Bella Macchinas! The Pebble Beach experience must include a stop at Concorso Italiano.(News)(auto show in California)(Brief Article)

Byline: Dutch Mandel

A testament to either automotive lust or the depth of the automotive enthusiasts' trough is that Concorso Italiano works as well as it does.

Why? Because The Weekend that surrounds the Monterey-Fort Ord-Pacific Grove-Pebble Beach Metroplex is so filled with things to do that to capture a share of passion is a serious task. For those making the pilgrimage, room definitely exists for an upstart event like Concorso Italiano, an ode to things Italianate, nestled among glorious confines of the Carmel Valley.

We use ``upstart'' with tongue locked in cheek. Though far younger than the Pebble Beach centerpiece event, anyone who notches in the Quail Lodge Resort's headboard 17 years' worth of greens-keeping nightmares-as has CI-has proof it's a fan favorite.

Thank Janet and Frank Mandarano for the organizing efforts. What started as (how do you say ``homage'' in Italian?) all-things Maserati has transmogrified into a sports car show that highlights much of the good and less of the bad, though even some of that sprawls in adjacent car corrals.

Sometimes we've passed on Concorso Italiano. When: With Ferrari or Maserati as honored historic race or Pebble marques, there's just too, too much of one thing. Car pleasures, like digestive tracts, should get a healthy dose of protein, carbs and ...