The Scuderia Southwest Festival of Speed: Where You Find Speed, You’ll Find K&N

Nov 14, 2016

Festival of Speed cars at the Festival of Speed in Scottsdale, Arizona

Eye candy was everywhere at the Festival of Speed in Scottsdale

It’s called the Festival of Speed, but I toyed with other labels as I walked through the gleaming rows of exotic cars and motorcycles in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Powwow of Power, the Celebration of Acceleration, the Cadre of Cool – okay, enough of that. But the event, which was staged on the beautiful grass swells that surround the picturesque McCormick Scottsdale Resort lagoon, was truly a unique chance to study some of the rarest examples in the motorsports world. It was an opportunity for the common man to walk in the halls of the elite.

K&N filter in Camaro at the Festival of Speed in Scottsdale, Arizona

That's a K&N filter in the pristine engine compartment of a classic Camaro

The event attracted millions of dollars worth of the most exotic hardware the performance motor industry has ever produced. There were rows of Lamborghinis, clusters of McLarens, and groupings of Porches. Of course, the most muscular examples of the American automotive industry were in attendance, as were rare and unique one-off customs. The small stand of historic Ducati race bikes added a dash spice to the event. It was truly a visual seminar in the development of performance throughout the decades.

Festival of Speed race car at the Festival of Speed in Scottsdale, Arizona

Both closed-course racers and street-legal exotics were on display

It was no surprise that K&N was a ubiquitous presence at the event. The open hoods revealed numerous examples of the unmistakable red hue of the cotton gauze media sitting proudly atop the performance intakes. When I asked the owner of a pristine 1967 Camero about his intake and K&N filter he said, “I built that custom intake unit and I wasn’t going to cap it off with a restrictive filter.” Another enthusiast, who had a round K&N filter on top of his Chevy 427 Turbo-Jet, simply said, “I just like that I can wash and oil the filter and I’m back on the road. K&N’s are great filters.”

Festival of Speed Ducati at the Festival of Speed in Scottsdale, Arizona

The small cluster of Ducati classics drew crowds. Yes, that's a K&N on the beautiful L-twin

No matter what the specific reasoning, dozens of the exotics at the festival were proudly displaying K&N technology. There were K&N pods on two beautiful classic Ducati Desmos and another on the intake of a rare amphibious convertible. No telling how many others were hiding in the air boxes of the modern speedsters.

The festival was a spectacular gathering in every way. In addition to the pure joy the event was for both attendees and owners, the Festival of Speed had a higher purpose. All of the proceeds of the perfectly staged event went to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Take a look below for some images of the eye candy on display at the 9th Annual Scuderia Southwest Festival of Speed. (All photos by Tim Kessel)