Dow’s Lake

Italian Concorso d’Eleganza

General Information

Note: Registration links are at the bottom of this page.

The Concorso will take place on Friday June 6th, 2025 on Queen Elizabeth Driveway beside Dow’s Lake along the Rideau Canal Waterway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A section of Queen Elizabeth Driveway will be closed to motor vehicle traffic and the Concorso will be open for free public viewing. This area is just a few minutes walk from Preston Street / Corso Italia also known as Ottawa’s Little Italy. The public entry place is the location known as “The Man with Two Hats” (map).

Concorso registrants will access the show field on Queen Elizabeth Driveway from Lakeside Avenue off southbound Bronson Avenue.

The Concorso celebrates Italian heritage, culture and style as well as future vision. In addition to both four-wheeled and two-wheeled Concorso entries it will feature a display of vehicles from Ottawa area’s Vintage Italian Moto Museum and Italian electric/hybrid vehicles.

Want to know more about the Concorso - check out this video.

The Concorso itself will be organized as separate sub-events with groupings by Italian vehicle manufacturers or marques such as Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Vespa, to name a few, and includes both four-wheeled and two-wheeled vehicles. All vehicles of Italian manufacturers can be submitted in the “Tutti Marca Italiani” (all Italian Marques) group where we expect entries from such marques as Maserati, Lamborghini, Lancia, Fiat, Abarth, and more.

Note: only Concorso entries (judged and display-only) will be permitted to park on the show field. Parking for non Concorso d’Eleganza vehicles will be available a short walk from the Concorso at public parking areas nearby.

ConcoRSO Entry

Concorso groupings will be available per manufacturer (where sufficient entries are available).

Concorso participants may choose to be “judged” or “display-only”.

Judging criteria will be according to marque-specific guidelines where available (e.g. according to  IAC/PFA Guidelines for Ferrari entries).

All awards will be presented at the Saturday Night Festival and Concorso Awards Dinner. Note: Concorso participants who are not registered for the Ferrari Festival may purchase tickets for the Saturday Night Awards Dinner when registering for the Concorso if they desire.

Display-only entries will be showcased on the Concorso show field along with all other Concorso entries but will not be judged nor eligible for Concorso awards.

In addition to any individual awards in each judged vehicle group (e.g. Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc.) the judges will choose a Best in Marque for that group from among the judged entries.

The most prestigious Best of Show (four-wheeled and two-wheeled) awards will be chosen from all judged cars in each of four-wheeled category (cars) and two-wheeled category (motorcycles/scooters).

Note: Vehicles participating in the Concorso are not allowed to display “unauthorized” windshield banners. Please remove any windshield banners not provided by the FCA Ottawa Ferrari Festival before entering the Concorso show field otherwise the car will be required to leave. Please understand that any banners provided by the event help reduce the cost for all participants.

Logistics

Trailer parking is available near the Concorso show field at Royal Canadian Navy Curling Club at 41 Navy Private (map) with access available from Thursday to Sunday.

All vehicles registered for the Concorso (judged and display-only) are asked to arrive at the Concorso show field between 7:30 AM and 8:00 AM on Friday, June 6th and judging will take place from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM. All awards will be presented at the Saturday Night Festival and Concorso Awards Dinner.

Vehicles are requested to remain on the show field until after all judging has completed, at about 3:00 PM. For safety reasons there can be no in and out priviliges.

Please be prepared to leave the site by 5:00 PM.

All Concorso registrants will receive a gift bag and complimentary coffee and pastries will be available Friday morning sponsored by Hagerty Insurance. Lunch is not provided but several restaurants are located only a short walk away at Dow’s Lake Pavilion and at nearby Corso Italia/Preston Street area.

For further information concerning the Concorso event please contact head judge: TBD

Marque Specific Details

Ferrari Concorso

Ferraris that are at least 5 years old will be judged against a standard for originality and authenticity. (Note:  Cars compete against a standard for originality, not against other cars in the class.)  All cars earning 97 points or better win a Coppa di Platino, see FCA Concours Presentation for more details. All Ferrari Concorso registrants must be a Ferrari Club of America member.

The IAC/PFA Guidelines for Concours entrants from the International Advisory Committee for the Preservation of the Ferrari Automobile will give you greater insight into how cars are judged and what factors are more and less important to the final score.

Be sure to bring documentation on your car -- Most Ferraris are unique.  Many of the older cars have been restored so bring documentation in case the judges question the originality of the restoration.  For newer, unrestored cars, bring the original or copy of documentation that shows how the car was originally delivered.  If, for example, your car came with options that were not on the base car, such as badges, carbon fiber, brakes/rotors, grills, etc. be prepared to show the documentation.  Note that dealers often have this information in their database.

We will only be awarding Coppa di Platino awards.

A complete list of all Coppa di Platino awards reference documents is available here.

We will not be evaluating the following; Coppa d’Oro, Coppa di Argento, Preservation Class, Futuro Classico, Coppa Bella Macchina or Coppa GT.

All judged entries will be eligible for Coppa di Platino and compete for Best in Marque and Best in Show awards.

Lamborghini Concorso

Lamborghini-specific judging criteria is (To Be Confirmed).

All judged entries will be eligible for Coppa di Platino and compete for Best in Marque and Best in Show (four-wheeled) awards.

Due Ruote Concorso (two-wheeled)

Two-wheeled vehicles will be grouped into a single group.

All judges entries will be compete for the Best in Show (two-wheeled) award.

Tutti Marca Italiani Concorso

This Concorso is for all vehicles of Italian Manufacturers for which a judged group is not offered.

Tutti Marca Italiani will be display-only.

Awards

The following awards will be available to all accepted entries in groups where judged entry is available;

Coppa di Platino

Subject to marque-specific judging criteria, Coppa di Platino awards will be given to all accepted judged entries that demonstrate the required merit.

This year these awards are expected to be presented for the following marques; Ferrari, Lamborghini.

Best in Marque

From within each individual marque that is judged a Best in Marque award will be presented to the best overall judged entry in that marque.

This year Best in Marque awards are expected to be presented for the following marques; Ferrari, Lamborghini.

Best in Show

Two additional awards will be granted, one from among all four-wheeled judged entries and the other from all two-wheeled judged entries. These two “Best in Show” trophy winners will be chosen by the judging team from among all judged entries in each of four-wheeled and two-wheeled categories with the coveted award announced and presented at the Saturday Night Festival and Concorso Awards Dinner.


Registration

Concorso registration is required for both “judged” and “display-only” entries. Select the appropriate registration below:

Ferrari marque Registration (all Ferraris): Ferrari Concorso entries click here to register!

Tutti Marca Italiani Registration (all Italian marques except Ferrari): Tutti Marca Italiani Concorso entries click here to register!