This year, I have decided to get a jump on telling everyone about the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach. The reason is simple. I get a lot of people complaining about my reporting after the fact simply because they would have liked the opportunity to attend. This seems a quite reasonable complaint, so I am going to outline the must-sees for anyone wanting to spend a week in Carmel, Pebble Beach and Monterey in August.
First, while the Concours is a one-day event, it is surrounded by a maelstrom of automotive events that range from cocktail parties at the Monterey Jetport hosted by Gordon McCall to several other concours and car shows and a number of high-end classic car auctions.
So, let me start at the beginning.
For the adventurous in spirit, the first event starts near Seattle, Wash. on Aug. 6. This is when the more intrepid car collectors gather and prepare to leave on the 7th for a fabulous winding drive along the coastal roads running from Seattle southward to California, arriving at Pebble Beach on the 15th. Cars in this tour are required to be models from 1968 and older.
For the less hardy adventurer, there are many events that start from Monday of the big week on to Sunday the 19th, including several other smaller concours and displays.
My time usually starts on Wednesday, when McCall throws an amazing party at the Monterey Jetport. Here, you will see incredible racing cars from all over the world on display with vintage aircraft. There are displays put on by everyone from watchmakers such as Breitling (I like the hats, but I can’t afford the watches — drat) to almost all the manufacturers of corporate, private and personal jets. These aircraft are virtual palaces with wings and really show how the other 1% lives.
After Wednesday evening, events begin in earnest. The Tour d’Elegance, which is comprised of three-quarters of the cars that will be competing at the Concours on Sunday, leaves the Polo Fields at Pebble early Thursday morning. A great insider’s tip is to turn up in the dark at around 5 a.m. You can cadge a free coffee and croissant and watch the cars being readied. Seeing 100-plus cars as well as their owners preparing for the tour is wonderful fun and it’s much better than watching them arrive in Carmel for lunch at midday. Of course, that is an option for those rising later.
Concorso Italiano kicks off on Thursday for those who want to see hundreds of red Italian cars. This is a magnificent display of Ferraris, Alfa Romeos, Lamborghinis and almost every other make of Italian car. It is a not-to-be-missed event for the neophyte.
You can also attend Laguna Seca, the famous race track perched in the hills above Monterey, for most of the week to watch vintage cars dating from the early 1900s to the 1980s as they hurtle around the tricky course. This is not a parade of old cars. These people are serious. It doesn’t matter if the car on the track is a 1908 Ford Speedster or a 1980s Formula car, the drivers are pushing the cars to their limits. This is a lot of fun and very noisy. You can also walk around in the pits watching the competitors readying their cars. That is amazing and takes a good three hours.
Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley hosts another one of the great events and, arguably, this is second only to the Pebble Beach Concours itself. This is McCall’s second event of the week, the Motorworks Revival, and it is held all day Friday at Quail Lodge. It is a fabulous gathering of about 2,000 people. Drinks are free (that is, after you have paid for your ticket — be warned, a ticket costs more than $400 and I believe they may already be sold out). Food and drinks are supplied by some of the most prestigious hotels and restaurants in California and beyond, so it’s not hot dogs and beer. You can also see hundreds of cars that are not seen anywhere else all week, so it is truly a great show.
As a minor diversion, Bonham’s auction tent is less than 20 metres from the lodge, so, if you get excited about classic cars, you can nip across the lane and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars at the auction.
Speaking of auctions, the most significant car auctions occur at this time. There are too many to list here, but the giant is Canada’s own RM Auctions located in midtown Monterey. It is spectacular. You can pay for admission tickets to wander around looking at the cars, but I believe RM packs the great hall in the hotel so full of bidders that casual observers can’t get in. No worries, though, because you can stand outside and watch the cars queuing up and hear over the loudspeakers and see the entire proceedings on big screens.
Right across the road, the auction house Russo and Steele holds its event. The cars it will be selling line the streets around the hotel.
Gooding & Company is another large auction house, which holds its auction at the Polo Fields at Pebble on Sunday evening after the Concours. The cars are on display in Gooding’s tent for most of the week. They are absolutely worth seeing as they are always outstanding.
Both RM and Gooding usually field not one or two but multiple million-dollar-plus cars at these events, so getting in to see them at close quarters is quite an experience.
There are dozens of other small events from Ferrari and Lotus manufacturer showcases to large automobilia sales, all worthy of attention. These also run all week.
Of course, the main event, which never fails to be breathtaking, is the Concours at Pebble Beach, located behind the Del Monte Lodge. It is the progenitor and still the main reason for the entire series of events.
If attending piques your interest, you can also tell your significant other that these events hold the interest and attention of even people who have no interest in classic cars. Add to that the attraction of spending a few days in one of the most beautiful parts of California, rubbing elbows with some of the richest people in the world, the biggest film and television stars and famous car aficionados and this is a stimulating week for anyone.
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