Last year’s Monterey Car Week was an incredible good time, with all sorts of hilarious adventures (and misadventures). We saw some fascinating cars and even helped fix a rare $2 million Fiat we found on the side of the road. We’re going back this year and we’d love to know what you’d like to see/learn/understand. Let us know below!
Monterey Car Week isn’t just one event, it’s actually a bunch of incredible festivities all roughly happening around Monterey Bay. If you love cars, it’s nirvana. Even the parking lots/side roads are full of fascinating vehicles.
The big three events are the Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca (my favorite event), The Quail A Motorsports Gathering (a mix of vintage and new reveals/exotics), and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance (the biggest event of the weekend and, arguably, the most important collector car show in the world). There are a ton of other more niche meetups and gatherings as well. Here’s a schedule with just about everything.
Oh, by the way, here’s how we got there last year:
The amazing video team we share with (borrow from) Galpin put together this great short film to show you what Pebble Beach is like:
Some of my personal favorite moments were just wandering around auctions with Jason, David, and Beau. Each one of them has such a deep knowledge of cars and, because they all have slightly different car tastes, each one has a whole area of automotive history that the other two don’t. I hope some of the video above gives you a taste of what that’s like. Here, check this out:
The other fun thing about this event is going with Beau because everyone knows/respects/admires him, so it automatically makes us look way cooler (we were trying to get into an event and a PR person was like “You know if you just mention Beau’s name that’s like a golden ticket.”) Let’s just say we didn’t always have doors open for us like this at the last place.
Our plan currently is to do the following:
- Drive up on Wednesday in a soon-to-be-publicly-revealed car. That evening we’ve got a special preview of a secret car that’s coming, which we can tell you about on Thursday.
- Hopefully go to the Monterey Historics on Thursday morning to see the Porsche 901 that Santa Clarita Porsche is racing. Then, maybe, test drive something super rare and new with Beau before hitting some of the auctions. That evening we’ll have dinner at the reveal for the car we can’t tell you about yet.
- Friday is The Quail and we’ll show you all the new reveals, new cars, and our favorite vintage cars.
- Saturday morning, Jason will be judging the Concours d’Lemons again, so if you’re there come and find us. We can all accept bribes on his behalf, just FYI.
- Saturday afternoon we’re hitting up Laguna Seca for some vintage racing action.
- Sunday morning is Dawn Patrol at Pebble Beach followed by the Concours d’Elegance.
- Sunday evening we make the long, tired drive back to Los Angeles.
[Editor’s Note: I hate that I’m missing the Woodward Dream Cruise. We’ll see if we can get coverage from a contributor. I love Woodward so much! But I know I’m gonna have a ball at Pebble. -DT]
We’ll be posting stories on the site as we go as well as on our Instagram account and on our Discord. If you’re there and find us we’ll give you a sticker. If you have anything you’d like to see specifically or, if you’re going to be there, let us know below. We’re not going to have a good time (though we will), we’re going to be your eyes/ears/fingers/tongues.
Also, as a personal aside, this reminds me that I’ve been here for a year because the first thing I did was going to Pebble Beach with everyone. This place is exactly as incredible as you imagine it is and I’m extremely grateful to Jeff/Beau/Jason/David for having me here and for Thomas/Mercedes everyone else for continuing to put up with me. Also, a huge thanks to the readers/members who help make this place so incredible.
-
Ford CEO Jim Farley Stopped By To Say Hello And Also We Have The Swankiest Ride To Pebble Beach [Member Post]
-
Experience The Magic Of Pebble Beach Through The Eyes Of A Couple Of Dirtbags
-
What It Was Like Driving The Wildest New Car At Pebble Beach: The Hispano Suiza Carmen
-
How Would You Have Spent $300,000 At Pebble Beach?
If you want to thrill an old man, photograph any early 30’s era Chevrolets you run across, with emphasis on the 32.
Thanks, Opa
i wan’t two under dressed balding nerds to just have a great time!
Hope to meet the Autopian crew at the Concours d’LeMons. Last year I met Jason there as he was photographing a Citroen 2CV taillight (not kidding). He was extremely gracious, despite not knowing me from Adam. (The Autopian secret handshake had not yet been finalized.)
If anyone’s coming before Wednesday, try these local-approved freebies that you don’t need to dress up to attend:
On Wednesday, The Little Car Show (100 cars, max 1.6 liters, minimum 25 years old) in Pacific Grove. Lots of cars you don’t often see (from VW Puma to Metropolitan to Peel Trident to Honda Acty). It concludes with a parade drive along the spectacular coastline so you can see many of the cars in motion.
On Thursday in Pacific Grove, “Legends of the Autobahn” for BMWs, Audis, and Mercedes-Benzes and a few obscure interlopers. This is car club sponsored, so there are many newer cars and restomods (maybe too many), but recent years have included obscure gems like a mint NSU Ro-80, a BMW 1600GT (AKA Glas) and a 1964 VW beetle with 22 original miles.
There are also a couple of automobilia shows (auto art, old magazines, brochures, model cars, books, etc.), one in Seaside ($20 charity donation) and one in Pebble Beach (free). I’ve picked up brochures or press items there for most of the obscure cars we had when I was a kid, which is cheap entertainment.
