Monterey Car Week is a whirlwind of occasions that occur every August in and across the lovely Monterey peninsula in California. It is the only greatest weekend within the collector automobile interest and 1000’s of automobile lovers attend. The week is anchored by the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion on one facet and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on the opposite. These are solely two occasions of a complete of greater than eight completely different judged automobile reveals, 5 auctions, eight seminars, numerous producer sponsored events, new automobile introductions, and extra.
Spectators attend a few of these occasions nevertheless attendance is often restricted, however if you find yourself a working journalist throughout the week issues are a bit completely different. The tempo is much more hectic.
Monday
My week began out with my arrival at San Francisco airport, choosing up my BMW M2 press loaner after which heading all the way down to Monterey instantly to be on time for a dinner I host every year for a bunch of associates at Monterey Fish House. I host this occasion as it’s the final time anybody who’s attending Monterey Car Week can actually unwind and loosen up earlier than the insanity begins. In the parking zone of the Monterey Fish House my BMW M2 press automobile made a pal.
Tuesday
I received up at 6:00 AM and headed all the way down to breakfast with the workers of Classic Motorsports journal to arrange for his or her present later that day in Pacific Grove. The Monterey Kickoff Show is the primary occasion of the week, the place it has properly stuffed the hole created by the loss just a few years in the past of the Carmel on the Avenue Concours. I’m concerned as each the top of the automobile choice committee for the present and the top decide.
After breakfast all of us set out indicators and cleared the streets to prepare for the automobile roll in at 1PM.
The automobiles arrived early, as they have an inclination to do, and our volunteers and workers did an incredible job of parking the greater than 200 automobiles in attendance. I held the judges assembly at 2:15 PM and, after making some fast adjustments on account of some lacking judges because of flight delays, despatched them out to select their favorites. This 12 months’s present was higher than 2022, and there have been much more superb automobiles in attendance. That meant the judges all had their work minimize out for them.
At 5:00 PM we introduced the winners, and our Best of Show award went out to Matthew Ivanhoe for his spectacular yellow Jaguar XJR-15. The automobile was one in all solely 28 ever constructed and was completely excellent and fully unique.
When the present was completed, the judges and sponsors received collectively for an after get together dinner and I then headed to my lodge for mattress.
Wednesday
Got up once more at 6:00 AM to prepare for my two Classiccars.com Journal public sale excursions of the day with the primary at Bonhams at 9:00 AM. I used to be on website by 7:30 so I may see the structure of the automobiles supplied and plan the tour route. I had been learning plenty of the automobiles for weeks, but it surely helps to truly see them in particular person and ask the specialists about every automobile to get some extra data. I additionally met my tour co-host Mark Hamilton Peters. MHP, as he’s recognized, is an expert racing driver and driving coach. He’s an amazing addition to my excursions as he provides rather a lot, particularly when discussing classic race automobiles. Yes, he actually attire like the image under when not racing.
Of the numerous automobiles on provide that I spoke about throughout the tour, I had 3 private favorites. The first was a 1951 Ferrari 212 Barchetta. I picked this automobile as it’s not solely a fantastically restored instance, but it surely was additionally a finisher within the 1951 24 Hours of Le Mans. A gorgeous automobile that ended up promoting for a robust $3.9 million hammer worth.
The second decide was 1955 Porsche 356 Continental in driver situation. This blue automobile was a bit scruffy however would make for a pleasant automobile for excursions and reveals. I say reveals as a humorous factor occurs with older worn automobiles. When they’re offered at a present in opposition to absolutely restored automobiles, they have an inclination to assemble extra consideration than the shiny ones because the look and end of automobiles just like the little 356 tells a narrative of how the automobile was used. I additionally cherished this one, as a result of it was the precise first mannequin Porsche that my dad owned when he was stationed in Germany with the U.S. Air Force. That automobile ended up promoting on the public sale on Friday for $215,000 which I really feel was a superb purchase.
After the tour at Bonhams I rapidly drove my M2 over to Monterey to prepare for my second tour at RM Sotheby’s.
My tour at RM Sotheby’s took just a few hours to undergo the greater than 300 automobiles on provide there. They actually had something you may want.
This 12 months the parents at RM did one thing completely genius. They had a consignment of Ferrari automobiles that have been badly broken throughout a hurricane in Florida. The automobiles have been displayed in the back of the skin viewing space as in the event that they have been simply discovered within the collapsed warehouse. There have been tires by windshields, wooden beams by hoods and even a 330 GTS with in depth water injury that had a stuffed raccoon within the drivers seat. I made associates with the raccoon, named him Sparky, and carried him round for about an hour to a lot laughter. I hope the one who purchased the 330 GTS received to maintain the scruffy litter fella as he was fairly cute, and with a sale worth of $1,010,000 for a automobile that doubtless wants a whole restoration ought to have included one thing additional.
