We’ve spent a lot of time planning the best way to use our limited time of seven days of auto festivities and while that sounds like a fantastic ‘problem’ to have, it is a tough decision! The fact that there are so many interesting programs and events going on at once, meant spreading ourselves thin – leaving one event to attend another so we could cover more ground. But, with the end result meaning we could bring you more photos, then any decision is an important one.
Luckily, navigating our way around Monterey was not an issue, even with the increase in population in the area for Car Week – it was a lot easier than we expected. Even the popular Pebble Beach Sunday event was not a problem to negotiate as organisers had put in place a good transport plan. The crowds were not out of control so it was always easy to move around the greens and snap the photos you wished to take. Even if it had been over-crowded, a large number of people always adds an extra buss to the atmosphere – especially when so many go to the trouble of dressing in period costume.
It was never an issue finding car owners to talk to; in my experience, car people are the same the world over. They’re eager to talk and happy to be interviewed if it means talking about the cars they’re passionate about. While the cars are the main point of interest there are many times that the owners, with their unique personal stories, are just as entertaining. It was great to see so many owners dressing up in the era of their car, which adds an extra layer of fun and nostalgia by placing the car in its historical context.
It was great to come across some truly unique vehicles; many of them well- maintained. It was also great to see the ‘trailer queens’ ready for judging, and the spectacularly unrestored ‘Indiana Jones style’ barn-finds. Others were so fabulous that, even on their own, were worth the price of the ticket to fly half way around the world.
We spoke to one U.K owner at Pebble Beach who had gone to great lengths, and expense, to ship his lightweight Mercedes 300 SL Gull-Wing to compete in the Pebble Beach Concourse; only to fly his car back the day after the event. The Gull -Wing was originally sourced in New Zealand and then sent back to the U.K for a thorough restoration. At Monterey Laguna Seca, we interviewed the legendary Pete Brock who, amongst other things, designed the Shelby Daytona Coupe, and 63 Corvett. When we caught up with Brock he was busy signing autographs and taking inquiries on his new-to market ultra-light-weight car trailer. I’ve spent a lot of time moving vehicles privately to local and interstate events, so I really appreciated the layout and engineering of his transporter.
We found fellow Australian and race participant Chad Parish getting ready to run his Mustang on the famous circuit. We were also treated to a personal tour of the track with Mothers Care Products owners Jim and Renee Holloway. We drove Jim’s buggy to the top of the corkscrew and got a spectacular birds-eye-view of the track. Jim and Renee also took us on a personal tour of the Mothers sponsored Mazda Race team Marquee.
Some of the photos we have for you have come from the following events;
- Werks Reunion
- Retro Mobile
- Concourso Italiano
- Monterey Historic Racing at Pebble Beach
- Carmel Concourse
- Pebble Beach
