Yahoo Autos 2024 Pebble Beach and Monterey Car Week Live Blog
Reporting and photos by Rich Ceppos, K.C. Colwell, Drew Dorian, Ezra Dyer, Joe Lorio, Caleb Miller, Tony Quiroga, Elana Scherr, and Dave VanderWerp
You'll never see more street-parked supercars, history-making race cars, and exquisite classic cars than during Monterey Car Week. It's the year's best car spotting, with I've-never-seen-one-of-those-before finds seemingly around every corner.
The week is so jam-packed with overlapping events that it's impossible to see them all, but we're fortunate to have a group of editors heading to California for the festivities, and we’ll share as much as we can with you here. Check back often as we bring you all the updates. —Joe Lorio
Sunday, August 18
It just like stacking cups in Wrigley Field’s bleachers, only heavier. –K.C. Colwell
Best name: "Vestibule Suburban." That's the model designation of this 1916 Pierce-Arrow 48 B-4. —Joe Lorio
In a few hours the Best of Show winner will roll off the podium with a more valuable car and a new watch. Rolex awards the cream of the concours with a Perpetual 1908 in yellow gold with a brown alligator leather bracelet. The $23,000 watch is exactly like every other 52508–the reference number in watch speak—Rolex sells with the exception of a special engraving on the clasp. The engraving commentating the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is on the clasp and not the case back because the 1908 features a sapphire glass exhibition case back. –K.C. Colwell
Land Rover brought a collection of SUVs that belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom. Not every day you get to be in the presence of actual automotive royalty. –Drew Dorian
Race cars aren't made for idling around car-show paddocks. Here its minders are pumping oil into this CLK GTR in preparation for a very brief firing on the concours lawn.
Race cars and concours don't mix, part two: Driver and BMW PR man Tom Plucinsky drove the McLaren F1 GTR onto the lawn—its V-12 sounded otherworldly as he gave it some revs for the crowd—but shut it down before reaching its parking spot to keep it from overheating. —Dave VanderWerp
Believe it or not, this is a car. The 2016 United Nude Lo-Res Car, to be exact. –Drew Dorian
Overheard on the lawn at Pebble: the American owner of this 1955 D-type Jaguar race car telling the judges that he exchanged some 1400 photographs of D-type mechanical details with the British restoration shop working on the car in the pursuit of an absolutely authentic restoration. —Rich Ceppos
Scenes from Dawn Patrol at Pebble Beach, early Sunday morning. –Dave VanderWerp, Caleb Miller
6:30 a.m. Waking up before the sun had risen to see the cars roll in for Dawn Patrol was undoubtedly worth the minimal sleep I got last night. As the fog slowly dissipated, machines from nearly every decade crawled up the lawn, from horseless carriages trundling along and sounding their "ahooga" horns to 1920s luxobarges smoothly gliding past and ‘50s race cars roaring by. There was even some fairly modern metal, including a McLaren F1 Le Mans racer that let out a riotous shriek from its V-12. –Caleb Miller
Saturday, August 17
9 p.m.: Czinger party, Carmel. –Joe Lorio
Group C prototypes from 1981–991 were racing at Laguna today. The coolest of them was this Mazda 767B. Running a four-rotor Wankel engine, it is the predecessor to the four-rotor 787B that won the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans. The engine lets out a scintillating high-pitched scream as it races past that’s unique and instantly recognizable. —Rich Ceppos
Caleb Miller and I snuck away from Laguna Seca this afternoon to live out our M5 dreams in a silver E39 M5 and an F90 M5 CS. We found some excellent roads just outside Carmel, which were tight, twisty, and mostly CHP-free. What surprised us the most was just how far sports sedans have come since the E39, which was considered a benchmark in its day. The F90 doesn't have the steering feel of its predecessor, but it’s absolutely ballistic exiting a corner and it's hard to keep up with it in the older model. –Drew Dorian
Hello, old friend. – K.C. Colwell
Another year at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, another Monza livery to love. –Elana Scherr
Whoever had Hans Stuck’s Jäegermeister March used as a tent anchor on their bingo card, you’ve won! – K.C. Colwell
1:18 p.m.: Heading toward the track, we spotted a Mustang with an original Dan Gurney for President bumper sticker. Back in the day, Car and Driver nominated the legendary race driver, friend of the magazine, and all-around great human being for POTUS. Our electoral strategy was heavily based on the dissemination of stickers. (It was a simpler time.) Besides his exploits on the track, Gurney also piloted a Ferrari Daytona with Brock Yates to a win in the infamous Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash. —Rich Ceppos
