Dow’s Lake

Concorso d’Eleganza

General Information

Note: All registration links are available here.

The Concorso will take place on Friday June 19th, 2026 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 from Preston Street to Lakeside Avenue 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 enter and exit the show field on Queen Elizabeth Driveway from Preston Street or Prince of Wales Drive.

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 Italian electric/hybrid vehicles.

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 pre-registered vehicles (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 (when 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 Festival and Concorso 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.

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

Again when quantities warrant, the most prestigious Best in Show (four-wheeled and two-wheeled) awards will be chosen from all judged vehicles 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 may be requested 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 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM on Friday, June 19th and judging will take place from 11:30 AM until 4:30 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 4:30 PM.

Please be prepared to leave the site by 5:30 PM.

Concorso registered vehicles from all marques are invited to join the Ferraris and friends at the Ferrari Festival Street Display along Preston Street and St. Anthony Street between 6:00 PM and 11:00 PM on both Friday and Saturday evening (details will be available in your registration welcome letter). Preston Street will be closed to all vehicular traffic. Cars will be roped off and protected by a security detail.

This will provide another opportunity for the public to see the Concorso vehicles and will provide Concorso registrants with the opportunity to enjoy the Italian Week festivities and festival party atmosphere along Preston Street.

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

Marque Specific Details

Note: sample judging sheets and deductions can be found here.

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 will be awarded a Dow’s Lake Concorso d’Eleganza Trophy (equivalent to Coppa di Platino), see FCA Concours Presentation for more details. All Ferrari Concorso registrants must be a Ferrari Club of America member. Sample Dow’s Lake Concorso d’Eleganza Ferrari judging sheets can be viewed here.

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; Preservation Class, Futuro Classico, Coppa Bella Macchina or Coppa GT.

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

Alfa Romeo Concorso

Alfa Romeo vehicles that are 15 years old and older (2011 and older) will be judged based upon preparation, condition, and correctness/originality. (Note:  Cars compete against a standard for originality, not against other cars in the class.)  All cars earning 95 points or better will be awarded a Dow’s Lake Concorso d’Eleganza Trophy (equivalent to Certificato d’Oro), see AROC USA National Concorso Manual for more details. Sample Dow’s Lake Concorso d’Eleganza Alfa Romeo judging sheets can be viewed here.

All Alfa Romeo judged entries will be eligible for “Certificato d’Oro Canadese” and compete (dependant upon sufficient entries) for Best in Marque-Alfa Romeo and Best in Show (four-wheeled) awards.

Due Ruote Concorso (two-wheeled)

All two-wheeled judged vehicles will be combined into a single group. Two-wheeled vehicles will be judged based upon preparation, condition, and correctness/originality. The judge will have discretion to award additional points for style and uniqueness. Sample Dow’s Lake Concorso d’Eleganza 2-wheeled judging sheets can be viewed here.

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

Tutti Marca Italiani Concorso

This Concorso will be display-only. It is for all vehicles of Italian Manufacturers for which a judged group is not offered.

Participants will not be eligible for Best in Marque or Best in Show awards.

Invited Guest Concorso

Over time Dow’s Lake Concorso d’Eleganza will feature invited guest marque Concorsos. These Concorsos will offer a contrast to the Italian vehicle display and aim to highlight the best non-Italian brands have to offer. Consistent with the goals of the Concorso to attract and reward the best vehicles in all marques, marque specific judging criteria and judges will evaluate and reward the invited guest marques.

Awards

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

Marque-specific Awards

Subject to marque-specific judging criteria, a Dow’s Lake Concorso d’Eleganza Trophy will be awarded to all accepted judged entries that demonstrate the required merit (e.g. Coppa di Platino for Ferrari or Certificato d’Oro for Alfa Romeo).

This year these awards are expected to be presented for the following marques; Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Corvette and Jaguar.

Best in Marque

When sufficient entries exist within an 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, Alfa Romeo, Corvette and Jaguar.

Best in Show

This year the Best in Show award will only be presented in the two-wheeled category. The “Best in Show (2-wheeled)” trophy winner will be chosen by the judging team from among all judged entries in the two-wheeled category 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 Concorso Registration (all Ferraris) here!

All other 4-wheeled vehicles here!

All 2-wheeled vehicles here!