I’ve recently just returned from a trip to California to experience this whole thing called the ‘Monterey Car Week’. Basically it’s a week long of motoring-related events that happen around the quaint and quiet town of Monterey.
It’s an excuse for owners and collectors of some of the best and rarest cars in the world to gather in one place. With car shows such as The Quail, McCall Jet Center, and the prestigious Pebble
AC Cobra
Beach Concours d’Elegance, it’s a mouthwatering gathering of cars.
From supercars to historic racing cars, Car Week is considered by many as the best week on the motoring calendar. It’s like the Goodwood Festival of Speed spread out over a week. The shows are only one part of what makes Car Week so great.
The Quail is a show that first began in 2002 and has grown since. It’s dubbed a ‘motorsports gathering’ where classics and modern come together at The Quail Lodge in Monterey. It’s one of the most exclusive shows in the world and is a highlight of the Car Week schedule.
However, the crown jewel of the Monterey Car Week has to be the Pebble Beach Concours.
Recognized by many as the most prestigious show of its kind in the world, collectors fight to get their cars displayed and judged at this show held on the 18th fairway of the famous Pebble Beach golf course. It’s mostly pre-1970s cars however there is also a ‘Concept Lawn’ where some car manufactures can display their latest creations.
This year happened to be Ferrari’s 70th Celebrations as well as Mercedes-AMG’s 50th. That meant these companies had displays celebrating their respective milestones with fans. Lots of other small events and rallies were also being held throughout the week such as the Pagani Rally, Koenigsegg Rally, and Fuel Run rally.
As well as various rallies, there were also auctions. With owners and collectors from all over America and the rest of the world, auction houses took this week as a chance to offer up some of their best cars. Big action noms such as RM Sotheby’s, Gooding, and Mecum had some of the most sought after cars in their catalogue and were available for the public to see.
Then there were the various drives happening on the weekend of Car Week at Laguna Seca. From Group C cars to the latest hypercars, pretty much everything went around the famous circuit. Unfortunately this was one aspect of Car Week I didn’t get to experience. There’s literally too
many things to do at once.
But of course that meant there wasn’t a boring day during Car Week. Everyday brought new
excitement and more incredible cars. Even spotting around the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea and checking the luxury hotels nearby was a sure way of seeing rare and exotic cars.
The beautiful scenery of the Monterey coast, the gathering of some of the best cars in the world, and the nicest and like-minded car enthusiasts made this event one of the best I’ve been to and certainly one of the best in the world.
It’s hard to explain only in words so later on a full photo gallery of some of the cars from the 2017 Monterey Car Week will be up on our side. Stay tuned for that.
By Ken Saito