Yahoo Autos Everything You Need to Know to Attend Pebble Beach and Monterey Car Week
You've been reading about it and seeing the gorgeous pictures from Pebble Beach, and now we're here to say that you-yes, you, the car enthusiast without a press pass or thousands of dollars to blow-can visit Monterey, California, in August for the best car event in the country. That is, as long as you understand it will be something resembling a destination wedding: food is outrageous, parking is insane, everyone is rich or trying to be-but fear not, this is something every car enthusiast needs to experience at least once.
We've compiled some of our favorite Pebble Beach car week events below in this handy guide, ranging from free to five-star. You're on your own for travel recommendations, but know this: Don't think about staying within 15 miles of the famous Pebble Beach Golf Links unless you'd like to drop $300 a night for the Econo Lodge.
Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
When? Sunday, August 18, 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Where? Pebble Beach Golf Links in Monterey; if you're in the water you've gone too far (map).
How much? $375 ($450 after July 31). Includes parking and shuttle. Children under 12 are free with an adult.
This is why you came: for the premier car show in the entire universe. The absolute best of the premium of the most distinguished cars come here every year, like the Ferrari 512 Modulo concept (above), and past show winners, among them designer Ralph Lauren, have to constantly keep up. If you don't go in, spectate at the Dawn Patrol to see the cars roll in starting at 5:30 a.m. Everything else on this list is secondary, and to make planning easier, we've listed the distance each event is from the 18th hole at Pebble Beach.
Carmel-by-the-Sea Concours on the Avenue
When? Tuesday, August 13, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Where? Downtown on Ocean Avenue in Carmel (it's by the sea, if you couldn't guess).
How much? Free.
Eighteen blocks closed to traffic with pristine classics on every block? That's a fine place to start a week in Monterey. This year, the show is highlighting cars from 1940 to 1973 along with Porsche and Ferrari models through 1989. Come back to this same spot on Thursday, August 15, to watch the Tour d'Elegance, in which dozens more owners will drive through and put the most miles on their concours cars all year. (We're talking 25 miles in total, so this is an especially rare moment.)
Automobilia Monterey
When? Monday and Tuesday, August 12 and 13, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Wednesday, August 14, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Where? Ballroom in the Embassy Suites in Seaside (map).
How much? $20. And you can come back.
Anything that can fill a case, garage, room, or closet that's not a real car is available to view or buy here. Models, posters, photos, signs-you name it, it's probably here. The show claims it scans for authentic originals and disallows reproductions.
Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
When? Thursday, August 15, to Sunday, August 18, hours vary but it's all day.
Where? WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Salina, 15 miles from Pebble (map).
How much? $40 to $170 depending on day or number of days (advance ticket price ends August 4, gate prices $20 extra). Parking and paddock access included. Camping allowed for $50 per day. Ticketmaster fees extra.
On one of the world's most famous racetracks-the downhill corkscrew is like nothing else-you can see more than 500 vintage race cars in real action. Many of them are beyond priceless, but these owners drive them like the battle-hungry machines they are. Each year the Reunion has a featured marque. For 2019, it's not a marque but a racing entity, the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. There are 14 race classes, including Trans Am, prewar, Formula Ford, IMSA prototypes, Formula 1, and too many other incredible starting grids that'll make you feel like the internet never existed. This alone is worth the trip.
Legends of the Autobahn
When? Friday, August 16, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Where? The Club at Pasadera in Monterey, 13 miles from Pebble (map).
How much? Free. Parking is $20.
This is the German version of Concorso Italiano. Now in its 10th year, this low-key show can be a big deal (BMW debuted the 328 Hommage and M4 GTS concepts on two occasions). Radwood, the millennial car meetups steeped in 1980s and 1990s vintage, will join this year and welcome all European cars and bikes from 1980 through 1999.
The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering
When? Friday, August 16, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where? Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel, about nine miles from Pebble (map).
How much? There's a waiting list, and we're betting you didn't sign up for the ticket lottery in January. But if you are one of 150 people willing to pay $2500 for a "charitable patron" ticket, there's still hope.
As with any proper noun that has a short phrase immediately following it, "The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering" should be a clue that your poor self is uninvited (we were, but we probably make less than you). A gathering would suggest a group of friends meeting for happy hour, just as Manchester-by-the-Sea would suggest a town in Massachusetts by the sea. In reality, the people who named these places want to deny inquisitive visitors like you in the politest way possible. But for those lucky or wealthy enough to be welcomed in, The Quail is as snazzy as car events get.
Concorso Italiano
When? Saturday, August 17, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where? Bayonet and Black Horse golf course in Seaside, about 14 miles from Pebble (map).
How much? $165, which includes parking and the 2019 edition of Concorso Italiano magazine.
Let's face it, you just want to see Ferraris. This show has them in spades, shades, and every which way the Maranello stallion has ever pranced over the automaker's 70-plus years of road cars. But you'll also revel in more obscure Italian cars, like the Fiat X1/9, Iso Grifo, Fiat Multipla, or, on the real deep end, the Pininfarina-bodied Cadillac Allanté. The show counts as many as 1000 cars, new and old, each year.
Concours d'LeMons Monterey
When? Saturday, August 17, 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Where? Seaside City Hall in Seaside, eight miles from Pebble (map).
How much? Free. "You'll get exactly what you pay for," the organizers say.
As the self-proclaimed "ugly oil stain" of Monterey's weeklong festivities, the LeMons crew-whom we know only too well-come to Pebble without large straw hats or anything resembling money. Terrible, ridiculous, and humorous vehicles are the order of the day. Nothing is serious, but it is. The LeMons events have huge followings across the country, and real sponsors including Meguiar's have stepped up to judge a car-detailing competition where the show's organizers have encouraged the crowd to wear chicken suits.
Parking Lots
When? All week from Monday, August 12 to Sunday, August 18.
Where? Everywhere.
How much? How much can you handle?
Sometimes the best shows are in the parking lot. We've found this many times over the years.
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