Once again, Bring a Trailer hosted an alumni gathering in the infield at Laguna Seca. –Joe Lorio
Amazing livery spotted at Laguna Seca this morning. Someone must be a Harry Gant fan. –K.C. Colwell
11:30 a.m: For an antidote to Pebble Beach stuffiness, I highly recommend a trip to the Concours d'Lemons in Seaside. I knew I was in the right place when I tried my luck at getting into the VIP section, where the velvet rope is manned by a bouncer with a clipboard and nobody's name is on the list. ("The most exclusive VIP section in Pebble Beach," as it's billed.) I was rejected, of course, but shortly thereafter I saw that a guy dressed as a pirate got in because he presented a document that read "License to do whatever I want." That's how things work at Lemons.
The cars lived up to my expectations too. There was a Power Wagon that used a Jack Daniel's bottle as a coolant expansion tank, a shortened VW bus with flamethrower exhaust that was roasting hot dogs, and a Bricklin that rolled with steam billowing from the hood, fully overheating. I told a friend to meet me by the Pontiac Aztek and later realized I should have specified which one. On the passenger seat of a Mercedes diesel, one entrant conspicuously placed a bottle of champagne and a notebook opened to a victory speech. I didn't stick around to see who won Worst of Show, but in my opinion, they're all winners. –Ezra Dyer
The new Corvette ZR1 and a '63 Corvette Grand Sport.—Joe Lorio
11 a.m.: Last night I attended the premiere of Edith: Volcano Ascent, the documentary about Porsche's quixotic mission to drive to the highest altitude that a car could conceivably reach. That would be at Chile's Ojos del Salado volcano, the highest active volcano on the planet. The film, produced by TangentVector, was shot from 2020 to 2023 over multiple attempts at the record, and it's fascinating because it draws back the curtain on a condition Porsche doesn't usually admit or acknowledge: failure. The first two attempts at the record were thwarted by weather, and by the third attempt it was clear that there wouldn't be a fourth one. Of course, the record was broken, and Romain Dumas drove Edith made to an altitude of 22,093 feet, so there's a celebratory conclusion. The Porsche fans at the Golden State Theater ate it up, and when the film ended the crowd poured out to swarm the celebrity parked outside: Edith herself. —Ezra Dyer
Inn at Spanish Bay, 8 a.m.: When the Pagani won't start, that draws a crowd. –Joe Lorio
This passel of racers at the Monterey Motorsports Reunion from the early 1900s stopped us in our tracks. This is back when the helmets were leather, wheels were often wood, and seatbelts were nonexistent, yet the speeds could still reach triple digits. They’ll be doing exhibition laps around Laguna Seca but not a full-blown race. –Dave VanderWerp
Here at the infield of Laguna Seca for the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion there is an incredible collection of vintage race cars, including a Chaparral 2, a Shelby Cobra Daytona coupe, and Dan Gurney's Eagle Indy car. Meanwhile, the sounds of vintage Porsches and Lotuses echo against the surrounding hills as the races have already begun. —Caleb Miller
To celebrate Honda’s entry into Formula 1 60 years ago, the company hauled its 1965 RA272–the first Japanese car to win a F1 race—out of the museum in Japan to run at Laguna Seca. However, to race at the Monterey Motorsports Reunion requires the driver to be belted, and Honda didn’t want to add this non-period-correct update, so it will only be running exhibition laps. Still, we can’t wait to hear the wail of its 13,000-rpm 1.5-liter V-12. –Dave VanderWerp
Friday, August 16
The cover came off the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Edition 130 Years of Motorsports. A non-homologated final version of the GT3 race car, with a 671-hp naturally aspirated 6.3-liter V-8. Only 13 will be built. —Joe Lorio
Which Brabus-fettled Benz for you? The Brabus 750 (née 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL63) or the Brabus Classic W111 cabriolet (a 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5)? If price factors into your decision, the Brabus 750 is $406,544, while the Brabus Classic is $798,000. —Joe Lorio
A few minutes with McLaren's chief design officer: In 2023, McLaren announced Tobias Sühlmann as the company's new chief design officer. For those who follow industry news, that was a big change, as most of the cars we know from McLaren, from 720 to Senna were designed by longtime lead pen Robert Melville.
