A Week of Cars

By Michael T. Lynch
Photos by Michael T. Lynch unless otherwise noted.

The Bugatti tour took participants as far afield as the Mission at San Juan Bautista, which also provided the set for the chilling tower scene in Hitchcock's movie, Vertigo. The red T35C of Hubert Fabri toured and raced in barn-find condition, a European comment on American over-the-top restorations. Photo courtesy of David Woodhouse

When enthusiasts leave for the Monterey Historics and/or Pebble Beach Concours, whether on a day trip or for a two-week stay, they have a pretty good idea of what they’re going to do. The two main events continue to be bedrock. The beauty of the weekend is the surprises one encounters, almost all good.

With the introduction of the 1001 horsepower Bugatti Veyron, there was plenty of parent Volkswagen’s money sloshing around the Peninsula during the week, all well spent on things like lavish dinners and transportation to bring Bugattis in from all over the world. Many of these took part in a two-day tour on Tuesday and Wednesday. On some occasions, the Bugs crossed paths with the Quail Tour, an established charity event.

The new Brock Coupe by Superperformance poses among the jets at Wednesday's airport party. Peter and Gayle Brock and Vicki Lynch stand in front of a Boeing Business Jet. For more information on the Brock Coupe, go to http://www.superformance.com.

Unless you took part in the Pre-Historics, the weekend before, most of the players made Gordon McCall’s Motorworks airport party the kick-off of the week’s social season.

Thursday was the Pebble Beach tour that winds through several Monterey Peninsula communities. This allows local residents a chance to see the Pebble Beach cars without having to pony up one hundred dollars on Sunday. The biggest crowds converged in Carmel, where the cars were parked while the drivers enjoyed a lunch in the park.

During the Pebble Beach Tour, three Bugattis and a Delahaye await their owners as the crowds circulate on Ocean Avenue in Carmel on Thursday. For many this is a free alternative to the $100 ticket price to see the cars on Sunday at Pebble Beach.

Nothing is certain but change, and Friday’s usual major event, the Concorso Italiano, was banished from its former location, the Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley. Peninsula Hotels has renovated that property and introduced a major new automotive celebration called, “The Quail” – A Motorsports Gathering.

Michael Kadoorie, the noted Hong Kong financier and philanthropist, whose Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels owns the Quail Lodge, is also a major car collector. Kadoorie asked Gordon McCall of the Wednesday night airport party to help create a new event that would be in keeping with the ambience of the renovated property. The team came up with a low-key event redolent of Pebble Beach thirty years ago.

Pebble Beach has become the world’s greatest Concours because of its strict judging standards. No rational person would want to see this changed, but these standards do create a certain amount of tension for the entrants. A left rear tail light that fails to illuminate or a balky magneto that fails to fire an engine can ruin a chance at a ribbon after having spent $250,000 on a restoration. Not all collectors find this a pleasurable circumstance.

Part of The Quail’s charm is that it provides an alternative. The cars tend toward racing and sporting marques, instead of the sometimes ponderous Grand Classics. This year, there were seven classes. They were aligned on the field in groups. The entrants in each group were asked to vote for the best car in their class, as well as being cautioned not to vote for their own car. Then the class winners were grouped and all entrants voted on best of show. No cars were poked or prodded by those pesky gentlemen in straw hats and blue blazers so familiar at Pebble Beach. The field was uncrowded and one could view the cars at one’s leisure. The $90 admission fee included a box lunch, perhaps the only inelegant note of the day. The organizers have already made plans for several buffets on the grounds next year.

Perfect weather, primo cars and motorcycles, the right crowd and no crowding and no sign of over-commercialization made The Quail a new force on the Monterey week calendar.

Entrants at the Monterey Historics were invited to be helicoptered from practice at Laguna Seca to see the new event. Even Steve Earle, organizer of the races, took the time to fly in and make a few remarks to the crowd.

Kadoorie and McCall are well connected in car circles and the quality of entry at the Quail should continue to grow from this year’s substantial base. Future plans call for exploring a dynamic display where spectators can see and hear the cars show their capacity on the road. Nothing is graven in stone yet, but think of an English Lord’s estate with a driveway that runs uphill. Such an event would complement Earle’s all-racing event and Pebble’s magnificent static display. With the resources available and the backing of prominent collectors, there can be little doubt that a major new event has arrived.

Saturday saw the thirtieth edition of the Monterey Historics. Earle added a race to his usual fourteen in order to accommodate the wayward Bugattis in the area. It was an amazing display, with forty-one cars starting and forty finishing.

Bugatti racers line up for a traditional portrait at Laguna Seca. The dual-tone blue tank in the foreground is the 1937 Le Mans-winning T57G. Unfortunately, its track time was limited to exhibition laps. Its sister cars, however, put on one of the best races of the weekend. Photo courtesy of David Woodhouse.

One little hitch in the Bugatti git-along took place while the Veyron was making some exhibition laps between races at Laguna Seca. The driver seemed to panic as he came over the start/finish rise and slammed on the brakes, resulting in a smoky spin down to turn one. Thankfully, the car didn’t touch anything, but the remaining laps were run at a reduced rate.

This year’s theme was Ford’s 100th anniversary, and Ford products managed to win four races with such well-known models as GT 40, Mustang, Brabham F1 and Cobra. A large number of former Ford racers from many disciplines were seen in the paddock.

One of the best things about Steve Earle's Monterey Historics is seeing things you never thought you'd see. Does anyone know the last time two Nardi-Danese were fighting for track position? Photo courtesy of David Woodhouse.

Sunday's Pebble Beach Concours was an outstanding edition with clear weather for the early arrivals. This year's show was spiced up by five different Bugatti classes including a display class of T57s that was jaw-dropping. The T57 line-up included uniform storyboards giving the fascinating histories of each car. The Bugatti invasion was complete when Best of Show was won by Peter Williamson's T57SC Atlantique. A fitting end to a storybook week for the cars from Molsheim.

The Grand Old Lady of the weekend showed she still has a sense of humor and something that had everyone smiling were the pre-war minicar classes that had entries like Austin 7s, American Bantams and BMW Dixis.

The long drive home allows time for reflection. As the winds of change blow through the week’s events, two things seem certain. The Concorso Italiano, reeling from organizational missteps in its first year at its new location, will continue to be the attendance leader on Friday. However, its reign as Friday’s most prestigious event seems to have ended in 2002.