Concorso Italiano hits potholes on the way to its 39th showing.

Concorso Italiano, a celebration of Italian cars and culture during Car Week, is still on mostly as scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 17, despite almost being canceled due to lack of funds and a last-minute ownership shuffle.

In April, longtime Concorso sponsor and participant Richard De Andrade took over ownership of the event, which marks its 39th year. During a June press conference in Milan, Italy, De Andrade said 2024 kicks off a five-year development plan to elevate Concorso – to be held at Bayonet & Black Horse Golf Course in Seaside – and its focus on providing an authentic Italian experience, centered around design, mobility and culture.

But in recent weeks, bumps in the road turned into potholes, namely due to dwindling funds in order to put on the event at such a scale as envisioned. On Aug. 9, longtime Concorso volunteer Tanya Kosta says she signed on as owner and chair of the event, tasked with “making some hard decisions.”

A gala event scheduled for the night before the show, including a performance by I Cantori Di Carmel, was canceled. The partnership with Eataly, a large Italian marketplace with a store in the Westfield Valley Fair mall in San Jose that was set to be Concorso’s food and beverage provider, was dropped, and other vendors were left unpaid.

But Kosta says many vendors have been understanding of the situation, with some offering discounted fees and others waiving them entirely. Bayonet & Black Horse will be the event’s food and beverage provider. “The team is putting in so much love and effort,” Kosta says. “These people are heroes and they are saving the show.”

De Andrade did not respond to a request for comment by press time. In an earlier interview with the Weekly, he called the event “an insane amount of work,” crediting his team for “moving mountains.”

This year, the event benefits nonprofits that include All-In Monterey County and Rancho Cielo.

Kosta, who is also the founder and executive director of All-In Monterey County, says she is the “limited edition chairwoman,” and doesn’t plan on being a car show owner in the near future. She adds the show has financial backers to take over ownership starting next year for its 40th anniversary, but she cannot say who they are.

“This is a community effort; there are so many people that wanted to see this happen,” she says. “The car show is happening, and it’s going to be what it was in its heyday.”