All of the automobiles from this assortment have been in want of great work, however fairly just a few of them have been doubtless purchased as the associated fee to purchase after which restore them nonetheless made them automobiles with lots of upside based mostly on the acquisition costs.
My favourite two automobiles on the public sale have been vastly completely different, besides that they each have been constructed within the UK. The first was the automobile at RM that bought for the very best worth of all their automobiles throughout the weekend, the 1957 Jaguar XKSS chassis quantity XKSS 707. This automobile was completed in a shocking blue and was as soon as owned by Anthony Bamford.
The second automobile was one in all my all time favourite automobiles of the week, a 1973 Aston Martin V8. This automobile was my favourite because it was the precise one used within the Timothy Dalton James Bond movie The Living Daylights. The automobile included the “Q” equipped skis and the rocket engine within the again making the right 007 souvenirs. Strangely the automobile was a no sale and sadly I don’t have the required cash to purchase it, although I hope it will get a brand new proprietor who’s as loopy about James Bond as I’m.
I spent a while after giving the tour at RM catching up with some associates after which we headed to dinner. We may have attended the Hagerty Motorlux occasion, however all of us have been simply too drained and needed a quiet dinner. After dinner all of us headed off to our motels for some a lot wanted sleep.
Thursday
You would possibly suppose that the times received simpler throughout automobile week, however you’ll be improper. I used to be up once more at 6:00 AM to get to Legends of the Autobahn. This is an occasion in Pacific Grove that for Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen automobiles. The occasion has each a judged part and a show solely part, so anybody with a automobile from a German producer is ready to attend. I received into the M2 and on my method over discovered myself in a caravan of E24 BMW 6 Series coupes. We entered the occasion and after some confusion I received the M2 positioned on the BMW manufacturing unit show space. You see, this was my final day with the M2 and I traded it to BMW for a 760i.
I walked the present and the very first thing I noticed was the brand new curated Alpina show. This was a brand new class at Legends and it was one thing to see. I bumped into my pal Matt Russell who works for Alpina and talked in regards to the model with him whereas trying on the automobiles on show. That show had my favourite automobile at Legends: an Alpina B7 Turbo coupe which relies on the BMW E24 6 Series coupe.
The present was very nicely attended, and after having a pleasant lunch on website I headed out in my 760i to Pebble Beach to select up my credentials and do some looking for souvenirs.
While at Pebble Beach, I bumped into my associates Matt Strauss and Phillip Richter. We did some purchasing, checked out the Gooding preview, after which Phillip and I headed off to the Broad Arrow radius sale on the Monterey Jet Center. We solely spent about half-hour there as we each had different engagements later that night time, so I dropped off Phillip and headed out to a celebration that MHP invited me to.
I arrived in time to see MHP coming from racing at Laguna in a Porsche 911R, nonetheless wearing racing gear. I spent about an hour on the get together after which needed to race off to dinner. We received out of dinner at round 10:00 PM at which period I headed again to the lodge to be prepared for the occasions of Friday.
Friday
Of all of the occasions throughout Monterey Car Week the toughest ticket to get is to The Quail Motorsports gathering. These tickets are very restricted, and likewise price $1,200, making them the ticket everybody desires to get. I used to be initially not planning on attending, as I had missed the media deadline and figured I might not have the ability to attend. However, Thursday night time my associates David Lillywhite and Geoff Love of Magneto Magazine stunned me with a Quail ticket. This means I used to be up but once more at 6:00 AM so as to meet them to select up the ticket and attend this nice occasion.
I do know the $1,200 worth may appear fairly steep, however The Quail is an incredible occasion not like the rest that occurs throughout automobile week. The admission contains all of the superb meals and wine you’ll be able to drink, some really spectacular automobiles each previous and new, and the chance to spend time with associates and even meet some severe racing automobile drivers, designers, and different VIPs within the automotive world. While there I bumped into longtime pal Tommy Kendall, who I used to be in a position to introduce to my pal Peter Gleeson. Peter can be the proprietor of The Quail cowl automobile, a BMW M1 Art automobile painted by Frank Stella and initially owned by Peter Gregg. I additionally bumped into nine-time Le Mans driver Tom Kristensen, Derek Bell, and some others.
