Michael T. Lynch looks at an August Legend in Progress
Photos by William Edgar
Ferraris were thick on the ground Monday. Jeff Abramson’s 500 Mondial Pinin Farina roadster was one of the nicest.
The second edition of the Carmel-by-the-Sea Concours on the Avenue again led off the Monterey Peninsula auto festival week concours parade.
The CCotA continued the momentum established by last year’s inaugural that drew almost universal critical and public praise. Organizers Doug and Genie Freedman added a second day on Monday, limited to Porsche and Ferrari up to 1973. Tuesday’s format remained the same as last year, an amazing array of postwar cars up to 1971, ranging from Euro and American luxo barges to sports cars, road racers, hot rods and micro cars, with some beautiful trucks and motorcycles thrown in. To view the selection, displayed among the shops, galleries and restaurants that occupy Carmel’s distinctive architectural ambience, was a memorable experience.
Chuck Betz rides as passenger as his son, Brooke, brings their Ferrari 166 for the crowd to admire. This very early Ferrari originally had a Ghia coupe body. It now sports a replica Touring barchetta body. The car won the Robert J. Richards Continental Cup.
Last year’s CCotA offered the best entrant experience of the week, and this year’s was even more elaborate. There was all-day hospitality for entrants, volunteers and VIPs on Monday and Tuesday at the Il Fornaio restaurant in the historic Pine Inn, right on the Concours Avenue. In addition, there was a Monday night gala at the Carmel Plaza at the top of Ocean Avenue. food and wine from Bernardus, the world-class Carmel Valley resort and vineyard owned by Ben Pon, a former Porsche works racer and Olympic archer. His general manager, Michael Oprish, made sure no one left hungry or thirsty.
John Kirby-Miller brings his Porsche Speedster over the ramp. He bought this car new and raced it in SCCA events. He later competed in 31 straight Monterey Historic Automobile Races, retiring in 2007. John didn’t have far to come. His house is a few blocks from Ocean Avenue.
The traditional Thursday Ocean Avenue Motor Club luncheon was moved in time and place. It is now a Thursday evening extravaganza catered by Il Fornaio at the Sunset Center, Carmel’s performing arts complex, which covers two city blocks. Food, cars, wine and good company were all abundant, including a large Ferrari display as well as Bentley’s entire current line of cars. Significant examples of other marques were also on display. Further distractions included a car-oriented film festival, strolling magicians, book signings and too many others to mention.
The CCotA is not just about four wheels. Announcer Michael T. Lynch waxes poetic about Tom Leverone’s Vincent Black Shadow, while Master of Cermonies, Ed Justice, Jr. (sport coat) stands by.
Adding to the festive atmosphere all over Carmel during the week was the Concours in the Windows, a competition among Carmel businesses with a first prize award of $1,500 for the best automotive-themed window display. A special panel of judges ultimately picked an especially creative children’s clothing store, Starchild.
This 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, entered by the San Francisco Academy of Art University, was the victor in Detroit’s fin and chrome wars of the 1950s. Shortly afterwards, Bill Mitchell took over at GM Styling from Harley Earle, and the fins began to shrink. The big Cad won the Eric T. Bethel American Excellence Award.
Returning to Monday, Daniel Rodriguez, the former New York policeman, whose renditions of patriotic standards helped New York heal after the 9/11 attacks, again opened the event, this year with a rousing version of God Bless America.
Kevin Oliver brings Larry Bowman’s Cobra 289 USRRC to the Avenue, followed by a Nash-Healey. This Cobra won the GT class at 1964 United States Road Racing Championship events at Mid-Ohio (Bob Johnson) and Elkhart Lake (John Morton, co-driving with Skip Scott). It won Best of Show in Tuesday’s Carmel Concours on the Avenue.
Porsche and Ferrari enthusiasts sometimes share a mutual antipathy, but there was none of that on Ocean Avenue. The cars were divided by class and marque, and placed, alternating by make, along the Concours Avenue. The interchange between both owners and judges of the two marques was collegial, with both groups exchanging ideas and answering questions about their cars. It was an example of automotive camaraderie at its best and the collection of production, coachbuilt and competition Porsches and Ferraris was outstanding.
Only the Carmel-by-the-Sea Concours on the Avenue shows vehicles like this during Monterey week. This 1954 International Harvester R-140 Woodie was shown by Gary Cox. It is one of three built for the government to show Congressmen and other VIPs around missle silos in North Dakota. Obviously nothing is too good for the government when we’re paying.
Tuesday’s multi-make display saw families walking among the cars, remembering how similar models had spent time with near and far relatives. Another expansion of the event this year was two side streets off Ocean Avenue, which were named Heritage Avenue for the two days. Here, there were displays of Porsches and Ferraris from various clubs on Monday, as well as an outstanding selection of vintage Corvettes orchestrated by “Corvette” Mike Vietro, the authority on the marque. On Tuesday, the two streets were taken over by the Pebble Beach Sports Car Club and the Gold Coast Rod Club. To assure the finest possible spectator experience, the cars displayed on the Heritage Avenues have to be approved by the same car selection committee as those entered in the Concours on the Avenue.
Robert Lee drives across the ramp with his curator, Scott Bergan, to take Best of Show in Monday’s section of the CCA. This Ferrari Series 1 250 GT Cabriolet was originally built for Peter Collins, a factory Grand Prix driver.
The second edition of the Carmel-by-the-Sea Concours on the Avenue portends well for the future. The Freedmans have even more ambitious plans, having already established their event as one of the week’s must-sees. In the constantly changing environment of Monterey Peninsula’s week of celebrating the car, plans are always in flux.
The crowd, the cars and the wonderful architectural setting of the Sunset Center, site of the fabulous Ocean Avenue Motor Club celebration on Thursday night. Note the row of heat lamps, a signature item of summer in Carmel.
Presently, a format resembling this years Concours on the Avenue is scheduled for Monday (Porsche and Ferrari) and Tuesday (Multi-marques plus hot rods and motorcycles), August 10th and 11th 2009, with the Ocean Avenue Motor Club slotted on Thursday evening, August 13th. We look forward to seeing you there.
Terrific article and photos from an excellent team!
The Carmel Concours on the Avenue was two delightful days of wandering around fabulous cars and enjoying the restaurants and shops of Carmel. Anyone who wants to attend a truly special car event ought to book a couple of days on the Monterey Peninsula and wander on over. And it’s free . . . what more could one ask?
Ben (=Bernardus) Pon was champion in trap-shooting , a sport referred to in the USA as skeet-shooting. This is not the same as arching. Would have been nice to see Mr. Pon’s Porsche Carrera Abarth, now owned by Mr. Watts (and regularly “raced” at Laguna Seca) in a picture. Other than that a really nice article on this Concours.