Every year in mid-August California’s Monterey Peninsula
turns into Mecca for the gearheads of the world during the famed Monterey Car
Week. The place is a gearhead paradise with nearly every sort of car you have
ever dreamed of or seen on a poster running around the beautiful roads cutting
across the Del Monte Range. You can sit on Lighthouse Avenue, the entrances to
the Laguna Seca Raceway, or alongside Carmel Valley Road and see more
fascinating cars in a week than you would in a month of touring auto museums
around the world.
History
Monterey has always been home to the finest automobiles in
the world. There were road races around Pebble Beach in the 1950’s with
Ferraris and Porsche tearing through the Del Monte Forest and the pristine
coastline has always been home to the sort that keeps an exclusive and exotic
stable.
The linchpin of the week is the granddame of all Concours in
the states if not the world-The Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance. The Pebble
got started in 1950 as a companion event to the Pebble Beach Road Races. Over
time, the racing moved out to Laguna Seca and the Concours grew in both
prestige and size to its current place as one of the top automotive concours
events in the world. As the Concours grew, so did the events surrounding it so
that now dozens of events begin to kick off well in advance of the show all
around the Monterey Peninsula.
Getting there
The key thing to enjoying the Car Week is to book your
travel early as the airport in Monterey (MRY) has fairly limited capacity with
service from San Francisco International (SFO), Las Vegas (LAS), Phoenix (PHX),
San Diego (SAN) and Los Angeles (LAX). Rental cars also go quickly but
reasonable alternatives are just flying into one of the major airports near
Monterey and then driving in. San Jose (SJC) is closest but a great adventure
can be had also flying into Los Angeles and then taking a few days to journey
up Highway 1 hitting great spots like Morro Bay, Cambria, and Big Sur on the
way up. You will probably get stuck behind a rental RV doing 20 MPH at some
point but the fantastic scenery and great food stops along the way make it
worth the slog.
Staying there
Car Week is definitely prime time on the Peninsula. Hotel
rooms often book a year in advance and the prices get jacked up into the
stratosphere. My recommendation is to look on VRBO or Airbnb to find a rental
house that meets your needs. For this year’s event, I found a nice house that
fit my family comfortably for about half of what we would have paid at a hotel.
As to what city to choose to stay in, this is a matter of personal preference
but the location we had in Pacific Grove was pretty ideal in terms of access to
Highway 1 and also an easy stroll to reasonable dining options downtown. A
bonus of staying in PG is that Asilomar Beach is a very short drive or walk
from most of PG and there are beautiful views and tide pools to explore all
along the Sunset/Ocean View Boulevard route that follows the shoreline. PG is
also very close to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and downtown Monterey.
The Shows, Auctions,
and Rallies
As noted, the big event of the week is the Concours d’
Elegance but there are many more events to enjoy all week long. It is fairly
impossible to hit all of them and not get worn out so here are some of the
standouts in chronological order to go after without wearing out your wallet or
your Nikes. You can also find multiple driving tours put on by car clubs,
enthusiast group, and “lifestyle tours” all week long.
Concours on the Avenue. This show takes place on Tuesday in
downtown Carmel along Ocean Avenue from Junipero Street on down towards the
beach. The pro tip here is come early as the parking can be really tough if you
are there much after 9:00. We got there about 9:00 and ended up finding a spot
six blocks away but by the time we left a few hours later folks were parked
much further out. This show had an amazing variety of cars with everything from
gullwing SL’s to a really cherry “Boat tail” Buick Riviera. A highlight of the
show is the roll in of racecars coming from Laguna Seca which happens just a
shade after 9:00. Hearing them roar in was awesome despite the eye-watering
fumes. The event finishes up at 5 p.m. so you can always arrive a little later
in the afternoon and then enjoy dinner in one of the many restaurants in
Carmel.
Wednesday
Carmel Mission Concours. This is another fun event held at
the old Carmel Mission. Great variety of cars and also a shot at getting your
own classic blessed by the in-house Padre if you get there early enough. The show
runs from 10:00 to 4:00 so hit this one early if you can.