I had a chance to chat with Sühlmann at The Quail, and while he can't yet point to any new designs (no comments on future product and all), he did tell me a little about the thrills and challenges of taking McLaren in a new design direction without losing the connection to the brand's 61 years of racing history.
C/D: What was your first act when you came on as McLaren chief designer?
TS: It was super important to grasp the DNA of the brand and a good thing about MTC [McLaren Technology Center], our headquarters in Woking, is that everything is there to study. From Bruce's McLaren's Can-Am to the F1 Le Mans winner—which is absolutely one of my highlights and favorites. You can see all the McLaren Formula 1 cars and look into all those details.
What did you learn from those racing cars, and the previous designs that you want to keep going forward?
Customers say our cars are very easy to drive, very intuitive. For example, no buttons on the steering wheel, you see the fenders, you know where to steer the car to, because you can see the wheels like in a racecar. We don't want to have screens everywhere and go from menu to menu to menu to find the air conditioner. Something like that is distracting.
What do you want to change going forward?
It's not a secret we want to grow the portfolio, something that is more than two seats and maybe also something that has more than two doors...
Oh, previous leadership was very against that.[chuckles]
The leadership team changed and we need to bring the brand into the future.
Are there any design preferences that you're hoping to bring to McLaren that maybe are not already a part of McLaren's process?
I would like everything to be cleaner. Really focus on the main key elements. I don't like decorations. I want to have things that are there for a certain reason. I like purposeful design, things that are there for a certain way to get the air in, to get the air out. I like the functionality and I want to showcase that. [He shows me a photo of a Concord airplane, and points out its clean lines and massive air intakes.] I don't like clutter. Let a surface breathe and show a nice sculpture, you know? —Elana Scherr
As the cover was pulled back at the U.S. reveal of the 2107-hp Nevera R, company founder Mate Rimac said his firm would start taking orders for it starting today. He also announced that the car had just taken the outright Nürburgring EV lap record. What’s more, frustrated with the current state of automobile racing, which Rimac says limits technological development, Rimac revealed that the company has a single-seater EV track car under development.
"Road cars have more technology than race cars," he said. Rimac said that the extensive use of advanced technology would make the future Rimac single-seater the fastest race car on any racetrack anywhere. –Rich Ceppos
5 p.m.: Am I here for interviews and news? Yes. Was I immediately sidetracked by the sight of a 1971 Jensen FF? Very much yes.
Those of you who read my column might remember that I own a Jensen Interceptor III, one of those Euro-body/American V-8 mashups that had a bit of a heyday in the '60s and early '70s with models like Pantera and Iso Grifo. Interceptors are head turners, with a surprising big-block growl in their elegant grand-touring bodies, but the FF is even more startling because it is one of the first production road cars to use a four-wheel-drive system—more than a decade before the Audi Quattro or AMC Eagle.
