Monterey Week 2018: Day-by-day event guide

Held a week later this year thanks to the Pebble Beach Golf Links hosting the US Amateur Championship, the August get-together on the Monterey Peninsula is a highlight of the classic motoring calendar. Here’s the K500 guide to all the action.

Saturday 18 August – Sunday 19 August

Monterey Pre-Reunion, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

A great start to 10 days on the Peninsula. Nearly 350 cars will contest a variety of races prior to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, including those for 1947-1955 Sports Racing and GT Cars; 1968-1976 Formula 5000; 1973-1981 FIA, IMSA, GT, GTX, GTU; 1966-1972 Trans-Am and 1966-1974 Can-Am. Single-seater fans will also like the 1967-1984 Formula One race.

And all for 30 bucks a day with free parking and paddock access.

See www.WeatherTechraceway.com

Tuesday 21 August

Carmel-by-the-Sea Concours on the Avenue

Taking place from 10:00 to 17:00, for 2018 the free-to-the-public event will award a variety of trophies for cars in three distinct classes: multi-marques 1940 to 1973, Porsche 1948 to 1989 and Ferrari 1947 to 1989. It’s always an eclectic mix of American Woodies, Shelby Mustangs, 1960s Ferraris, Porsches from Speedsters to 1973 RSs, and other unusual and desirable machinery.

Last year’s Best of Show was the 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France Berlinetta owned by Fred Peters and Charles Betz, a car to be offered by Gooding & Co at its Pebble Beach auction in 2018.

See www.carmelconcours.com

Tuesday 21 – Wednesday 22 August

Automobilia Monterey, Ballroom of The Embassy Suites, Canyon Del Rey, Seaside, CA 93955

One of our favourites. Tony Singer brings around 45 international dealers of automobilia, posters, badges, models and rare books together for a ‘Mini Rétromobile’, held just 20 minutes or so from Carmel, just off Highway 1 and with easy parking. There’s always something to tease the dollars from your wallet and remember there are no reproductions, everything is original.

Admission is $20.00, good for both days.

See www.automobiliamonterey.com

Wednesday 22 August

Gordon McCall's Motorworks Revival, Monterey Jet Center, 300 Sky Park Drive, Monterey CA 93940

Now in its 27th year, Gordon McCall’s Motorworks Revival is the first of the week’s evening events, and there might still be time left to buy a VIP ticket. The party starts at 17:00, and for those who can stand the pace… goes on to 22:00, with gates closing to entry at 21:00. Expect to see a mix of new supercars, executive jets, WW2 warbirds, watches and designer jewellery, and many of the classics likely to be at auction, on the concours lawn or on The Track later that week.

See www.mccallevents.com

Thursday 23 August

Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance presented by Rolex

The police-escorted cavalcade of cars entered in Sunday’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is not mandatory for Concours entries. Some cars are just too extreme to drive on the road but, come Sunday, it’s normal that if two cars tie on points it will be the car that entered the Tour that gets the nod from the judges.

The organisers of Sunday’s event play their cards close to their chests, but from seven o’clock Thursday morning on Portola Road in Pebble Beach, pretty well the full line-up of concours cars is revealed, all ready to take part in the Tour. Last year that included Harry Yeaggy’s Ferrari 412P and at least one Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa – it’s anything goes and the Highway Patrol motorcycle outriders make sure that nothing gets in the way.

Barring the forest fires or landslips that have shortened previous Tours, the route from the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center runs out to Carmel Valley on 17-Mile Drive then returns by Highway 1 to a turnaround at the Ripplewood Resort and a drive back on 1 to Carmel for lunch.

Most view the Tour from a lay-by on Highway 1, but if you can find a parking slot (tricky!) the lunch stop in Carmel is fun. Waves of cars start from Pebble Beach at eight o’clock prompt.

See www.pebblebeachconcours.net

Pebble Beach RetroAuto™

Held from Thursday 23 August to Saturday 25 August, Pebble Beach’s highly rated automobilia event is held in the ballrooms of The Inn at Spanish Bay, 09:30 to 17:30. Entry is free.

See www.pebblebeachconcours.net

Friday 24 August

Bonhams auction, Quail Lodge. Auction at 10:00 (preview Wednesday, Thursday, Friday). See www.bonhams.com

'The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering', Quail Lodge, Carmel Valley

The tickets are hot and if you haven’t got one now, well, it’s a case of going along to Bonhams and seeing what you’ve missed through the fence. A highlight is the lunchtime visit by police-escorted cars from the WeatherTech Raceway, Laguna Seca – yes, even Lola T70s and GT40s…

As part of the model’s 70th celebrations, expect to see some top-notch Porsche 356s. Other highlights include: The Alois Ruf Reunion; The Great Lancias; 50th Anniversary of the Lamborghini Espada and Islero.

See www.signatureevents.peninsula.com/en/motorsports/motorsports

RM Sotheby’s auction at the Portola Hotel & Spa and Monterey Conference Center. Auction at 17:30 (preview Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday). See www.rmauctions.com

Gooding & Co auction at the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center, Pebble Beach. Auction at 17:00 (preview Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday).  See www.goodingco.com

Saturday 25 August

Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, from 23 August to 26 August.

