The sun was hotter than usual. The heat vapors radiated from what seemed to be every surface in sight. The asphalt, the clear sky and the collection of Italian cars packed bumper to bumper in a Los Angeles parking lot.
A 10-member motorcycle escort waited patiently, some fiddling with their radios, others checking their bikes and equipment, and others posing for pictures with attractive women in front of six-figure sports cars.
Curious onlookers and nearby traffic slowed substantially to strain for a glimpse at the Skittles-like color palette of exotica -- parked so close it would make most valets break out in a heavy sweat.
Concerns quickly faded, though, after side streets were blocked off and the cars -- 105 strong -- pulled out onto the open road for a 300-mile adventure north to the autumn-esque weather of Monterey.
Every August, I trek westward in a both grueling and rejuvenating trip to California for the Monterey festivities. Strangely, I always come back more tired than when I left.
It begins in Los Angeles with the kickoff drive called the Italian Stampede.
Is it cliché in title? Perhaps, but it is wholly effective in portraying the event as it is intended. It quite literally is a stampede of Italian-only vehicles, mostly exotic and expensive examples, but a couple Fiats joined in for the fun.
This year marked the largest group -- 105 registered cars and more than 200 participants -- since its inception in 2009.
Friends from across the globe descend upon the “City of Angels” in an effort to leave like a “Bat out of Hell,” figuratively speaking, the morning of the event.
This year would see my friend and president of Lamborghini Club America Andrew Romanowski and I pilot his 2006 Lamborghini Murciélago covered in a matte-pink 3M vinyl wrap to raise awareness for breast-cancer research. How else would one justify a bright-pink Lamborghini?
After days of phone calls, errands, meetings, more phone calls, more meetings and more errands, it was time to relax the night before the Stampede.
That included dinner with a small collective of friends by way of Ohio, and their attention-grabbing fleet of vehicles. It included two Lamborghini Aventadors, a Gallardo coupe, Gallardo Performante, Ferrari 360 Spider and a Sportchassis semi-truck pickup support vehicle. If this was to set the tone, it would be an exciting next few days.
Early the next morning, even among the Los Angeles traffic (when isn't there L.A. traffic by the way?) where it's not uncommon to see high-dollar vehicles roll though, the bright-pink Murciélago garnered plenty of attention.
There was no shortage of cellphone cameras, thumbs-ups, pointing, waving and questions at red lights. Funny, I never get that attention in a Hyundai.
As we pulled into our start location, there were already a few vehicles on hand getting the treatment of Italian Stampede decals and accoutrement. Without a moment to be wasted, and with still plenty of work to do before leaving, we parked and got to it.
The volunteers and organizers were making light work of the often primadonna drivers and techniques they perform when parking.
As both the sun and heat climbed higher, the lot began to reach critical-mass.
Plates identified many cars from the American Southwest: Many from Southern California, but others from additional states, and even one Murciélago LP 670 SV that was flown in from Kuwait specifically for the drive!
Excitement kept building from the moment people arrived all through the morning till the drivers meeting, which went over the finer points and niceties of the drive.
In a nutshell: “A drive here, a stop there, don't speed, don't be stupid, and abide by all the laws, we have an escort, don't drive like an a-hole.”
As the anticipation reached a fever-pitch, the crowd dispersed to their respective vehicles to hit the road.
The accompanying roar of eight-, 10- and 12-cylinder engines firing up in no particular order sent a mechanical-toned chill through the air.
Traffic came to a halt on the street as we prepared to exit.
The volunteers mounted their motorcycles, rolled off and proceeded to stop traffic until we had all collectively departed and reached the highway.
With minimal obstructions, the group descended onto the open road and into the mountains of North Los Angeles, where upon the other side waited the farms, flat lands and the wide-open road.
Riding shotgun in a Lamborghini can be an interesting experience. Low speed to higher speed, back to low speed on city streets, with the e-gear's clutch can stir even the strongest stomach, which this author does not have.
The combination of exhaust fumes, jerky motion and traffic added to make me as green as the Verde Ithica Peformante Spyder, but thankfully it soon passed once through the mountains of Southern California. Onto the valley!
The valley gives off a strange sense of wonder; despite the vast open spaces of farmland and far-off, desert-like conditions “just down the road,” it is entirely possible to be brought to a complete and utter standstill with traffic.
Courtesy of CalTrans (California Department of Transportation), our convoy was a parked car show on the northbound 5 freeway.
Construction was on the menu, and with plenty of semi-trucks and roadblocks, we sat tight for about 20 minutes before starting north again.
After an impromptu Chinese fire drill, Lamborghini style, we headed down the road a few miles more and reconvened at a Southwest American staple, the In-N-Out burger, conveniently located next to three gas stations.
For those that don't know, it's an experience not easily forgotten. Equal parts Americana mixed with the allure of a secret menu and the looks of a 1950's boxy-hop, and you have yourself a winning recipe.
As I pulled up for fuel, I couldn't help but notice the excited amount of kids nearby snapping cellphone photos, and the sense of awe and wonder in their eyes.
So cue the tourist picture sessions of families with children of all ages.
One mother asked if her small, shy son and daughter could get their pictures taken next to the car.
Offering one better, I had him climb into the driver's seat.
His eyes grew wide and before you could say a word he was climbing into the buckets and smiling from cheek to cheek.
After some coaxing, he grabbed the wheel, turned to his mom and asked, “What do I do?” in a state of both confusion and excitement.
She snapped a few pictures and hurried off as fast as they came.
A line had begun to form to see the bright-pink car, but there was plenty of time and an empty seat for those that wanted a brief moment behind the wheel.
We weren't the only car with admirers -- everyone was gracious and willing to share their cars and time with those wanting to experience them for themselves. We weren't the only ones smiling as we pulled away.
After lunch, the convoy paraded through the mountains for the second half of the drive.
The winding roads proved tempting to let it all hang out, but for legal reasons -- and a heavy California Highway Patrol presence -- the group wandered peacefully through the mountains.
While admiring the rolling hills and landscape from behind the wheel, every so often a shadow would cross in front of, next to or coming toward the cars.
It was a low-flying small aircraft that buzzed the group multiple times.
With fear of “speed monitored by aircraft” signs solidified in our minds, it wasn't until the end of the drive that would we all be informed it was a fellow participant who took his personal plane to document with both video and photographs the mountain portion of the drive.
Coming out of the mountains, the cool clear air of the Pacific filled the cars' cabins. A welcome 35-degree temperature drop outside not only helped the cars breathe better, but the drivers as well -- a sigh of relief as we were almost to our final destination.
The group was spread out a touch as we rolled into Salinas and Monterey, but everyone would find the hotel where we had a “welcome back” party for the participants.
Thankfully, there were no incidents, infractions or breakdowns over the drive and everyone made it north for the week of automotive revelry.
And for Italian or exotic car fans, there is no better way to kick off the year with a long drive in and with your car.
Enjoy the following video chronicling the travels of a group from out east to California for the event.
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