The Jensen's initials stand for "Ferguson Formula," after inventor Harry Ferguson whose successful tractor four-wheel drive system was later adapted to early Formula One and Indy cars, and eventually, Jensen Motors. Not only did Jensen attempt four-wheel-drive before most other car companies, but the FF also has a very early sort of traction control in the form of a Dunlop Maxeret mechanical anti-lock braking system. This was more successful on airplanes, but it's neat to see it applied to an automobile. Owner Daniel Crowley says the components of that system might be the rarest part on his already extremely rare car. Only 320 Jensen FFs were made between '66 and '71. –Elana Scherr
I built a Meyers Manx dune buggy with an identical body to this one (mine was gold metalflake) when I was in college. But it sure wasn't powered by a three-cylinder radial aircraft engine from Australia like this one. Mine had a plain old Beetle flat-four hung out back. My total budget for the entire car was $2500 ($17,000 in today's dollars). The same basic kit starts at $15,000 today. And then you still have to supply your own shortened Beetle floorpan, an engine, and all the necessary extras. I wonder what all that would cost you today?—Rich Ceppos
This wild machine is the Half11 from Oil Stain Labs. While it sits on a Porsche 911 tub, everything else is custom, including the LS V-8 stashed behind the cockpit. Porsche diehards, is this sacrilegious? –Caleb Miller
Despite just being unveiled today, this Porsche 911 Speedster is actually from the 993 generation of the 1990s. It's the product of Porsche's Sonderwunsch customization department and was commissioned by an Italian designer. It's only the fourth 993 Speedster ever built. –Caleb Miller
As a Buyer's Guide editor, i’m always thinking about practicality, and there's not a lot of that here at The Quail. But this Koenigsegg Gemera is a four-seat supercar with a trunk that can hold four carry-on suitcases. –Drew Dorian
Jack be nimble: detail on a Reinbolt and Christie–bodied 1937 MG SA, part of the 100 Years of MG display at The Quail.
And a Lancia, a Maserati, and a Citroën show that classics aren't totally shut out in the crush of new exotics at The Quail. —Joe Lorio
Karma Automotive, which emerged from the collapse of the original Fisker Karma, showed the Ivara, a slick crossover design study.
And the E-Legend EL1 is here, an electric homage to the Audi Quattro with a squat, assertive stance. We rode in a prototype of the 804-hp coupe in 2023.
Meanwhile, Cadillac just unveiled the Opulent Velocity concept, which looks forward to what the brand's V-series might look like in an electric future. The low-slung fastback features dramatic butterfly doors and is capable of Level 4 autonomous driving. —Caleb Miller
1937 Delahaye Type 145, about to be enveloped in the smoke from an Aston DB5. —Joe Lorio
11 a.m.: I just got to drive the what-might-have-been four-rotor Wankel Mercedes C-111 experimental concept car that debuted in 1969. Once you're inside—watch your head closing those heavy gullwing doors—it's surprisingly comfortable. And it rips: the Wankel makes about 350 horsepower and sounds unlike anything this side of a Mazda Le Mans car. The dogleg five-speed is easy to shift, and you push a button on top to access first or reverse. Ultimately, Benz loved the rotary's performance but not its reliability, and that might even be the case now—there was a slight delay in the proceedings while someone went out to fetch more motor oil. –Ezra Dyer
The Quail has a mascot. Which is a quail. –Joe Lorio
Pink Citroën backdrop for a champagne-themed selfie. –Joe Lorio
9 a.m.: Touring Superleggera just pulled the covers off the sleek Veloce12, a modernized take on the Ferrari 550 that takes an analog approach with zero screens inside and a gated six-speed manual. Touring Superleggera started it up for us, the V-12 emitting a sharp shout into the crisp morning air. –Caleb Miller
Maserati revealed the GT2 Stradale, a track-capable, street-drivable version of the MC20 supercar akin to Porsche’s GT3. It’s heavily modified for additional downforce—it makes 800 pounds of it—and extra cooling of the engine and brakes. The front end is redesigned and includes massive hood vents for the front coolers, a dinner-table-size wing festoons the tail, and rear fender air intakes are upsized. Larger carbon-ceramic brakes and Michelin Cup 2 R tires on center-lock wheels complete the major mechanical revisions. Carbon-fiber buckets hold you in better in those fast track corners. —Rich Ceppos
Ruf's new all-terrain Rodeo sports car is here. To go along with the Western theme, they're handing out khaki-colored cowboy hats, but the real star is the bright orange $1.25 million coupe. -Drew Dorian
Most creative use of a sand trap award goes to Meyers Manx. –Drew Dorian
It's not just the Inn at Spanish Bay that has concept cars in the valet area. Here's the Hyperion XP-1 concept, a 2000-hp hydrogen supercar with 1000 miles of range, at Carmel Valley Ranch. –Dave VanderWerp
The supercar of lawn care? –Elana Scherr
Ran down to The Quail this morning to pick up a dozen Koneigseggs. —Rich Ceppos
Friday 7:15 a.m. More proof that the valet parking zone at the Inn at Spanish Bay has become a car show unto itself: Cadillac Sollei concept car is on display. –Joe Lorio
Thursday, August 15
Should we start a personalized plate contest? –Elana Scherr
6:02 p.m. Surprise celebrity guest at the 2025 Navigator reveal: Serena Williams. –Joe Lorio
If you want a multi-hundred-thousand-dollar car but worry about ground clearance, there are several restomod companies outfitting classic trucks in modern style. I had a brief go in a pair of Kindred Motorworks' Bronco builds.