Saturday is the traditional day for visiting The Track, the recently rebranded WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, a sinuous course set in the desert a few miles inland from the coast. The big plus to European eyes is the range of cars that never make it across the Pond.

The organisers like to mix it up – perhaps frustratingly for us out-of-towners – so the Trans-Am and Can-Am cars only appear every two years. If you’re travelling to the Peninsula this August, your luck is in: both appear on the schedule, the fire-breathing saloons on Saturday, the unlimited-capacity sports-racers on both days. All will practice on Friday.

Another favourite is the race for 1960s GTs with a focus on American-built Cobras, Shelby GT350s and Corvettes. It’s event 6B on Sunday and, like all the other races on Saturday and Sunday, is run twice in one day. The action never stops.

Do check out the timetable and make your plans. It starts off chilly, then can get very, very hot – take plenty of layers, water and sun-block. We can’t wait – it’s a highlight of the week.

See www.WeatherTechraceway.com

Concorso Italiano®, Black Horse Golf Course in Monterey Bay, from 09:30 to 17:00.

A big event for those interested in all things Italian, be they cars from Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini, or food, fashion and wine. More of a modern car event and less ‘old school’ than others – gold chains, stilettos and cigars not always a prerequisite.

See www.concorso.com

Concours d'Lemons, Seaside City Hall, 440 Harcourt Ave, Seaside, 93955 CA. From 08:00 to 13:30.

Describing itself as “an ugly oil stain on the Pebble Beach Auto Week”, the event rejoices in the “oddball, mundane and truly awful”. If something like the Wayne’s World AMC Pacer floats your boat, this is the event for you. Not worthy!

The Concours d'Lemons is the antidote to stuffiness and the best part is that the show is free for participants and spectators, “so you’ll get exactly what you pay for”. It does come recommended.

See www.concoursdlemons.com

RM Sotheby’s auction at the Portola Hotel & Spa and Monterey Conference Center. Auction at 17:30 (preview Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday). See www.rmauctions.com

Gooding & Co auction at Pebble Beach Equestrian Center. Auction at 11:00 (preview Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday).  See www.goodingco.com

Sunday 26 August

Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

For many the Fairway to Heaven, it’s the event that in 1950 first set the Monterey Week ball rolling. Winning at Pebble is the pinnacle of achievement on the concours field and we guarantee that the cars lined up on the famous 18th Fairway will be the best of their type in the world.

Will a post-War car ever win again after Jon Shirley’s 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti Coupé scooped Best of Show in 2014? Who knows. In 2017 it was Bruce McCaw’s 1929 Mercedes-Benz S Barker Tourer that only came out of restoration a week earlier.
 
This year, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will include the following marques and special classes: Motor Cars of the Raj; Rollston Coachwork; OSCA; Tucker; Postwar Custom Citroën; Vintage-Era Sporting Cars; Eisenhower Era Dream Convertibles. Plus the usual classes for Duesenberg, Pre- and Post-War Preservation, Ferraris, American Classics, Antiques and many more.

The action starts early for the famous ‘Dawn Patrol’ for entrants. At 10:30 the Field is open to spectators, and the awards are presented from 13:30 onwards. It all finishes around 17:00 when Best of Show is announced.

See www.pebblebeachconcours.net

Monterey Week 2018 auction schedule:

Mecum – sales Thursday 23 August to Saturday 25 August. Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa, 1 Old Golf Course Road, Monterey, CA 93940. Gates open at 08:00. Auctions at 10:00. See www.mecum.com

Worldwide Auctioneers – sale Thursday 23 August. Pacific Golf Municipal Golf Links 77 Asilomar Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA 93950. Auction at 17:00 (preview Tuesday and Wednesday). See www.worldwide-auctioneers.com

Russo & Steele – sales Thursday 23 August to Saturday 25 August.  Downtown Monterey on the waterfront by Fisherman’s Wharf, 290 Figueroa Street, Monterey, CA 93940. Auctions at 17:00. See www.russoandsteele.com

Bonhams – sale Friday 24 August. Quail Lodge, 8205 Valley Greens Dr, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923. Auction at 10:00 (preview Wednesday, Thursday, Friday). See www.bonhams.com

Gooding & Co – sales Friday 24 August, Saturday 25 August. Pebble Beach Equestrian Center, Corner of Stevenson Drive and Portola Road, Pebble Beach CA 93953. Auctions at 17:00 Friday 24 August, 11:00 Saturday 25 August (preview Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday).  See www.goodingco.com

RM Sotheby’s – sales Friday 24 August, Saturday 25 August. Portola Hotel & Spa and Monterey Conference Center, 2 Portola Plaza, Monterey, CA 93940. Auctions at 17:30 (preview Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday). See www.rmauctions.com

You can download a complete lotlist of all cars offered by Bonhams, Gooding & Co and RM Sotheby's sorted by make and model HERE.

Photos by Tim Scott of Fluid Images / K500