Joseph Demeo

LAMBORGHINI 400GT

Restorer Joseph Demeo had a week to remember in Monterey, joining pal Robert Ross in bringing his superb 1966 Lamborghini 400GT to his home concours on Ocean Avenue, fresh from a win at the Hillsborough Concours d’elegance. The car took the top gong in Carmel, and was awarded ‘Best Post-war Sports 1961-1975’ at The Quail.

“My friend Bruce Milner’s ATS won Best of Show last year,” says Demeo. “He had no idea people cared for the car so much – and that’s been the case with this one. We gave it a debut at Hillsborough just to see what kind of reaction it would get, and picked up the exhibitors’ award. Then they asked us to stay a moment longer for Best of Show, and it was the same at Carmel.

“We won by a considerable margin, and to have 29 judges come to a definitive decision, against a class of cars like those at Carmel, makes you feel pretty good. The restoration took two years. There was a well-curated rebuild done about 15 years ago by marque expert Gary Bobileff, who I’ll pay respect to, but I cut my teeth in the Porsche world [he is a three-time winner of the Porsche Club of America’s prestigious Manhattan Concours Trophy] and Porsche people are another level when it comes to detail and preparation. I’ve tried to translate that into this 100-point environment, where they’re looking for originality and presentation. It has worked very well.

“You turn the key and have to pay attention to know that the V12 is running – that’s how you know how perfect it is. The best word to describe it is ‘luxurious’ – but in a 1966 way! It’s like nothing else, it’s a really fantastic car.”