From the Lawn at Wynn

November 2, 2026 Laura

A Weekend Worth Waiting For

The Wynn Concours d’Elegance produced by Pauly Freedman.

Las Vegas has always known how to put on a show. This weekend, though, the brightest lights on the Strip aren’t on the marquees. They’re shining off the paint of some of the finest automobiles in the world, gathered on the green fairways of the Wynn Golf Club for the 2026 Concours at Wynn Las Vegas.

I have walked a great many show fields in my life, and I can tell you this one is something special. It’s now in its fifth year, and in that short time the Concours at Wynn has grown by leaps and bounds into one of the premier stops on the international collector-car calendar. Hundreds of exceptional cars have come from every corner of the globe. Prewar classics sit beside today’s most exotic hypercars, and under a dramatic desert sky the whole lawn feels like a living museum.

A Black Beauty Beneath the Tower

For all of us at Corvette Mike and the Vietro Collective, this weekend means more than any other. Standing on that lawn, framed by the great bronze curve of the Wynn tower, is our Tuxedo Black 1963 Corvette Z06 Split Window Coupe.

It just so happens that Saturday falls on Halloween, and I can’t think of a better day for a black beauty to make her entrance. Gray clouds rolled over the desert and a cool breeze crossed the fairways, giving the whole morning a touch of mystery. While little ghosts and goblins across Las Vegas got ready for a night of trick-or-treating, the grown-ups on the lawn at Wynn already had their treat. She sat there sleek and dark like a black cat on Halloween night, and anyone who crossed her path came away with nothing but good luck.

I’ll admit I stopped in my tracks the first time I saw her there. The doors and hood were open and a crowd was leaning in close, and her black lacquer reflected the clouds and the tower above like a mirror. The famous split rear window, used for only one year, ran down her spine like the backbone of a stingray. Of all the cars on that lawn, I’m not sure any had a better backdrop.

This Corvette isn’t just beautiful. She has real history. A copy of her window sticker rides on the windshield, and it reads like a love letter to performance. She was ordered new through Paramount Chevrolet Co. on Paramount Boulevard in Downey, California, and built in St. Louis, Missouri, in Solid Black with Black trim. Most important of all, she carries the code everyone looks for: Z06, Special Performance Equipment. That package added $1,293.35 to a $4,252 base price. It brought the 360 horsepower fuel-injected V8, the four-speed transmission, Positraction rear axle, heavy-duty stabilizers, heavy-duty shocks and springs, and power brakes with a dual-cylinder master. All in, with power windows and destination, she came to $5,746.30.

Lift the hood and you’ll see the Rochester fuel injection plenum wearing its crossed flags, as proud today as the day she left the plant. Open the door and you’re greeted by black vinyl, the twin-cowl dash and a steering wheel finished in black to match the interior. Zora Arkus-Duntov meant the Z06 to go racing, and only a handful were ever built. To find one this correct and this complete, sitting on the lawn at Wynn, is a moment I’ll carry with me for a long time.

Sixty Years of Ferrari in America

Parked nearby, and every bit as proud, is another Corvette Mike treasure: a stunning Rosso Corsa 2014 Ferrari 458 Spider with just 1,380 miles from new.

The year 2014 was a milestone for Maranello. It marked 60 years since Le Mans champion Luigi Chinetti became Ferrari’s official importer in the United States in April 1954. To honor that anniversary, Ferrari gave the cars of that model year a special dash badge, and you’ll find it on the right-hand side of this car’s dashboard. It’s a one-year-only Ferrari 60th Anniversary in US badge, a small emblem that connects this car to six decades of Ferrari history on American roads.

Climb inside and you’ll find a cabin of rich tan leather and black hide, finished with fine red stitching that looks just as fresh as the day it was sewn. The 458 was the last of Ferrari’s naturally aspirated mid-engine V8s, a high-revving masterpiece. In Spider form, with the roof folded away, I believe it’s one of the most rewarding Ferraris ever built. With barely more than a thousand miles on the clock, this one is practically a time capsule.

The Weekend Unfolds

Saturday is the heart of the Concours, with judged classes, specialty displays, new-vehicle debuts and a gathering of the world’s most prestigious marques. On Sunday comes the Tour d’Elegance, when a selection of these magnificent automobiles leaves the lawn and takes to the Las Vegas Strip. I can’t think of a better sight than a parade of great cars rolling past the fountains and towers of the boulevard.

On to SEMA

For our ‘63 Split Window, the journey doesn’t end when the Concours does. From the lawn at Wynn she heads straight into SEMA Week, where she’ll take the stage on November 5 at the SEMA Industry Honors at Fontainebleau. From fairway to spotlight in a matter of days, and it’s quite a week for a car that left Downey, California, more than sixty years ago.

Until We Meet Again

I’ve spent 45 years around great automobiles, and weekends like this remind me why I fell in love with them in the first place. It isn’t just the chrome and the horsepower. It’s the people and their stories, and seeing a car like our Z06 earn her place among the very best. If you’re in Las Vegas this week, come find us. The Corvette Mike plate is easy to spot, and I’d love to show you around.

Ending Thursday on Bring a Trailer!

1963 Corvette Fuelie Convertible – 327/360 HP!

Here’s your chance to own a beautiful first-year Sting Ray Convertible, finished in striking Daytona Blue with a matching dark blue interior!

Under the hood is the legendary 327/360-horsepower Rochester fuel-injected V8, backed by a four-speed manual transmission and Positraction rear axle. This Corvette also features a removable hardtop, power steering, front disc brakes, and a CCAS engine pad certificate.

Refurbished in 2015, this classic recently received additional mechanical attention, including a rebuild of its fuel-injection system.

Bidding ends Thursday, November 5, at 10:25 AM Pacific!

Don’t miss your opportunity to own a beautiful piece of Corvette history!