The automobiles fluctuate at The Quail, from new introductions of the very best finish exotics to automobiles on show from the pre and put up conflict eras. This, mixed with the restricted crowd and the superb meals, makes The Quail one thing additional particular.
After leaving The Quail at 1:00 PM, I headed again to RM and watched day two of the public sale from the automobile corral in entrance of the Portola Plaza. There I bumped into associates and watched what automobiles have been promoting for. The costs appeared sturdy and so they have been promoting fairly just a few automobiles. I ate a connoisseur dinner at Taco Bell after which headed to my lodge to add images and sleep.
Saturday
I wakened once more at, you guessed it, 6:00 AM to get to my favourite occasion of the week: Concours d’Lemons. If you haven’t attended a Lemons concours, it’s best to accomplish that. It is a celebration of automobiles which are largely forgotten. I consider it as a concours for the automobiles that stay on the Island of Misfit Toys.
The Concours d’Lemons was began by my pal Alan Galbraith, and it’s in all probability probably the most inclusive of all of the occasions throughout automobile week. If you wish to see the world’s best examples of an Eagle Premiere, which gained within the class I judged with pal Larry Webster of Hagerty Media, or an incredible Pinto, or a Porsche 911 that appeared to be held along with duct tape, Lemons is the place you will notice them. This is a judged present that options judges who’re nicely revered within the concours world, however all of us come out to Lemons on account of how enjoyable and relaxed it’s when in comparison with different concours occasions.
The coveted Worst of Show award, which matches out to the perfect/worst automobile on the sphere, was gained by a Yellow lemon-themed Citroen. Instead of confetti that the Best of Show winner is showered with at Pebble Beach, the Lemons “winner” is as a substitute appropriately sprayed with Silly String.
After Lemons I went to the monitor to take a look at the automobiles within the paddock at Laguna Seca, and hung out with one in all my oldest associates out and in of the automobile interest who was racing. You see, if you race at Monterey it takes most of your time and if I needed to see my pal Lars it needed to be on the monitor. Keep this in thoughts if you’re a racer, because the monitor is an unbelievable time dedication and doesn’t can help you attend most different occasions. However, going to the monitor as a spectator is nicely price doing! It is a rolling museum of motorsports historical past.
After the monitor I headed again to RM to see the Saturday lineup of public sale automobiles. There have been some sturdy gross sales together with the XK SS that I cherished a lot. I then headed to a 5:30 dinner, as Sunday meant getting up early to be in time for Pebble Beach.
Sunday
Got up at 4:00 AM, placed on the Ted Baker go well with that I purchased particularly for Pebble this 12 months, and headed to the concours. I ended up getting there at 4:45 AM and located that the shuttles didn’t run this 12 months till 7:00 AM. Wanting to get to Pebble Beach for Dawn Patrol to see the automobiles roll in, and attempt to get one of many coveted Hagerty Dawn Patrol hats, I walked a couple of mile to the present discipline. I arrived at 5:00 sharp and bumped into associates and talked whereas we awaited the hat handout. My pal Tom Plucinsky from BMW was attending for the primary time, so when somebody handed me a hat I gave it to Tom. Happily, I used to be given one just a little later. Mission completed.
We walked the sphere and checked out the automobiles at what’s the world’s most interesting concours. Every class contained a number of the most superb automobiles you will notice wherever and the Pebble Beach Concours is really a should attend occasion. At 10:00 AM they open the doorways to normal ticket holders and the sphere stuffed with folks fairly rapidly.
I spent the morning take a look at the automobiles, seeing previous associates and even assembly new ones.
By 11:00 AM it was exhausting to see the automobiles, so I made a decision to go out at this level. I received a name from my pal Dave Buchko from Lucid PR and we camped out at a restaurant in downtown Monterey. We watched the awards ceremony on my telephone over lunch the place we noticed the 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster win the coveted Best of Show award.
Monterey Car Week got here to a detailed with an off-the-cuff and relaxed dinner at Baja Cantina with associates, the right solution to finish a enjoyable and hectic week.
If you haven’t attended Monterey Car Week I urge you to do no matter you’ll be able to to go. Do not attempt to comply with my loopy schedule, however as a substitute decide the occasions that sound like probably the most enjoyable. Contrary to in style perception many have both no cost or a small cost for parking. The ones which are the really should attend are the Rolex Reunion races on the monitor, Concours D’Lemons on Saturday in Seaside, and naturally The Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance on Sunday. The monitor isn’t cheap and Pebble is a bit expensive, however you’ll remorse it in case you don’t go to each. I hope to see those that have but to attend subsequent 12 months in Monterey. Sign up for the public sale excursions and make sure to say hello!
