Martin Clark never thought he would own a Ferrari, but now not only does he own one, but he was also chosen as the winner of the “best in show” at the 2024 Ponte Vedra Auto Show.
He won with his 1967 Ferrari 330GTC, which is not just a European classic, but it is a vehicle that stood out a little more than usual because of the rare nature of it.
“There was only 597 of them made originally and only 17 coupes and convertibles made in this color ‘nocciola,’ which translated (from Italian) means hazelnut,” Clark said.
According to Clark, when he first saw the car it was sitting in a body shop and the owner was not sure if he wanted to keep the car or what color to paint it.
It had been painted red at the time before Clark bought it in May 2023 and brought it back to its original hazelnut color.
In many ways the car is still so new to him and the process to what it is has been a gradual one, but he is proud of how far its come and is excited to see the finishing touches continue to be put on it.
“It spent six months in my garage on jack stands as I just continued working away on it,” Clark said. “I’ve still got three more years of work to do on it to get it to really top level.”
Ferrari has always been a manufacturer that has been close to his heart but owned one seemed more like a dream. However, that dream recently became a reality and now Clark is soaking it in.
“I worked at a Porsche and Ferrari dealership back in England in the ‘90s before I moved here,” Clark said. “I owned a Porsche but never thought I’d own a Ferrari. I’ve got a high school education, but I worked my tail off, so you can definitely achieve it, and I always tell people that.”
The Port Orange resident first attended the Ponte Vedra Auto Show as spectator about five years ago and entered another car as a participant a couple of years ago.
However, this year marked the first time he had entered his Ferrari in any show, and it paid off with a victory and plenty of fanfare surrounding it.
The fact that he won it in his first showing with it left him honored and somewhat speechless
“Looking at the cars that have won this show in the past, it’s like wow,” Clark said. “It’s a great show, and you really get a nice variety of cars and there were so many spectators who came out today.”
