From the streets of Nashville to the beaches of Miami, this year’s Cavalcade International was perhaps the most ambitious yet…
The noise is extraordinary, even by Nashville standards. An orchestra of perfectly tuned engines flows down along the Broadway, reverberating past the lines of Honky Tonk music venues, turning a curious step into an excited run as the early morning crowd realise that the Ferrari Cavalcade has rolled into town.
The Cavalcade saw Ferrari clients traversing beautiful, deserted stretches of Tennessee. The four-day event covered over 800 kms of driving, much of it on roads like this
Nashville, Tennessee, is the home of musical legends Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash. It’s a city built on big reputations and loud noise, and the Cavalcade parade is right at home. The unmistakable Maranello V12 pitch is joined by the rolling bass of the V8s – LaFerrari alongside Roma Spider, Ferrari 812 alongside Portofino – while the instantly recognisable chorus of a fleet of 296 GTS V6 engines rises up to fill the sky. And then, seemingly just as quickly as they arrived, they are gone, a winding procession of red, yellow and black heading past the slow bustle of town and out onto the open roads of Southern America.
The Cavalcade passes through Nashville, the glorious engine notes of the Prancing Horses producing their own unique type of music as they park up along the city’s legendary Broadway
This year’s Cavalcade International was one of the most ambitious to date. With drivers arriving from as far afield as China, Saudi Arabia and Europe, the four-day event took in over 800 kms of driving, firstly around the beautiful State of Tennessee and then down along the famous Ocean Drive of Miami Beach. Using the picturesque Southall Farm & Inn as the base in Franklin, the Cavalcade roamed the local area across two days, following lush tree-lined roads that seemed to roll on forever, stopping for coffee in small towns, pausing beside creeks and sparkling waterways and even finding time to drop in at the Uncle Nearest distillery, the home of Tennessee whiskey.
From left: the Cavalcade parks up at the exclusive Sailfish Club of Florida in Palm Beach, after exploring Tennessee and taking in the glorious sights of Nashville and South Florida
From there, the cars were carefully transported by road down to Miami Beach, while the drivers took a private plane for the brief 1,400 km journey, reuniting with their Prancing Horses at West Palm Beach airport. From there it was a gentle drive down to the Sailfish Club of Florida to take lunch against the gorgeous backdrop of the warm Atlantic Ocean.
The final leg was, arguably, the best. The Cavalcade International rolled down the Ocean Drive as one, a single line of the finest engineering, design and sound passing under the swaying palm trees, glistening cars reflecting off the hot glass that adorned the art deco hotels that lined the route.
This year's Cavalcade International saw drivers – and their cars – coming from as far as China, Saudi Arabia and Europe to enjoy the glorious sunshine and smooth driving roads of the American South
And then, all too soon, the Faena Hotel appeared, marking a beautiful conclusion to the four-day event. All that was left to do was to unpack the black ties and long dresses for the Gala dinner at the Indian Creek Country Club. The perfect end to an exceptional adventure.
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