The Greatest Collection of Cars in America in One Place for One Weekend

Monterey County, California, will host the greatest collection of historic cars all from August 15 to August 19. The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and Monterey Motorsports Reunion, formerly called the Monterey Historics, combine during the week to rival any collection of rare cars than anywhere in the world.

The Pebble Concours d'Elegance

In addition to the classic cars, Pebble Beach will host the American introductions of the Ferrari F12berlinettaFerrari F12berlinettaItaly, 2012 > present16 photos
1 video
and new Aston Martin VanquishAston Martin Vanquish Gen.1 [AM310]United Kingdom, 2012 > present22 versions
70 photos
. LamborghiniLamborghiniItaly, 1963 > present32 models
1447 photos
19 videos
is bringing the UrsusLamborghini UrusItaly, 2012 > present12 photos
and Sesto ElementoLamborghini Sesto ElementoItaly, 2010 > 20106 photos
concepts. It will be the first time that they have been shown in the US. There are even rumors that McLarenMcLarenUnited Kingdom, 1963 > present92 models
1883 photos
12 videos
will be showing the F1McLaren F1United Kingdom, 1992 > 19986 versions
21 photos
successor behind closed doors to wealthy clients. 

The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is all about looks and perfection. The event is set on the famous Pebble Beach golf course that rests on the cliffs bordering the Pacific Ocean. It highlights perfect examples of the most rare and unique vehicles ever made. The featured marques this year are cars of the Maharajas, MercerMercerUnited States of America, 1906 > 19253 models
, FiatFiatItaly, 1899 > present159 models
4864 photos
35 videos
, Saoutchik style and German motorcycles.

The 928 four-door looks rather awkward. No wonder it was not built

© photo courtesy of: Porsche

Since 2001, the concours has become increasingly popular with luxury carmakers to show their latest models and concepts. The two events in Monterey bring together some of the most wealthy auto enthusiasts in the US. Porsche has announced that it will bring one of two Porsche 928Porsche 928Germany, 1977 > 199510 versions
15 photos
four-door concepts. A Porsche 550Porsche 550Germany, 1953 > 19563 versions
3 photos
owned by Jerry Seinfeld, a 356 Super CoupePorsche 356 B 1600 Super ...Germany, 1963 > present1 photo
and the Porsche 959Porsche 959 'Dakar'Germany, 1985 > present2 photos
that won the Paris-Dakar will be at the Porsche display. Porsche will also race a 917kPorsche 917KGermany, 1971 > 19713 photos
at the motorsports reunion. 

CadillacCadillacUnited States of America, 1902 > present79 models
1234 photos
2 videos
is bringing two V16 FleetwoodsCadillac V-16United States of America, 1930 > 19402 series
6 versions
42 photos
from 1934 and 1937, respectively, to the show. The Fleetwood was a made-to-order car that was built during the Depression. Very few were completed and each is unique. The 1934 Roadster is painted cream and recently sold at auction for $962,500. The black 1937 Fleetwood Phaeton sold for $1,001,000 at auction. Of course, Cadillac's modern lineup of cars will also be there. 

The two Cadillacs marque a high point in American design

© photo courtesy of: Cadillac

“The Cadillac Phaeton 5859 and Roadster 5802 are literally unlike any other vehicle ever built. The Cadillac design team is still inspired by these two vehicles as we dream and conceive of future Cadillac entries," said Clay Dean, Cadillac design director.

The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance began in 1950 to support the Pebble Beach Road Race, which ran from 1950 to 1956. The concours continued after the race ended and only missed a few years in the 60s due to weather. The Monterey Motorsports Reunion for vintage racecars began in 1973 at nearby Laguna Seca. Since then the two events have built on each other to become one of the premiere historic automotive events in the world. 

The Monterey Motorsports Reunion

The motorsports reunion is separated into classes by year comprising roughly every decade. Some time periods have multiple classes for different types of cars. For instance, Can-Am cars and Trans-Am cars are separated but the cars come from the same years. There are also single-make classes, usually for the year's featured marque. For 2012, the featured marque is CobraShelbyUnited States of America, 1965 > present7 models
135 photos
. This year there will be special races for Cobras, Formula Atlantic cars from 1974 to 1980 and Winston Cup Nascars with disc brakes from 1974 to 1990. 

In addition to its high quality of cars, the race is known for its strict rules. Any contact between cars is met with a 13-month ban from the event, which prevents that driver from returning to the track the next year.

The Auctions

What if you go to Monterey County for the events, but want to bring a car home with you? Not only does Monterey host two of the best historic car events in the US, during the same weekend there will be some of the best collector car auctions in the US going on at the same time. RM, Russo & Steele and Mecum will all hold rare car auctions during the weekend. As we have covered, the auctions include Ford GT40sOpel SpeedsterGermany, 2000 > 20051 serie
2 versions
3 photos
, Porsche 917sPorsche 917Germany, 1969 > 19817 versions
28 photos
2 videos
, a 1954 Ferrari 750 Monza Spyder Scaglietti and a variety of other rare cars from all over the world.

The historic automotive weekend in Monterey should be on the bucket list of any automotive enthusiast. Unfortunately, it is not inexpensive. Advanced tickets to just the Concours d'Elegance are $200 each or $250 on the day. Tickets to the Monterey Motorsports Reunion are $70 in advance for Saturday and $60 in advance for Sunday. Tickets at the gate are $20 more.

We will be covering all of the big news from the events here at Autoviva.