The first, an eggplant-and-black-trimmed Trail Edition, aggressively stanced on 18-x-9 Method race wheels wrapped in BFG All Terrain T/A KO2 knobby tires, was powered by a 460-hp Coyote 5.0-liter backed by a 10-speed automatic. The second, retro in two-ton orange and white on chrome rollers, had a surprise beneath. It’s a prototype for Kindred's newest offering, a dual-motor electric conversion. I’d tell you how smooth and quiet the EV Bronc drove, but the rowdy V-8 one offered enough soundtrack for two. –Elana Scherr
18:18: Just got out of a quick spin up 17 Mile Drive in this '71 Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.3. There are many automotive experiences that pull my attention from the pristine fairways and manicured green complexes the likes of Cypress Point, Spyglass Hill, and the Monterey Peninsula Country Club, but the buttery-smooth W109 with the torquey 6.3—the real 6.3-liter that loans its digits to modern AMGs—is a wonderful combination. Put it in gear, and the whole car squats like a lineman given the set command, but then the little tach in the middle of instruments barely moves as you ease into the throttle.
Now I’m a W109 fan; yet another German sedan I want. —K.C. Colwell
Reflections on two hours in the riding mechanic's seat of a 1924 Mercedes Targa Florio race car: It's too small for 21st-century humans. I was wedged into the tiny left seat so tightly that I couldn't so much as move my upper body or use my phone. My feet were jammed against the left side of the footwell to give the driver room to work the pedals. The wind! A vicious, surprisingly cold headwind tore at our faces—my cheeks were flapping—and I wished we had been wearing more to protect our noggins from the gusts than baseball caps. The poor riding mechanic doesn't even rate the small windscreen in front of the driver.
I don't know how fast we went—maybe 50 mph tops, but between the engine roar and the stiff ride and being jammed in place for so long and the wind, when I climbed out my legs were so wobbly I almost fell over. It’s hard to imagine what the racers of the day went through competing on these beasts. What a ride! We were the very first vintage car in the Tour d'Elegance, and the throngs of people lining the route welcomed us by waving and shooting cellphone pictures. Made us feel like bona fide celebs. Great memories, with a side of windburn. –Rich Ceppos
Noon: We drove down the coast to Big Sur in a fleet of Cadillac Lyriqs for lunch, with a gorgeous view of the Pacific Ocean. While the route had a lot of traffic, we didn't mind being stuck behind prewar behemoths and every type of multimillion-dollar hypercar imaginable. We even spotted magnificent one-offs rolling past, including the Lancia Stratos Zero and the Aston Martin Bulldog. –Caleb Miller
I'm now at Legends of the Autobahn, a car show dedicated to German makes. A lot of interesting cars to see here. For example, this 1970 Mercedes-Benz 220D has a rotary car phone. –Drew Dorian
As it turns out, a recently restored Group C racer built for the road isn't really suited for the stop-and-go traffic that is the beginning of the Tour d'Elegance. Just as we cleared the resort property on 17 Mile Drive, the Lotech C1000 stalled, and all attempts to jump it failed. Pretty sure this Ram 3500 can say it's the only Cummins to come to the aid of a Lotech, for which a bumper sticker should be made.