The Little Car Show. This show is limited to cars under 2
liters of displacement and takes place in downtown Pacific Grove along
Lighthouse Avenue. The show runs from noon to 5:00 and there are a bunch of
restaurants in the show area so you could combine this one with a lunch or
dinner stop.
Thursday
Auction tours. Wednesday and Thursday are the days when most
of the big auction houses will let you come in and take a look at what they
have on offer for the weekend. RM, Russo and Steele, and Rick Cole are all in
downtown Monterey with Bonhams out at the Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, Gooding
at Pebble Beach, and Mecum at the Hyatt just across Highway 1 from downtown. Nearly all of these houses offer “preview”
passes where you can come in and gawk at your leisure. Each has their own
unique flavor and perhaps the best way to see these is to join one of the tours
sponsored by magazines such as Vintage Motorsports or Classic Motorsports where
you can tag along with an expert guide to learn a bit about the cars you see.
One caveat is that if you do decide to register as a bidder to try and bag
something that strikes your fancy is to not get carried away with the
excitement of bidding and don’t bid on any car that you don’t understand. You
need to be keenly aware of the market and the flaws of any potential purchase
because for the most part you can’t drive the cars prior to purchase unless you
can work something out with the seller. Since my particular knowledge is best
in the aircooled world, I focused on the VW’s and Porsche’s that were on the
block. While there were some pretty fair deals made on really nice cars, I also
show some not great cars like patched together Beetles and mid-year 911’s go
for silly money. Buyer beware.
Pebble Beach Tour d’ Elegance. Although participating in
this event is open only to entrants in Sunday’s Concours, this is still
something neat to see. You can stake out a place along the 17-Mile Drive in the
morning to watch them drive by or check out the cars when they park for lunch
in Carmel along Ocean Avenue.
Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Another big event for the
weekend is the Historic Races out at Laguna Seca. This weekend brings some of
the best vintage racers out from all over the world to the beautiful Laguna
course where you can see them driven in anger and also get up close to them in
the paddock. These run through Sunday so you can visit nearly any day and see
plenty of action. Every year has a featured marque which draws out the finest
from the particular stable which can be really neat if they have your brand of
choice on offer.
Friday
Werks Reunion. This is the mother of all Porsche shows
outside of the every now-and-then Rennsport Reunion. This show used to be part
of the Legends of the Autobahn show but this year the Porsche Club of America
organized their own show at Rancho Cañada Golf Course just off Highway 1 on
Carmel Valley Road. The show was mind blowing for any Porsche freak as over 500
cars showed up for the day. I can’t think of a Porsche model that was not
represented and there were some truly remarkable cars there including a new
918, the very first 911 produced, bent window 356’s, and a slew of real Carrera
RS’s and RSR’s. Best of all admission was free aside from the $10 I paid to
park in the church lot next door which I could have dodged if I wanted to walk
a little further. Great show and great job by PCA putting this one together.
Legends of the Autobahn. The Legends show is supposed to be
just German cars but I did see a few Czech Tatra’s slipped in for variety. This
show has free admission but they do hit you up at the Nicklaus Club entrance
for $20 in parking which seemed pretty sneaky to me. The parking was also awful
with access over rutted dirt roads and cart paths so don’t take anything with
low ground clearance or a long wheelbase to this one. With that said, there was
a nice variety of BMW’s, Benzes, and Audis on the show field which made for
interesting viewing despite the somewhat small turnout.
The Quail. One of the tougher tickets to get for the week is
one for this no expense spared show at the pristine Quail Lodge in Carmel
Valley. The show features an interesting variety of top-notch cars but another
big draw is the food and drink that comes along with the $400 admission ticket.
Oysters on the half shell, Beluga caviar, and top shelf champagne are all yours
as your stroll among the highly polished fenders. There are also special
interviews during the show with famous racing drivers and other car
personalities that are worth a listen.