In the early 1990s I actually moved to Pacific Grove for a few years so I could always attend the Pebble Beach car show weekend. It was fun, fabulous, and expensive.
I’m jealous of your trip and hope you have a great time!
The woodward dream cruise
Like the list time, working on a car and not knowing how many millions it is worth 🙂
The views of pretty much average joes seeing things that cost multiple lifetimes of work history is refreshing.
Also what new cars look interesting.
Since you have a ride in mind, I will hold back the pick three cars from the collection to drive up in.
I’d like to hear about that not Oldsmobile Achieva that got itself redacted from a previous article because one of you had plans to bid on it. Any shenanigans that result at the car auction would be a very fun read as well.
I’m really hoping that Torch gets so excited pointing out the (awesome) license plate on the 1938 Peugeot Darl’mat that he accidentally bids and wins.
Glad to see the Concours d’Lemons is still on the list. It’s a great palate cleanser after losing track of how many McLarens you’ve seen driving around on the street.
I really enjoyed last years coverage so more of the same. And here’s an idea – Every Pebble Beach Class Winner gets a FREE KITTEN!
Great idea!
Dear Car Gods-
Please let the Autopian crew drive the Berkeley roadster they bought last year on the highway to Monterrey. The video of it should be absolutely terrifying. Plus, that much time with the throttle pinned should guarantee some emergency wrenching, which is always good content.
Amen.
It’s Monterey, not Monterrey, unless they’re making a getaway across our southern border.
My plans:
You’d be my hero.
I will be somewhere south of Carmel, wearing a Taillight Sushi T-shirt and watching as the rally comes cruising by.
Went last year and definitely worth it. No need to like and subscribe (there’s like five videos in the playlist): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz9vAXCznOI&list=PLfd3aSrqxwjwVCRO42cZG7Aw5M3QPzrw2
I suggest getting some polo shirts with the Autopian logo on the sleeve.
No, Autopian blazers in bright colors, like a 70s sportscaster!
Good idea.
Nah, Autopian Panama hats, in the proper shade of Autopian teal-blue with a reddish-orange hatband.
And a grille badge on the crown of the hat. A sticker won’t get the job done in this environment. 🙂
Bowling shirts, embroidered with cursive boomeresque nicknames like “Rusty” and “Taillight.”
This needs more love.
Those guys in the video “looking at a screw” just seem a bit too interested.
David Tracy on a surfboard, getting barreled.
Also, one or more zip-tie on a car on the Concurs d’I swear this is an investment. Show me the dirty underbelly, the black plastic market.
Bring the opossum and let it eat the rich.
As for coverage, MOAR PARSH MOAR PARSH MOAR PARSH! The Historics races are the best part, bar none, not even a contest. I’d love to see more weird vintage race car tech.
Also, if there’s a pristine 411 anywhere to be had for some reason, send pics. Any of the snooty hard-parked golf course stuff would be exponentially improved by a pootly Type 4 pooping oil across the green, so here’s hoping some incredible hero does it.
First, happy approximate first anniversary to you! That’s a good milestone. 🙂
I’m glad the team is going to Laguna Seca, and glad you call it by what I consider to be its proper name (not “$COMPANY Raceway Laguna Seca”). Looking forward to seeing the vintage race coverage!
Fun fact for the Trek fans: the Monterey Bay Aquarium (right next to Cannery Row) was featured in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
In the spirit of last year’s impromptu repair, I wonder if you guys could equip yourselves with small toolkits and see who you might be able to help: zip ties, Whitworth wrenches, JIS screwdrivers, nitrile gloves, JB Weld, etc. Everyone carries a different assortment of stuff to cover more bases. And it would be a great
excusereason to get some swanky leather tool rolls so you all look appropriately posh. 🙂That’s a good idea!
Now an AutoPeon tool roll is for sure on the must buy list. If ever offered. Just saying.
And if you really want to increase readers and clicks, well then the thing I want to see more of is hot babes. Maybe you could let us send in pics for a hot babe of the day. Please. More hot babes.Start today.
Especially hot babes washing/working on cars.
Hot chicks and cars go together like good weed and blueberry pie.
That’s a cool idea. I found out recently that there are people who attend ComicCon type events with a full complement of different types of tapes, needles and thread, and other items that might be useful for making quick on-the-spot repairs to cosplay. It only stands to reason that a mechanic’s equivalent would be present at an automotive event.
That makes a lot of sense: enthusiasts attending an enthusiast event using specialized knowledge and tools to help other enthusiasts. The tools and materials may vary. 🙂
I like that sort of collaboration much better than the snobby gatekeeping competitive nonsense.
David should raid a junkyard on the way and bring as many random spares as possible.
I want to see the look on the owner’s face after a priceless vintage Alfa Romeo comes roaring back to life just seconds after DT crawls under the transmission tunnel with a timing chain from a GM Sonoma in one hand and fuel lines stripped from a Pontiac Aztec in the other.
I would pay to see that!
I want to see a ‘61 or ‘63 Pontiac Tempest Safari. What are the odds?
I can’t hear “[19]63 Pontiac Tempest” without immediately switching to My Cousin Vinny.