First Week in California
Shortly after arriving on the West Coast we jumped into our hire car and hit the road; driving north from Santa Monica to Monterey, on the world famous Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Our hire car of choice, to accompany us north on our California leg is the iconic V8 Mustang Convertible. There’s an old saying; ‘Nothing goes faster (or off road better) than a hire car.’ This is a cynical reference to the detachment many of us might have towards a car you have no responsibility over, in regards to its long term wellbeing and maintenance. I’ve never test driven a new Mustang. I’m sure the Mustang (brand new) is a quality vehicle, having had many millions spent on its R&D. But our car, rather unfortunately, feels like its suspension has prematurely aged. I’ve even detected a drive line noise/vibration coming from the tail shaft. All this from a car registering 10,000 miles on the clock!
Throughout out five hour journey we were flanked, passed, or overshadowed by expensive, exotic or very rare classic cars. The closer we got to Monterey, the more spectacular the road traffic became; even the hotel car park resembled a race paddock or classic car club rally meet up. Car spotters and professional photographers were everywhere, enjoying a target rich environment. Car Week in Monterey is one of the biggest events in the global automotive calendar. The biggest problem you’ll face here, is trying to decide which event to attend; as there are thirty-nine events in the one week period, so your choice requires some careful, even heart-felt consideration.
So, after much deliberation, these are events we have attended so far;
Carmel Concours
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Tour
Retroauto
For the self-confessed petrol head, eye candy is everywhere! There are some special cars, others are here by invitation, some on their own accord, some have travelled from all over the U.S and, indeed, the world. Classic cars share the streets and car parks with road cars in complete safety, and treated with the utmost respect. In some of the older parts of down-town Monterey, it feels like you’ve stepped onto a movie set from days gone-by.