Photo by Jeremy Leininger
Allow me to start with a disclaimer: I know relatively nothing about cars. Admittedly, it’s not really my thing. That didn’t stop my eyes from getting really round when I saw the ones zipping around at the 2012 Snowmass Automobili Exotica couple weeks ago. This year the rally took place the 10th-12th of August and proved itself to be extremely successful for the 3rd time.
Hosted by 3Zero3 Motorsports, the whole thing kicked off Friday morning in Denver where the group was treated to a breakfast prepared by Chef Jason Morse of 5280 Culinary. Then the very expensive rubber hit the road and made its way west. Weekend drivers whose route included any of the road between Denver and Snowmass, Colorado were treated to vehicular eye candy in addition to the stunning Rocky Mountain views. Even the cops were curious – a few lucky drivers were pulled over only to be let go ticket free – after answering a few questions about their rides of course.
Photo by Jeremy Leininger
My ride and I arrived in Snowmass a little later just in time to join up with the other drivers at the Viceroy Hotel‘s Eight K Restaurantfor cocktail hour. I spent the evening taking in the beautiful mountain views, enjoying the appetizers, and trying to make sense of all
the car talk going on around me. After a quick dinner a few of us went down the road to Aspen for a few hours before heading back for a full night’s rest. There was no time to sleep in Saturday morning as everyone was due to be on the Aspen Motorsports Track bright and early. That’s where I spent the better part of the day watching pimped out cars (do people still say pimped out? these cars were pimped out) and talented drivers do their thing on the track. I even got to go for a few rides and pick up some tips on the best way to navigate a track with a lot of turns.
Later that day I caught a ride back into downtown Snowmass so that I could check out the car show at the Snowmass mall. I might not be as capable of appreciating fine metal as some of the other people in attendance, but my jaw still dropped when I caught sight of the gleaming models on display. I got laughed at when I said I felt like I was in a rap song, but really, it was kind of like that. We wrapped the day up with a casual awards ceremony followed by some poolside drinks and social time.
Photo by Jeremy Leininger
Sunday morning started slow just as it should. People meandered around the pool, enjoyed hearty breakfasts, and prepared for the scenic drive back to the mile high city. I’ll admit that I wasn’t initially very excited to go, but next year there will certainly be no hesitation on my part. I really should thank the other event sponsors (The Viceroy Hotel, Trade Show Emporium, M&M Auto Reconditioning, Emich Volkswagen, Ferrari of Denver, DJ Nick Browning, 609 Photography and Aloha Details) for all the fun I had. So readers, if you couldn’t make it this year, mark your calendars for next because you don’t want to miss it again! In the meantime, check out this year’s gallery.
Words: Ashlee Winans
Images: Jeremy Leininger
Full gallery: https://303magazine.com/photos/08102012-snowmass-automobili-exotica/