California's annual "Best of France and Italy" car show - held last Sunday - once again saw a mouthwatering turn-out of Italian machines of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the charming tiny Fiat 500 to the exclusive brand-new Ferrari F430.

However at this event - held in Woodley Park, Van Nuys - the emphasis is very much on the former, the stars of the show being classic Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Lancia models from throughout the years, rather than the "exotic" sportscars that usually dominate any line-up of Italian cars. Held each year, the "Best of France and Italy" is organised by the 'Under Three Litres Club'.  As one of the event's organising team explains: "The main goal is keep the more expensive cars, hence the three litres, away from the show and to promote the less prestigious models. If the show only invited Ferraris, no one would stop to look at a Fiat. This is why the exotic car attendance seems low. We try our best to promote the more common, but no less important, Italian sportcars."

As a non-judged show, it has grown in strength over the last few years and welcomes everything from the roughest restoration project to the perfectly detailed concours offering. This year's show - ably organised as usual - was blessed by clear skies and warm sunshine, making it a pleasant day out for all. The cars started streaming in from very early on, and by mid-morning the park was filling up nicely.
 

At this point more than fifty Fiats had turned up, their ranks including the 124 Sport Coupe, 124 Spider, X1/9, 128 Rally, 850 Spider, 850 Coupe, 131, 500 and 600.  Nineteen Lancias, including a dozen Beta Montecarlo/Scorpion and several Fulvias, and an astonishing eighty-five Alfa Romeos (all years of Spider, GTV and GTV 6 Coupe, 75/Milano, 164, Montreal, Zagato and Giulietta) reinforced the magnitude of enthusiasm still prevalent in these cars. The 'exotics" were represented by a well-defined assortment of Ferraris, Maseratis and Lamborghinis.  Modern-day production models included the new Ferrari F430 Coupé and the Ferrari Superamerica, with its highly innovative, electronically-powered "folding roof".

Italian rarities of note to turn up during the course of the day included a trio of Fiat Dino Spiders, a similar number of Siatas, a couple of Morettis, a perfectly presented Fiat 8V, an Innocenti and an Autobianchi, a lovely Alfa Romeo 1900 Giulia Sprint Speciale, and finally three Fiat-Abarths. With the weather continuing to remain ideal, the day was a real "fest" for Italian cars in California, where their spirit and appeal truly remains alive and well.