Monterey CA car week - I'm sure there will be bikes, right?

gpzkat · Aug 12, 2023

Heading to Monterey for the car week, camping at Laguna Seca with paddock pass. Can't afford the Quail, the Pebble Beach Concours or Concourso Italiano but I will probably see more amazing cars around town and on the track than I've ever seen. Anyone been? I imagine there will be some nice bikes but I don't see any specific shows for them. I see they do them at another time in spring, as that's when they come out of hibernation from the terrible CA winters!

Schwany · Aug 21, 2023

Been many times to what used to be called the Monterey Historics and is now called Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Been once to the Concours d'Elegance, which is one heck of a party and a lot of beautiful cars.

Only bikes at Laguna Seca for the Reunion when I used to go were spectator rides. It is a car event.

I lived 40 minutes from the track and drove down each day. Took a lot of pictures like this:

Monterey CA car week - I'm sure there will be bikes, right?

I'm located too far away to go anymore. You should enjoy it.

gpzkat · Aug 21, 2023

Schwany said:
Been many times to what used to be called the Monterey Historics and is now called Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Been once to the Concours d'Elegance, which is one heck of a party and a lot of beautiful cars.

Nice pics! It was great, left mid-day Saturday, as my son's 1st day in college is today and the storm was threatening. It's not fun to tow in heavy wind and rain. I lived in Monterey in '83, big El Nino year. I went to the Presidio of Monterey language school. I've never seen weather so beautiful there, and it was great going back to my old haunts. My old favorite place for a gyro, International Market & Deli is still open.

The paddock was amazing. My son talked for a few minutes with Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, and sat in his Cobra. Farley took 2nd I believe, winning the first race and placing in 2nd. There were a few nice bikes in the paddock, but not a lot around the town.

A crumpled Ferrari 500 Mondial Spider sold at Sotheby's for 1.9M. The Sotheby's display was something to see. I took a lot of pictures, friend took tons with a better camera. Seeing the Pebble Beach drive by from Bixsby bridge in Big Sur was epic too.

Schwany · Aug 21, 2023

It is a fantastic event.

dave M · Aug 21, 2023

jpzcat, I've been in Carmel for nearly a month, I was on the PB tour in a 1934 Rolls-Royce PII and was also looking after cars in The Quail and Pebble Beach events. Wayne Rainey won best of show for the motorcycle class at The Quail with one of his world championship winning Yamahas (there were only four bikes in the class). I didn't see too many motorcycles around during the week, although some of the drivers use classic bikes to get to and from Laguna Seca in the heavy traffic generated by car week. If you go again Rob Talbot has a lovely little motorcycle museum (maybe around 120 bikes) just past Carmel Valley Village on the other side of the hill not far from Laguna Seca, you just drive over Los Laurelas Grade and turn left onto Carmel Valley Rd. There were some bikes in the auctions; I saw an MV Augusta 750 and a couple of other bikes at Goodings. My friend's son won the Ford trophy in an AC Cobra. It's always a great experience for classic car enthusiasts to visit the area at this time of year.

gpzkat · Aug 23, 2023

dave M said:
jpzcat, I've been in Carmel for nearly a month, I was on the PB tour in a 1934 Rolls-Royce PII and was also looking after cars in The Quail and Pebble Beach events. Wayne Rainey won best of show for the motorcycle class at The Quail with one of his world championship winning Yamahas (there were only four bikes in the class). I didn't see too many motorcycles around during the week, although some of the drivers use classic bikes to get to and from Laguna Seca in the heavy traffic generated by car week. If you go again Rob Talbot has a lovely little motorcycle museum (maybe around 120 bikes) just past Carmel Valley Village on the other side of the hill not far from Laguna Seca, you just drive over Los Laurelas Grade and turn left onto Carmel Valley Rd. There were some bikes in the auctions; I saw an MV Augusta 750 and a couple of other bikes at Goodings. My friend's son won the Ford trophy in an AC Cobra. It's always a great experience for classic car enthusiasts to visit the area at this time of year.

That's cool you were in the Tour D'elegance. You may have seen me near the bridge - I had my thumb out, but nobody (including you, grrrr) picked me up.

dave M · Aug 23, 2023

Is that Bixby Bridge? I was going to pick you up, but I worried how you would get back to retrieve your vehicle, so did you the favor of leaving you where you were! I took some video footage from the car, you might be in it. I'll have a look when I get back home to Hong Kong. What were you wearing?

gpzkat · Aug 23, 2023

dave M said:
Is that Bixby Bridge? I was going to pick you up, but I worried how you would get back to retrieve your vehicle, so did you the favor of leaving you where you were! I took some video footage from the car, you might be in it. I'll have a look when I get back home to Hong Kong. What were you wearing?

I was just kidding! Sorry my humor's something nobody seems to get haha

dave M · Aug 23, 2023

I was kidding too, Tom, so maybe we're both a bit 'off the wall'. By the way did you see a few classic bikes and was the trip worth it?

gpzkat · Aug 23, 2023

dave M said:
I was kidding too, Tom, so maybe we're both a bit 'off the wall'. By the way did you see a few classic bikes and was the trip worth it?

Haha, got me! I saw only a few bikes, mainly in the paddock. One that stood out was a Benelli 650 twin which I'd only seen in pictures before, it was immaculate. I camped at the corkscrew back in 2001 as well, Ben Bostrom took both WSB races. Camp area there used to be dirt but now is a few graded levels filled with rigs. Very nice place to spend a few days.

gpzkat · Aug 25, 2023

This is really enjoyable

gpzkat · Aug 28, 2023

My friend took some pics, I really like this Talbot Lago. When cars started to really get curvy and art-deco. The Alfa 8Cs, Delage, Delahaye, and Bugatti of that era always get my attention. Then of course the 50's Italian stuff, OMG.

Monterey CA car week - I'm sure there will be bikes, right?

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