Pacific Grove Rally. The PG Rally is a great cruise type
event that starts with a gathering and car show on Lighthouse Avenue and then
heads out around the Peninsula in formation. The rally ends with a BBQ downtown
and all sorts of cars are welcome with a focus on pre-’75 models. They were at
capacity this year with what looked to be about 300 cars so enter early if you
want to come along, Even if you don’t go on the drive it’s fun to check out the
cars as they assemble from about 1:00 until their 4:30 departure time in
downtown PG.
Saturday
Concorso Italiano. The serious show on Saturday is the
Concorso which is held on the Blackhorse Golf Course in Seaside. If you like
Italian gear, this is the place to be. Spendy tickets but you get to see nearly
everything from the Prancing Horse, the Raging Bull, and the Etceterini in one
place.
Concours d’ Lemons.
In counterpoint to all the other shows during the week, at the Concours
d’ Lemons, crap is king. The companion fender fondling event to the wonderfully
contrarian 24 Hours of Lemons racing series is great fun and takes place in
Laguna Grande Park in Seaside. You are guaranteed to see some sublimely awful
cars like AMC Gremlins and strange kit car variants all laden with heavy
patina.
Sunday
Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance. This is the weekend’s
main event and some of the world’s most beautiful and meticulously restored
cars can be found on the greens and fairways of the legendary golf course. The
dress code is fancier than most of the other events for the weekend so dress to
impress and plan to arrive early to avoid long waits in parking and for the shuttle.
If you want to see the cars drive in, you can join the 5:00 a.m. Dawn Patrol to
watch the cars motor into the show grounds from the Polo Fields. There are
usually coffee and donuts provided by sponsors and this gives you a look at the
cars in action although it is usually a little damp and cold. Tickets are a
little spendy at $150 but not as pricey as the Quail.
Non-car Fun
I know this is a little blasphemous, but there are many
things to do around Monterey during the week that don’t involve cars.
Monterey Aquarium. This is one of the best aquariums in the
world with many programs for little ones and fascinating exhibits. The food in
the café and restaurant are both really good so perhaps use this for an
afternoon stop or amusement for small folks in your party.
Kayaking/Ocean tours. There are many options for you to get
out into the spectacular ocean waters around the Peninsula be it in a kayak or
in a boat for a guided tour. Many operators provide this in the Bay itself or
up in Moss Beach which is the home of the Elkhorn Slough which is chock full of
interesting marine life. August is the time of year when migrating Grey Whales
pass by the coast on their way to Baja California so this is a great time to
book a tour.
Big Sur. Just south of Carmel lies the Big Sur region which
extends down the coast towards Cambria. Amazing scenery, excellent restaurants,
and beautiful camping and resort options make this one of the greatest driving
tours around. For a real thrill, you can try the Nacimiento-Ferguson Road up
over the mountains where you can make your way back to Monterey through the
Fort Hunter-Liggett Army Base and the Salinas Valley. There also a bunch of other great roads all over the Peninsula so get out and explore a bit if you can.
However you choose to experience the Monterey Car Week, you
certainly will come away a far more experienced and educated gearhead. So get
on the road and enjoy before Car Week 2015 passes you by!
Links and References
VRBO www.vrbo.com
Airbnb www.airbnb.com
Concours on the Avenue www.carmelconcours.com
Carmel Mission Concours www.carmelmission.org
The Little Car Show www.marinamotorsports.org/events
Pebble Beach Tour/Concours d’ Elegance
www.pebblebeachconcours.net
Mecum Auctions www.mecum.com
Bonhams Auctions www.bonhams.com
Rick Cole Auctions www.rickcole.com
Russo and Steele Auctions www.russoandsteele.com
RM Auctions www.rmauctions.com
Gooding Auctions www.goodingco.com
Monterey Motorsports Reunion www.mazdaraceway.com
Werks Reunion www.werksreunion.com
Legends of the Autobahn www.legendsoftheautobahn.org
The Quail signatureevents.peninsula.com
Pacific Grove Rally www.pgrotary.org
Concorso Italiano www.concorso.com
Concours d’ Lemons www.concoursdlemons.com
Elkhorn Slough Tour www.whispercharters.com
