Every August, the Monterey Peninsula is the center of the world for car aficionados. It all started in 1950, when the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance was founded. Road Races came to the forest at the same time.
The weekend continued, but 1974 brought a big plus when Steve Earle founded the Monterey Historic Auto Races. For years, the British had enjoyed gentlemen-racing of obsolete race cars. Steve introduced us to the same idea.
Gradually, other events, including the competing Concours, car auctions and other car-related activities were started. Today, there’s a ten-day orgy of events that satisfy the appetite of car buffs worldwide. Auto manufacturers use this week to expose their latest products.
As your motoring correspondent, I’ll tell you what I saw and did this year.
The pristine black Fiat 1100
The 10-day long week starts with a race weekend at Laguna Seca known as the Pre-Historics. For this weekend we took four cars. The most humble was a 1953 Fiat 1100 sedan, an ex-rally car from Tuscany that is almost as fast as it is cute.
Alfa Zagato 1959
Since our whole family races, and shows cars as well, we had to hire a transporter to take our cars to Monterey. My wife raced our 1959 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato, an esoteric, lightweight Italian racer much treasured by knowledgeable car buffs. The Zagato coachworks, in Milano, specialized in lightweight racing bodies, starting in 1919. The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance celebrated Zagato’s 90th anniversary this year.
Cars on transporter, ready for Monterey
One of my sons raced a 1931 Chrysler CD-8 Le Mans roadster; the other, a homebuilt American 1950’s road-racer called Monsterati. Later in the week, we took the ’53 Fiat, and a twin showroom-stock ’53 Fiat to the Concorso Italiano, a 100% Italian Car Show held at the Laguna Seca Golf Ranch. Those Fiats competed with Volkswagen Beetles and Renault 4CV’s when new.
1960 Lancia Appia at The Quail
At the same time, Quail Lodge puts on an elegant car show known simply as The Quail. For that, we entered our 1960 Lancia Appia Zagato GTE, a bit of Italian esoterica that combined a small, economical engine with a lightweight, aerodynamic aluminum body. When new, they sold for more than a Jaguar or Mercedes 190SL. To say their appeal was limited is to put it gently. But today, they are treasured by the cognoscenti. Those of us who are lucky enough to own one wouldn’t sell for love or money.
On the same day these two shows occur, the Monterey Historic Races have their first day of practice. So those of us who want to “do it all” have to run like crazy from event-to-event.
1928 Alfa Romeo at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
This year, the pre-War race cars, including our 1928 Alfa Romeo 6c 1500 Sprint Zagato Spider, were invited to visit The Quail, complete with a police escort from Laguna Seca Raceway, over Los Laureles Grade, to The Quail Lodge on Carmel Valley Road.
After such a crazy Friday (three events), those of my generation go to bed quite early in order to rise early on Saturday, for a day of racing.
Our 1928 Alfa Romeo was out for an early practice with other cars built from the early 1900’s up to the late 1920’s. While the speeds we achieve wouldn’t sound like much if measured in miles per hour, when you’re in an 81 year old car, 60-70 mph feels damn fast. Those early Alfas were raced by one Enzo Ferrari, who later manufactured cars under his own name. Pre-War Alfas could be regarded as the Ferraris of their time.
Later in the day, my sons raced the ’31 Chrysler and the Monsterati, and our South American houseguest took over the ’59 Alfa Zagato. His son had entered his 1965 Shelby Mustang and, on the following day, gave the American entrants of similar cars a South American driving lesson.
On that same day, Sunday, we took the 1928 Alfa Romeo Zagato Spider to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it joined a select group of other Zagato-bodied cars from pre and post-War times on the lawn of Pebble Beach Lodge.
The Monterey gathering is unequaled elsewhere in the world. It’s a coming together of the world’s best cars and the most devoted auto buffs from every country. For those of us who treasure such things it’s the high point of our year.
New Cars
New Porsche Panamera
Porsche used the August week to premier its newest car, the Panamera. This is an especially interesting new car because it faces three challenges:
- It’s a new category for the brand, a four-door sedan which Porsche has never done before;
- It’s a controversial body design, a five-door hatchback unique in this price segment;
- It hits the market at a difficult time.
Nevertheless, having driven it, I predict the Porsche Panamera will be a success for three reasons. First, it’s an extraordinarily capable and pleasing car. Second, in my view at least, it’s quite acceptable looking. And third, being a Porsche, it enjoys a credible reputation. And Porsche’s sales expectations are modest.
The other significant new car exposed during “Monterey Week” was the Lotus Evora. Lotus has always succeeded with very lightweight, simple sporting cars. The Evora departs somewhat in that it’s quite handsome and well-finished, not always qualities that previous Loti possessed. It has a standard 276 hp Toyota V6, just like a Camry, deriving its performance from its light weight, rather than from a temperamental engine. So, it promises to be reliable, fast and good looking.
Not a bad recipe for success.
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