablished itself on the greens of a golf course, placing the focus back on the cars, where it belongs. Maserati Club International and the Maserati Club look forward to jointly promoting our time in Monterey this year and to once again make Concorso Italiano part of those plans.”

By Mark Vaughn