In those roughly three miles, the car was never shifted out of first gear, and most of the drive consisted of coasting after slipping the clutch to 25 mph, as first-gear idle speed is about 30 mph.
Even with the electrical gremlin, the car was a huge crowd pleaser. Though one cop wasn't so smitten. He got on his blow horn and threatened to use his Explorer to push it out of the way should we not get it loaded on the trailer by the time he turned around. Smokey's threat turned out to be hot air, but I was prepared to lie down in front of the C1000 should it have come to that.
I'm excited to see this one-of-a-kind car on Sunday on the lawn. –K.C. Colwell
10:00 a.m.: Founder Horacio Pagani and son Leonardo pulled the cover off the Utopia Roadster at a small private event this morning, the first time the car has been shown in the U.S. Tomorrow it will be showcased at The Quail along with examples of previous Pagani roadsters.
It's as much art as automobile, but there's some serious engineering behind it too. One of the biggest challenges was satisfying customers' desires for a manual transmission. The dogleg seven-speed required Pagani to develop its own three-disc clutch to withstand the AMG twin-turbo V-12's 811 foot-pounds of torque. Upon seeing how tall I am (6'5"), Horacio insisted that he see how I fit in the car. It's snug but workable, and if I were a real customer the company would fit narrower seat foam and mount the seat slightly lower to accommodate me. –Dave VanderWerp
Heading into Lincoln's secret lair, a house high in the hills above Carmel Valley, to get a sneak peek at the new 2025 Navigator ahead of its reveal later this evening. —Joe Lorio
BMW just rolled out the first M5 Touring station wagon to be sold in the United States. Like the new M5 sedan, this performance monster is powered by a 717-hp plug-in-hybrid powertrain. It’s gonna absolutely rip! –Drew Dorian
We're a half-hour before the Tour d'Elegance rolls off. Some of the cars here will be on the Concours greens on Sunday. Three Mercedes lead the parade: a GT63, a C-111 experimental Wankel-powered supercar from 1969, and this 1924 Targa Florio race car—which yours truly will be riding in, in the seat where the riding mechanic once rode. –Rich Ceppos
120 horsepower from a supercharged 2.0-liter 16-valve four-cylinder 100 years ago is amazing. –Rich Ceppos
9:30 a.m: I woke up this morning to a pair of McLaren Sennas outside my hotel room, both impeccably specced. One is a Senna XP which sports yellow and green accents as an homage to the car's namesake, Brazilian F1 legend Ayrton Senna. The other has a color-changing ChromaFlair finish on its exposed carbon-fiber body, shifting from orange to blue to purple depending on how the light hits it. —Caleb Miller
It’s not all glamour and glitz. Spotted a Porsche hospitality crew working to remove some overnight graffiti from their block-long banner. –Elana Scherr
The rise of the Model T led to an immediate automotive aftermarket, including crates and bags that were intended to offer convenient hunting-hound storage. Pugs, on the other hand, prefer to drive. –Elana Scherr
When my host, Rolex, asked me if I wanted a seat in the Tour d'Elegance, I never expected I'd be riding shotgun in the one and only Lotec C1000. For those who don't know, it's got a Sauber-Mercedes 1000-hp twin-turbo 5.6-liter V-8, a five-speed manual, two seats, and windows that don't open. The carbon tub is essentially shared with the Sauber C9, a Le Mans Group C racer. The owner has driven it eight miles before embarking on the 70ish-mile parade. Wish us luck.—K.C. Colwell
8:00 a.m. It's always nice to see a grandparent out with a grandchild. —Elana Scherr
There aren’t many times besides Car Week when you would find three Bugattis, a Lamborghini, and a Koenigsegg parked outside your hotel! —Rich Ceppos
Wednesday, August 14
5:57 p.m. I am wounded that the Maserati Ghibli didn’t want to park right next to me and be besties. —Elana Scherr
I stopped by the Gordon Murray encampment (stay tuned for a deeper dive into the GMA cars, and a ridealong with Dario Franchitti in the T.50), but while I was there, chief creative officer Kevin Richards—a designer who has worked with Murray since the McLaren F1 days—showed me his inspiration for the color on the prototype T.33 Spider. It's a brassy metallic, not quite orange, not quite bronze.
