The Breakers is a luxurious oceanfront hotel and playground for the rich and famous of Palm Beach, Florida. Every year, a major beauty pageant exclusive to prancing-horse cars is held in a dream-like environment. It's called the Cavallino Classic, and Auto123.com was there to give you an inside look.

Flanked by lush palm trees, the two-lane main drive leads to the Florentine Fountain in front of the magnificent hotel. Originally built in 1896 by oil tycoon Henry Flagler and visited through the years by American aristocrats and crowned heads of Europe, The Breakers is one of the most prestigious hotels in North America. Twice destroyed by fire, it was rebuilt in 1926 in the Italian Renaissance-style, particularly the Villa Medici in Rome, with the help of 75 hand-picked Italian master craftsmen.

The program of this entirely private event (no TV cameras were allowed) included three main activities, starting with a four-day track meet at the Moroso Motorsports Park, just up the road in Jupiter. There, Ferrari owners could put their machines to the test before taking part in the Shell-sponsored Ferrari Maserati Historic Challenge on Friday. Vintage one-seaters, berlinettas and barchettas from these two former nemeses competed for the Florida Cup - the Trofeo di Florida.

Concorso d'Eleganza
Under the warm January sun of Florida, we were greeted on the immaculate front lawn by a plethora of classic Ferraris. Taking center stage this year was the full stable of 250s, including four 250 GT Tour de France LWB (long wheelbase). The "Tour de France" appellation stems from the many victories of Ferrari 250s at the famous French road endurance race that stretched up to 4,000 kilometers. Not too far were a couple of other 250 cars, including a spectacular 1962 250 GTO sporting a French Blue coat with a bright yellow strip in the middle.

While berlinettas outnumbered barchettas, the latter prove equally attractive in the minds of aficionados. Among the most striking 250 roadsters were a wine red 1958 250 GT Pininfarina, registered in New York City and winner of the Best of Show award in GT class. Completing our tour of this memorable section, we spent a fair amount of time drooling over the granddaddy of the famiglia, a 1949 166 MM Berlinetta Touring. With such simplicity, visual balance and timeless appeal, it comes as no surprise that this Touring-coachworked convertible won a Best of Show award in Competition class.

Faster than we could say "ciao!", we stumbled upon a pair of modern 250s. The first, dressed in wine red, was called 250 MM, while the other, sporting an impeccably restored French blue bodywork, was the 250 GT Europa we had seen -- and heard -- racing on the Moroso track the day before. You should know that the original 250s helped create the universal legend that is now the Cavallino Rampante thanks to a spectacular yet unexpected win at the 1952 Mille Miglia by Giovanni Bracco. Barely known at the time, this driver became famous behind the wheel of his new Ferrari 250 Sport with 0156 chassis.

Automotive art
After a light meal on the terrace overlooking the beach, where we watched surfers take on the fearsome "breaker" waves (hence the name of the hotel), we descended toward the pristine golf course. Our walk led us through various stands of photographers, painters and sculptors who found their inspiration in Ferrari's eventful history.

But the main attraction sat just a couple of feet away: a gorgeous 1966 275 GTB/C that skilled technicians had just finished restoring -- as least as far as the mechanical parts were concerned; the paint and finish had yet to be applied. This goes to show you how badly its owner wanted to take part in the inaugural Shell Challenge of 2008.

Next, we entered the Ferrari Classiche stand, where a yellow 365 GTB/4 was resting on top of a lift, almost as if it dominated all the other cars. "We've been in America for only two years now. Yet, we have restored and authenticated over 200 cars, be it in our dealerships or through our Maranello workshops", explained one of the representatives. Visibly, the clouds of a possible recession currently darkening America do not seem to bother the Italians...

Shortly afterwards, we were introduced to a number of 275 GTB/4 cars. Among them was a beautiful 330 GTS and I'll tell you, its owner was sweating like crazy upon being interrogated by three judges of the competition.

We resumed our tour to admire a few little Dinos. These models have been neglected for a long time but, fortunately, they now have regained their sweet spot in the Ferrari family. Ask any collector!

Modern times
And then we stepped right onto the golf course where dozens of more recent Ferraris were stationed, from the 308 GTBs and GTSs to the controversial Testarossas, not to mention the popular 348s and the stately 612 Scagliettis. We spent some time chatting with Daniel Watkins, a friendly British living in Boston, who was eagerly waiting for the judges to arrive. He's the owner of an authentic 1985 288 GTO (serial number 52739) that once belonged to Ralph Loren.

"I've dreamed about a 288 GTO for the last 20 years and I finally got my wish last year, he said to us. With a fierce 400-hp twin-turbo V8, your right foot has to be very well behaved if you don't want to spin around every time. The secret is to avoid dipping the throttle at the same time you turn the steering wheel. You know, this car was designed for B-Class racing in the 1980s; it can be driven on the road, but you have to be very delicate." Thanks for the advice, Mr. Watkins!

Since all things must come to an end, we finished the day off with the car that bears the first name of Ferrari's founder. Perched on top of a grassy hill, the mind-blowing Enzo looked like a UFO had just landed there, with plenty of empty space to take off from. Either you love it or you don't, but you can't deny its polarizing effect on young enthusiasts, who dream of taking it on a mission to conquer the roads of the world. Meanwhile, the young-at-heart look at this carbon fiber, rare metal and aerospace-inspired shapes, thinking: it's amazing how much the automobile in general and Ferraris in particular have evolved since the craftsmen-made 125s, 159s and 166s of the 1940s.

If you ask me to choose any of them, I would probably take off with the 166 MM or the 250 MM... or perhaps the 250 GTO or Tour de France... or...

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