Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and Monterey Auto Week

August 11-15, 2010

A tradition going back over half a century, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is where the world's collector cars meet and compete. Only the 175 best collector cars in the world roll onto the legendary 18th fairway at Pebble Beach, and only a handful of those will receive official recognition for style, technical merit and historical accuracy.

But the Concours is only the final event in a packed week celebrating the classic automobile! All over Monterey County, classic cars take to streets, golf courses, parks and the world-renowned Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, surrounding visitors with automobiles from yesteryear.

Need to experience Monterey Auto Week on a budget? Make sure to refer to our Concours on a Shoestring page.

Auto Shows

Auto shows and rallies throughout Monterey County offer car fans the chance to see historic and rare vehicles up close, with peeks both inside the car and under the hood.

Dine In Di-Vine

Carmel Valley's Chateau Julien combines classic cars with haute cuisine from Tuesday, August 10 through Saturday, August 14. Visitors can dine amongst the Sangiovese vines at the winery, then peruse the vintage cars on display while enjoying the dessert lounge. Each night emphasizes a different type of car; see the Chateau Julien website for information on prices and themes.

Ferrari FCA Vintage Concours

Chateau Julien exhibits Italian style during the Ferrari FCA Vintage Concours on Thursday, August 12. View over 125 Ferraris, browse the lifestyle booths, and dine on Italian food while drinking wines from Chateau Julien.

Pacific Grove Concours Auto Rally

On Friday, August 13, from 1pm to 5:30pm, Lighthouse Avenue in Pacific Grove will feel like a trip back in time during the Pacific Grove Concours Auto Rally. Over 200 cars will participate at this event, which is free for spectators. At 6pm, cars will cruise the streets of Pacific Grove; at 7pm, participants and spectators can enjoy a barbecue dinner at Chataqua Hall ($20/adults, $15/children 12 and under). Entry fees from participants will benefit Pacific Grove Youth Action.

The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering

Test drive top luxury cars and view the finest in automotive design at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering on Friday, August 13 from 10am to 4pm. Themes include Featured Milestone Cars of 1934, 45 Years of the Shelby Mustang, Alfa Romeo Special Coachbuilders, The Great Ferraris and more. Tickets, which can be purchased online, are $400 and include a gourmet lunch, fine wines and liquors and admission to the Bonhams & Butterfields auctions.

Concorso Italiano

The legendary Concorso Italiano, with special guest designer Leonardo Fioravanti, makes its home at the Laguna Seca Golf Ranch. Celebrate all things Italian with displays of Italian fashion and art and great Italian food and music, as well as over 800 Italian cars. To celebrate the unveiling of the new Fiat 500, there will be a special gathering of classic Fiat 500s and 600s at Concorso Italiano. This year's event will be held Friday August 13th, 9am-5pm.

Concours d'LeMons

Craving Pintos, Pacers and Corvairs instead of Porsches, Ferraris and Rolls-Royces? For an auto show that is the reverse of everything the Concours d'Elegance holds dear, head to Toro Park on Saturday, August 14 for Concours d'LeMons. "Celebrating the Oddball, Mundane and truly Awful of the automotive world," this auto show has classes including "Rust Belt American Junk," "Der Self-Satisfied KrautenWagen, "Needlessly Complex Italian" and "Rueful Britannia." This year's show includes an Auto Jumble for those seeking to sell obscure car parts, or find them! Last year's "Worst of Show," a 1980 KV Mini 1, had to be towed 1000 miles to the Concours d'LeMons. Who will be the lucky winner this year?

Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

The banal term "auto show" hardly befits the most elegant exhibition of classic automotives in the world. Only the finest 175 classic cars will be allowed onto the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach Golf Links during this event. The culmination of a week of classic automotives, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance features the Bugatti and Bentley marques and opens to spectators at 10:30am on Sunday, August 15th. Purchase tickets on the official Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance website.

Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

While seeing classic cars on a golf course may be a treat, watching them compete on one of the world's finest racetracks is a can't-miss experience. See historic cars in motion at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Watch the practice races on Thursday and Friday, August 12-13, and races by car class and era on Saturday and Sunday. The fun goes from 8:45am until 5pm every day. Tickets can be purchased at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca website.

Auctions

Visitors with deep pockets who want to do more than look at the cars can attend auctions throughout the week.

Pebble Beach Auction Presented by Gooding & Company

The Pebble Beach Auction is one of the premier automotive auctions in the world and has set many world records. The auction itself takes place on August 14th and 15th, but window-shoppers can admire the breathtaking displays of automotive magic beginning on August 11th.

Bonhams and Butterfields at the Quail

Bonhams and Butterfields offers up opulent classic vehicles and memorabilia during the Bonhams and Butterfields at the Quail auction at Quail Lodge Golf Club on Thursday, August 12 and Friday, August 13. The public can peruse the cars on offer by purchasing a catalog from Bonhams and Butterfields.

Mecum at Monterey

Mecum will auction 225 investment-grade vehicles at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa on August 13 and 14. The preview, held Thursday through Saturday, is free to all spectators.

Sports & Classics of Monterey

Fine classic cars and unique sports cars, including a dedicated Ford-themed auction, will be auctioned at RM Auctions' Sport & Classics of Monterey at the Portola Hotel & Spa, August 12-14. In total, over 200 investment cars will be auctioned off. Preview passes are $40; a $200 bidder registration includes two preview passes, two auction passes and includes an auction catalog.

Russo and Steele Sport & Muscle

The best sport and muscle cars will be auctioned off at the Monterey Marriott on Thursday, August 12 through Saturday, August 14 during the Russo and Steele Sport & Muscle 10th anniversary event. Preview cars at the Calle Principal Garage throughout the event. The event includes a cocktail recpetion on Thursday, August 12 before the first auction from 3pm-5:30pm.

Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance

Spectators on roads around Pebble Beach and Carmel-by-the-Sea will be transported back to the past as classic cars participating in the Tour d'Elegance drive by on Thursday, August 12. The tour will depart Pebble Beach at 8:30am and follow 17-Mile Drive and Highway One to Ocean Avenue in Carmel-by-the-Sea. The cars will be displayed from noon to 2pm on Ocean Avenue, and then will return to Pebble Beach. For some of these vehicles, successful completion of the Tour will be their key to a win in Sunday's Concours.

Art and Accessories

Seaside's Embassy Suites hosts Automobilia Monterey, an exhibition of original vintage posters, hood ornaments, signs, scale models, and much more, all connected to the history of the automobile. Many items will be for sale; there will also be a silent auction.

Visitors to Pebble Beach can enjoy Pebble Beach RetroAuto, an exhibit showing not only automobiles from the past, but photos, tools, and other objects associated with automobiles of yore. The RetroAuto pavilion is open from 10am to 5pm on Friday, August 13 and Saturday, August 14 and 8am to 6pm on Concours Sunday.

The Automotive Fine Arts Society exhibition at the Concours d'Elegance on Concours Sunday features paintings, sculptures, and other works of art by talented creators. This exhibition takes place on the show field.

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