By Gary Anderson
The classics are coming to Monterey
Classic car enthusiasts from all over the world will gather in Monterey Aug. 14-18.
If you have any interest in vintage cars of the show or racing variety, this is the place to be.
Don’t even think of getting a hotel room at this late date, however. Every room on the Monterey Peninsula was booked last year by those auto fans who make this an annual pilgrimage. Fortunately, we are close enough to take day trips down to enjoy specific events.
Here’s a short list of what’s on offer and some inside tips on the activities.
The Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (west of Monterey on Highway 68) have practice sessions Aug. 16 and races Aug. 17 and 18.
Unlike professional races, the paddocks are open, allowing you to get close to these vintage race cars and chat with their owner/drivers.
Many of the drivers will be at the track for practice races this weekend, a good alternative to the real thing since the admission is less expensive ($10) and traffic and parking won’t be a problem.
Corvette will be the featured marque.
If you think the best color of car is Italian Red, then the Concorso Italiano is worth savoring. It takes place 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Aug. 16, at Quail Lodge Resort on Carmel Valley Road.
If you go, be prepared to leave early or stay late, since traffic to Route 1 will have to pass through a single lane at the Carmel Valley Road stoplight.
The centerpiece of the weekend is the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance on Aug. 18, one of the top 10 shows of its type in the world.
At $100 per person for admission, it isn’t cheap, but the million-dollar cars arrayed across the 18th fairway behind the Lodge are incomparable. Even at that price, crowds are shoulder-to-shoulder by noon and concours traffic is only matched by the major Pebble Beach golf tournaments, so go early. Use the Carmel/Pacific Grove 17-Mile Drive gate to avoid the back-ups on Route 1.
In fact, many aficionados arrive by 6 a.m. at the Polo Field where the big transporters are parked.
Like seeing the circus elephants unloaded at the train yard, there is a particular pleasure in watching these beautiful cars come out of their vans and fire up their engines in the early dawn mist. It costs nothing and you can be gone by the time the crowds arrive.
Or you can go to Carmel Aug. 15. A good selection of the Pebble Beach show cars will take a morning drive around the Monterey Peninsula and park on Ocean Avenue for lunch. Seeing the cars in this setting with their owners relaxing around them costs nothing and is well worth the trip.
Vintage cars are also bought and sold at auction during this weekend. For a small admission or catalog charge, you can attend one of these auctions and get an idea of how this market works. RM Auctions presents close to 1,000 cars for sale at the Doubletree in Monterey with viewings Aug. 15-17 and auctions the evenings of Aug. 16 and 17.
Bonhams presents its cars for sale at Quail Lodge Aug. 16 with viewing all day and the auction starting at 5 p.m.
Through the whole weekend, the Blackhawk Exposition displays a fine selection of vintage cars for sale near the Lodge at Pebble Beach. At the nearby Equestrian Center on the evening of Aug. 18, Christie’s auctions a selected group of cars with viewing starting Thursday.
And everywhere on the peninsula that weekend, you’ll see cars stuck in traffic that you rarely see outside the pages of car magazines. From Astons to Lamborghinis to Zagatos, it isn’t who you are, it’s what you drive that matters on this annual tribute to chrome and lacquer on four wheels.
Anderson is editor and publisher of British Car Magazine, published bimonthly and distributed internationally from offices in Los Altos (949-9680; www.britishcar.com).
