Nowhere else is the car celebrated quite like it is in California
A whole week of classic cars? In California, “Speed Week” celebrates the beauty of cars every year in mid-August—with a whole host of events. These include historic races as well as the “Lemons” event, where owners of quirky cars bring the parade of wealthy clients and glamorous influencers back down to earth and give it a sense of authenticity.
At the heart of the event, however, are two traditional events: “The Quail, A Motorsport Gathering” on Friday—and the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach, which begins before sunrise on Sunday.
The Quail is even more exclusive. Unlike Pebble Beach, which attracts 15,000 visitors, only about a third of that number can attend here. To gain access, you must enter an online raffle—and only those whose names are drawn enjoy the privilege of purchasing a ticket for $2,000.
At the Quail, held on the grounds of a golf club, not only classic cars are on display, but also modern supercars and restomods. The whole event is staged as a grand garden party, complete with oysters and champagne. Four major themes are featured this year: The 100th anniversary of Route 66; the Lamborghini Diablo; the legacy of Japanese GTs—and the Ferrari F40. We can count a proud 14 examples of the latter.
Many manufacturers use The Quail to debut new models. Starting at 9:00 a.m., press conferences begin every half hour at the respective booths. This year, BMW Alpina is on hand to showcase the luxury brand’s design with the Vision BMW Alpina for the first time in North America; the Audi Nuvolari serves as a striking contrast. Companies such as Bentley, Porsche, Aston Martin, Cadillac, Lamborghini, Koenigsegg, Lexus, and Bugatti are also showcasing their vehicles to the very affluent clientele, which is always disproportionately well-represented at Quail.
Among the numerous restomods, there are, of course, designs that may not appeal to everyone—ones that are rather unconventional. Take Luminari, for example, where a Louis Vuitton interior has been somewhat obsessively installed in a Mercedes 190 SL: the sharp metal corners of the suitcases are attached to the seats.
Among the many hypercars on display, there are also innovative approaches, such as at Czinger, where entire chassis are designed using AI and 3D-printed. And companies like Gunther Werks, Singer, and Ruf are taking visually classic Porsche 911 models to new technical heights.
Saturday is traditionally dominated by test drives, racing, and networking; Sunday is all about the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach, Monterey’s pebble beach. Anyone hoping to snag one of the coveted Hagerty caps has to be there as early as 5 a.m.; when we arrive around 7:30 a.m., the fog still has the coast firmly in its grip. An impressive parade against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean: it’s still possible to enjoy and photograph the vehicles without too much commotion. And incidentally, this is also a rather significant edition: the Concours is taking place for the 75th time this year.
The latest concept cars and one-off models are on display on the lawn in front of the Pebble Beach Lodge. BMW is showcasing two impressive concepts: The M Concept Neue Klasse and the BMW Alpina Vision are being shown in North America for the first time. While the M Concept Neue Klasse has a sporty look, the Alpina emphasizes significantly more elegance and luxury.
Passing the lodge, we head to the main Concours exhibition. Even though we’ve already seen many high-caliber classic cars at events like the Mille Miglia or the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, Pebble Beach never fails to amaze.
Above all, the “Birth of the Streamliner” class once again underscores the unique appeal of this event: The second half of the 1930s was turbulent and brought major changes in automotive design, implemented with great creativity. With the introduction of the first wind tunnels and teardrop-shaped designs, automakers moved away for the first time from the upright body styles that were still derived from horse-drawn carriages. This gave rise to body styles of extraordinary extravagance and wildness.
At the same time, the Concours celebrates the Italian coachbuilder Vignale, known for elegant, handcrafted custom bodies built on chassis from various brands. The vehicles on display from the 1950s are characterized by the Space Age, featuring plenty of chrome, eye-catching panoramic roofs, and, in some cases, centrally positioned headlights: an era when there was still plenty of room for experimentation in automotive design. Incidentally, Ford has held the naming rights for more than half a century; most recently, this illustrious name served as a trim level for more mainstream models such as the Fiesta, Kuga, and S-Max.
Of course, Ferrari plays a major role—here, in fact, as the largest special vehicle category—and this is also where the most valuable classic cars are likely to be found. A 1957 Fiat 642/RN2 Bartoletti Ferrari race car transporter, featuring a supercharged 250 Testa Rossa and a 250 GTO, serves as the highlight. And the controversial battery-powered car known as the Luce also makes an appearance.
No less interesting are classes such as Early American Speedsters, Pebble Beach Road Racing, and automobiles from Royal India. And the class of Japanese Le Mans race cars presents itself as an impressive parade right along the coastline.
The cameras are rolling, more and more guests are flocking to the well-maintained beach, and finally, the sun breaks through the dissipating fog banks. By the end, 15,000 visitors are gathered on the peninsula’s beach. The event remains true to its character: there’s probably no better place to celebrate the automobile than here. (aum)
More info for topic: Monterey , Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance , The Quail
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