It’s that time of the year again. High summer on the West Coast of America, with all the world’s high-rolling car collectors and enthusiasts attending the annual ‘Monterey Week.’
Held around the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel Bay and Laguna Seca, the ‘week’ (having got into party mood with lower-key racing and testing at Laguna Seca this weekend, the 13/14) really starts on Wednesday (17th August) and finishes on Sunday (21st) with the world famous Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. There’s also the Concorso Italiano (Friday 19th) and the ‘Rolex Monterey Historic Races Presented by Chrysler’ from Friday to Sunday at the Laguna Seca racetrack, 60 or so miles inland from Monterey itself. Of course a massive part of the economy and vibrancy of the event is the auction scene, and the European blue-chip houses Bonhams and Christie’s have a presence at Monterey, with entries they hope will rival established North American players RM, Gooding, Kruse, and Russo & Steele.
This is the arena of truly jaw-dropping prices paid for exotica, and there’s really only one marque that time after time produces the goods in the US: Ferrari. Mix several stellar entries from Maranello together with pre-war Alfa Romeos and very ‘Pebble Beach’ Figoni et Falaschi-bodied roadsters and coupés, then add a measure of home-grown ‘matching number’ US muscle and you are sure to have another multi-million dollar Monterey.
Blackhawk Collection Exposition Sale, Pebble Beach
Wednesday 17th - Sunday 21st August
We explained this away last time as "Not really an auction but an ‘Exposition Sale’. That is to say it’s a free exhibition, and you can buy all the exhibits!" and there’s no reason to change this description. Over 80 cars will be ‘exhibited’, including a 1961 Aston Martin DB4/GT (chassis DB4GT0155/R) and this 1963 Iso Grifo A3Ll Prototype.
Please click HERE to see a full list of cars likely to be present.
For more information, visit www.blackhawkcollection.com.
Christie’s Sale at Monterey Jet Center
Thursday 18th August
We have an extensive preview of this sale elsewhere on Classic Driver, suffice it to say Christie’s are the first to go, and seasoned observers will be looking for a pricing trend to be set early in the week. There’s the fabulous 1961 Ferrari 250GT SWB ‘Breadvan’ on the Ferrari front, as well as the 1937 Talbot Lago 150C SS Teardrop Coupé and Herb Chambers Collection of Corvettes.
Please click HERE to see a full Motor Cars lotlist.
For more information, visit www.christies.com.
Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance? - Annual Tour d'Elegance
Thursday 18th August
As a prelude to the Concours, cars competing in Sunday's event are invited to partake in the 60-mile, Eighth Annual Tour d'Elegance. The event will start at 7:00 a.m. on the Portola Road in Pebble Beach and at 8:30 a.m. cars will begin their journey through the Monterey Peninsula, arriving for lunch at Devendorf Park in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea. Cars are then parked along Ocean Avenue for public viewing, before returning to Portola Road.
For more information, visit www.pebblebeachconcours.net.
Bonhams & Butterfields Sale at Quail Lodge, Carmel
Friday 19th August
The cover car from Bonhams’ weighty catalogue is the Ex-Autodelta/Racing Team VDS, 1966 Alfa Romeo TZ2 Berlinetta Competizone. ‘Refer Dept.’ for the price, but this jewel of a ‘mini-GTO’ is one of the author’s favourite cars and as only 10 were believed to have been built, is actually rarer than a GTO or Aston Zagato...
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Concorso Italiano, Monterey
Friday 19th August
The organisers state that "Concorso Italiano is a celebration of Italian style, centred around Italy's incredible exotic and classic automobiles and motorcycles. But the event is not just about cars -- it's about people, renewing acquaintances, making new friends and sharing a common interest." So now you know. Despite its Tom Sellick imagery, it certainly pulls in some fantastic Italian cars and is well supported by the relevant car manufacturers.
For more information, visit www.concorso.com.
Kruse Auction, Concorso Italiano, Monterey
Friday 19th August
Kruse will be selling around 40 mid-to-low-range classics at the Concorso Italiano venue.
For more information, visit www.kruseinternational.com .
Monterey Historic Races, Laguna Seca
Friday 19th - Sunday 21st August
The ‘Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races Presented by Chrysler’ will celebrate its 30th year at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in 2005, and is billed as ‘a tribute of motor racing history, historic automobiles and the people who made them’. Each year, more than 375 historic race and sports cars are entered in 14 race groups that span nearly every era of motorsports history. This year will see races that include 1965-1971 Historic Can-Am Cars, 1966-1972 Historic Trans-Am Cars and 1962-1965 Sports Racing Cars.
The feature this year is 'American Specials'; so expect to see examples of Chapparal, Scarab, Cheetah, etc. This is truly the premiere vintage racing event in North America. Sounds good.
For more information, visit www.montereyhistoric.com.
RM Auctions, Monterey
Friday 19th - Saturday 20th August
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The doyen of Monterey auctions, Rob Myers and the rest of the RM team are presenting what they describe as a ‘$40 million auction’ - their biggest so far. One of the entries is the 1964 NHRA Street Stock Championship finalist Shelby 289 Cobra...
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Russo and Steele Auction, Monterey
Saturday 20th August
We’ve previewed Russo and Steele’s Sale before on Classic Driver , describing in detail how one of its main lots, the 1965 Shelby Super Coupe 427 Daytona came into existence. They are several more Shelby Cobras (two ex-Team racing cars) and the usual array of classic American big-block thunder.
For European car fans there are a nice couple of Ferraris, a 1967 330 GTC, as well as a 1964 Ferrari 330 GT.
Please click HERE to see an initial lotlist.
For more information, visit www.russoandsteele.com .
Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance?
Sunday 21st August
The 55th Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is one of the world’s most celebrated and exclusive Concours. Both pre- and post-war designs mingle with the latest in concept car designs and big manufacturer presence.
The Best of Show prize in 2004 went to a 1938 Horch 853A Erdmann & Rossi Sport Cabriolet.
For more information, visit www.pebblebeachconcours.net.
The Pebble Beach Auction, presented by Gooding & Company
Sunday 21st August
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In addition to our recent feature on the catalogue-cover ex-‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ 1967 Ferrari 275 GTS/4 ‘NART’ Spyder, David Gooding has assembled a collection of cars, many of which look suitable to grace the lawns of Pebble Beach next year for their new owners...
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Text: Steve Wakefield
Main Photo: Tim Scott of Fluid Images
Other Photos: The Auction Houses
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