After attending Concorso Italiano without my car in 1999, I decided that I wanted to show my car.  Not for professional judging, but for fun.  Concorso would be as serious about showing as I would get.

I have also attended a number of shows locally that were not Italian car focused.  These include the local Mustang show at Spanish Banks, the French Car show in West Van, the Gastown Concours, etc. I did not show my car at these.

October 2003 - Tokyo Motor Show - Tokyo Japan

OK, I did not show my car at this event! But I did take a few pictures that I thought I'd put up here.

August 2003 - Concorso Italiano - Monterey California

The premier Italian car show in the US.  I was unable to attend in 2003, but one of my good friends who also owns a 228 sent me these pictures of 228s that were at the show this year.

August 2003 - Seattle Italian Concours d'Elegance

This was a nice show, at Pier 63/64 on the Seattle waterfront. There were nine Maseratis in total at the show, mine was the only 228.  It seemed a little more formal than the Italian car show in North Vancouver, but the cars were generally a cut above as well.  I had to pay to exhibit my car, and had to stay the whole day, no sneaking out early was allowed!  I assume this last rule was because people viewing the cars also had to pay to get on the pier.  It was a fun day trip to Seattle and back.  See the Seattle Concours website.

June 2003 - Italian Car Show - North Vancouver BC

A casual and well attended show organized by the local Alfa club. My car had just returned from the paint shop and I was unable to get it completely put back together in time.  I took it to the show anyways and exhibited it as a 'work in progress'. Note the many missing parts: Window, door handle and lock, gas cap cover, rocker panel cover, antenna, etc. This show is organized by the local Alfa club, see their website for more info.

Sept 2002 - Langley Good Times Cruise-In - Langley BC

From their website: The "Cruise - In" has become one of the largest mixed car shows in Canada and one of the Top 10 in North America according to Dennis Gage of My Classic Car.  .  . The event has grown from 430 vehicles registered in 1997 to 1,532 registered vehicles in 2002.

I found it to be a very well organized and very well attended event in suburban Vancouver. Downtown Langley was completely closed off to traffic, cars were lined up along the streets, and thousands of people just wandered by.  The vast majority of the cars on display were American muscle cars though.  There was one other Maserati there, a 1980's Quattroporte.

August 2002 - Concorso Italiano - Monterey California

The premier Italian car show in the US.  Must have been close to 1000 cars at the show, very heavy Ferrari attendance, but still a good number of Maseratis, maybe 25 or so? There was one other 228 there, plus I met several other 228 owners who were there but who did not bring their cars.  I drove from Vancouver to the show in Monterey, and on to San Diego.  You can read about the trip on my Road Trips page.

I had originally intended to paint the car before the show, but did not have enough  time after the new engine was in to do it. So instead, before leaving Vancouver in preparation for the show I took a couple days and cleaned the paint up with a 3 stage Meguir's cleaning/polishing/waxing system, applied some glass cleaner to the windows, washed the wheels thoroughly, polished up the chrome, vacuumed and dusted the inside, cleaned the black vinyl on the bumpers, etc. I was astonished at how well the Meguir's cleaned up the paint - it took off all the oxidization and small marks and left the car looking better than it ever had. It still needed painting, but the car looked the best it could with what it had.

Concorso was great, as it has always been the three times I have attended. This time was the best, since I had my car on display. I arrived early, had a good look around before the crowds arrived, met my fellow Maserati exhibitors, unpacked the lawn chairs and just enjoyed the day as it unfolded. Having the car there was a great base to see the show from. I could dump stuff in the trunk to go wander around, then come back and sit down for a while when I got tired or overwhelmed. There was another 228 exactly like mine on display, a 1989 5 speed with silver exterior and black interior. I exchanged notes with the owner, and learned a number of things. I also met another 228 owner who had just purchased his 228 a month before and had not brought it to the show. I wound up going out to dinner with him and his wife, plus visiting him at his home a couple days later on my way down to San Diego. I met numerous other Maserati owners, and ex-228 owners. All in all it was a great experience, and to top it off I won second in my class in the judging! The following pictures are of my car on the green at Concorso Italiano 2002. Don't ask me why they did not park me beside the other 228 that was there!

July 2002 - Italian Cultural Centre Car Show - Vancouver BC

Very casual show at the Italian Cultural Centre on east 12th in Vancouver. No preregistration required. When I drove my car up, the security guard at the entrance did not know that Maserati was an Italian car! Managed to wrangle my way in, I was the only Maserati on display, stayed for a couple hours only. There were about 30 cars on display, mostly Fiats and Alfas, plus a few Ferraris.  I did not take any photos that day unfortunately.

June 2002 - Italian Car Show - North Vancouver BC

I attended with my car, but did not take any pictures.