"It's a kingfisher," Richards said, pulling up a photo of a long-beaked bird with a bold copper chest and turquoise wings. "And the white bits in the interior are like the white feathers around its chin." Inspiration comes from all around us. –Elana Scherr
Car Week is no longer a secret to the California Highway Patrol, and the CHP was out in force on all the main roads leading up from Los Angeles. Our crew, law-abiding as we are, seem to have made it up unscathed. Our sympathies to those who did not.
Blasting by with the A/C and stereo bumping and thinking, "Oh, he might be having even more fun."
Isn't it embarrassing when someone shows up at the party in the same outfit? Or maybe this is a couples situation, one for each. Relationship goals. –Elana Scherr
After checking into our hotels, Caleb and I met up in downtown Pacific Grove to walk through the Little Car Show. All of the vehicles here are tiny and cute. We met the owner of this Daihatsu Hijet, who bought it while stationed in Japan and then shipped it home to the States after his tour ended. He's since painted it bright red and put in a rubber bedliner. It's clear he's very proud of his minitruck. –Drew Dorian
Another highlight of the Little Car Show was seeing this BMW Isetta with its front-hinged door open, exposing its itsy bitsy pedals and minuscule gear selector. We were also surprised to find a purple 1993 Geo Metro LSi convertible in mint condition, quite the stark contrast to the dozens of supercars we've already spotted. –Caleb Miller
6:00 a.m: It was an early start for me as I had to get up to Monterey by noon for a scheduled interview. My ride was the special-edition Maserati GranTurismo PrimaSerie. You'll have to fudge some math to understand how a 2024 car can be a 75th anniversary edition of the first Maserati grand tourer (1947), but I'll happily accept a long birthday celebration from a car whose massive cargo area carried my "shoes only" suitcase along with rest of my luggage containing all the outfit changes required for Car Week.
The PrimaSerie uses the same twin-turbo Nettuno six-cylinder that powers regular GranTurismos, but it wraps it all in anniversary badging, contrast interior details, and matte silver metallic paint. I've received lots of compliments already, mostly from teens and drivers in work trucks—the most authentic sort. –Elana Scherr
I'm going to be heading to Monterey from Los Angeles in a caravan of vintage Porsche 911 Turbos, some more vintage than others. So far they've reprimanded me for drooling on this 993 out of the Porsche Museum. It’s not an S but does have the 450-hp GT2 engine, so it'll probably get out of its own way. All the cars are running on Porsche's synthetic biofuel that it makes in Chile, so I want to learn more about that too. Presumably we have a Cayenne somewhere towing a fuel trailer? I don’t know! I just got here. Time to head north. —Ezra Dyer
Stopped for lunch at the crazy Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. Three hours spent behind the wheel of the 1969 Mercedes-Benz 280SL reveal it to be comfortable, soft-riding, and easy to drive. For a 55-year-old car, it's a sweetheart. And so great-looking! —Rich Ceppos
Two hours to Monterey! It's my first time attending Car Week festivities and I couldn’t be more excited. Picked up this rad 2024 BMW M4 convertible in Velvet Orchid and am taking the scenic route down Highway 1. It's chilly, but I can't not have the top down, right? –Drew Dorian
I've made it to California, and now Cadillac is shuttling me down to Carmel in the back seat of an electric Lyriq, but not before I made an important pit stop for some In-N-Out. —Caleb Miller
UPDATE: I'm getting close! YouTuber Shmee150's Ford GT just cruised past me around 30 minutes outside of Carmel. —CM
Ready to drive some vintage Mercedes-Benz cars from LA to Monterey. The list includes a 1980 450SL, a 1969 280SL, a 2007 R63, a 1997 Renntech E60 RS, a 2017 Maybach S650 cabriolet, and a 2008 CLK63 Black Series coupe.
I’m in the 280SL. Woo-hoo! Let's go! —Rich Ceppos
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