Monterey Historics and Pebble Beach (page 2)

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Saturday Saturday allows a bit of a sleep-in, as the only major event going on is at the track. Number 4 will appreciate the later start most likely. Sure you can get there at 7 when the gates open, but the same cars that warm up in the morning sessions will be racing after lunch. It does get hot out at Laguna Seca, so some prefer to get their viewing in before lunch and stroll the paddock afterwards. Others reverse that and do their walking around early before finding some shady spot trackside for the afternoon. Either way you won’t be disappointed. The Rolex Monterey Historic Races presented by Toyota (at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca!) is way too long to say more than once, so everybody calls it The Historics or Monterey or the track. Take your pick.

From the infamous Corkscrew at seemingly thousands of feet above to the tight turn 11 that is often the scene of some last lap shunts that determine the outcome, this is a beautiful track. Shuttles and friendly fellow race fans will help you get around, but be prepared to do a lot of walking to really experience the whole thing. Just a tour of the paddock will set that pedometer a whir. But trust me when I say it is well worth the hike. The first time you round a corner and see a Ferrari 250 GTO sitting on jack stands, across from a Porsche 935 with full whale tail, you’re jaw will permanently set in an ear-to-ear grin. First time I went I thought there was a nitrous oxide leak with all of these dopey faced buffoons moping around. And then within 5 minutes I was one of them. Any fan of motorsports, of ANY variety, will find something to love at the track.

This year my first couple of sightings were of some early Can-Am cars. Enough to get my pulse racing before I even got all the way into the paddock. The cars are generally clustered by class and the marques tend to stick together, so that 250 GTO was flanked by a Testa Rossa, 412S, 250 LM, Daytona Comp, 166 Barchetta Vignale and so on and so on. The Porsche had a 910, 906, 911 RSR, and RSK for company. You can see where this can readily be described as a candy store, and you’re the proverbial kid. The most legendary racecars of all time are right there in front of you, close enough to touch. And even though some of them can fetch millions of dollars on the open market, they are about to go open throttle down the Corkscrew. And lest you think that it’s just Maranello and Stuttgart that are so well-represented, think about this: A quick look around would result in seeing a Shelby GT350R, 427 Cobra, Daytona Coupe (!), GT40, Cunningham, Corvette Z06 (that would be a1963), Indy Roadsters, Cheetah, or an IMSA GT Monza. And often several examples of each.

Favorite sight was a tossup between the Bugatti GP cars, the lineup of Can-Am cars, the classic Ferraris or the dozen Bentley racers from the ‘20s and ‘30s. And folks that’s just in the paddock. Walk out to the track and you actually get to see why names like Lotus, Aston Martin, McLaren and the like still carry a lot of street cred. These are the cars that help explain why people talk of heritage in such reverential terms. These companies were winning races when your grandparents were in diapers. Although the track action can get a little intense, these guys know that mangling a priceless racecar isn’t prudent. So expect a lot of passing, but few fender rubs or spins. Still, just hearing a blower Bentley at full wail, or a Cobra with its loud pedal fully depressed, a Ferrari LM revving to 7 grand, or a ’57 Indy champion being given the spurs is goose-bump inducing to even the saddest soul. And the experience reoccurs about once every two seconds throughout the day.

You’ll probably need a shower after all of that, so a stop back at the hotel is a good idea. While there you’ll have another chance to move up your list of dream dates. Number 3 will have to escort you into town for another night of auctions and/or partying. Regrettably, you don’t want to push it. As charged up as you’ll be from all of that track action it will be hard to call it a night, but Sunday is another day where the early worm gets the bird. Oh wait, I think I mixed that up.

Sunday Lucky lady number 2 gets the privilege of helping you narrowly miss scoring -- a Dawn Patrol hat. Given out by the Haggerty Insurance folks for the past several years, these hats are a sign of insanity and people wearing them should be avoided at all costs. This in no way is a reflection of our disappointment in the Haggerty folks running out before we got ours despite waking up at 4:30 and getting to Pebble’s 18th green by 5:30. The cheap bastards. I mean, come on, 50 hats? Don’t they remember that there were at least 200 of us last year? We suspect someone is covering his or her ridiculously expensive hotel room by shilling the rest on eBay as we speak. We kid. We love Haggerty. No, really. People who get to Pebble Beach sufficiently early on Sunday can get more than a silly, ugly, cheapass ball cap though.

Those getting their butts out of bed for the final day of festivities at the end of this long week of automotive erotica get to see each of the 180 or so contestants enter the grounds under their own power, usually. Sometimes it’s Deere power instead of horsepower as a motivating force, but seeing these incredible cars, many shown for the first time, file past you, while you watch the sun creep up and gradually light the bay beyond, is like nothing else in the world.  Drink it in, but don’t linger too long. Hustle over to the green and set up your lawn chairs and blanket for this afternoon. It might already be too late to get a good spot by the awards stage. Maybe send number 2 to take care of it while you head down the fairway to where the cars are being staged. Coming early means you’ll get to see the cars in their best possible light. The early morning sun is golden, there are few ropes stretched yet to inhibit your access, and there are very few people that bother to get up this early so you won’t have to fight as hard to get clear photos.

The plan here is to get in early, see everything you can and then go take a nap. Seriously. The awards won’t start until 1 and they tend to run for 4 or 5 hours. You’ll need your strength, especially if you decide to take in the Gooding auction at the end of the night. Taking a break here also allows you to return for the awards with your number 1 dream date. This is by far the top draw of the week and clearly deserves a special someone by your side. But for now we need to check out the cars.

It shouldn’t have to be said, but Pebble is a very special concours, perhaps the most prestigious concours in the whole wide world. First of all, it is an invite-only affair. None of the competitors is allowed to compete twice, with very strict exceptions. The vast majority are having their coming out parties after sometimes years of painstaking restoration. There are dozens of classes with 5-8 entries in each, but often a few of those are non-competitors here for display only. And every year there are featured marques.

This year there were special groups of Duesenbergs, Cords and Auburns. There was also a collection of some of the best Aston Martins ever created. Cars from the glory days of Brooklands racing were also featured as were cars with engines over 10 liters. And to top things off, the ’32 Ford was given a special nod in honor of its 75th birthday this year. Those little deuce coupes and roadsters never looked so good as when they were parked on the 18th at Pebble. Of course, these weren’t your everyday average rods either. The strangest part of seeing these cars at Pebble is that the owners don’t appear to look out of place in this setting. This isn’t a weekend burger joint meet after all, and the owners of these very special Fords know to dress the part.

And speaking of dressing the part, one of the thrills of Pebble is seeing the owners and handlers who often dress in period costume to accompany their rides. Kind of kookie, kind of fun, sort of like the Goodwood Revival. Picking a favorite car in this setting is a bit like picking your favorite element. Sure you can take the easy way out and go for the obvious choices (Carbon, Duesenberg SJ, Oxygen, Ferrari GTO), but every single entry plays a vital role in the history of Earth, or the automobile in this case.

A whole book could be written on each of the contestants, and in many cases they have. Not just the history of the particular make or model, but often that very vehicle. All one has to do is ask one of the owners or handlers a question about their pride and joy and you can often spend an hour or more being sucked into a fascinating tale of Rajahs and barns and Nazis and eBay and before you know it, you realize there are still 179 other cars to visit, each with a similarly engrossing tale attached to it. It’s really the most amazing show on Earth. And that’s what the awards ceremony shows us.

This year’s awards were the typical affair, hosted by emcee and sometime actor Ed Hermann, with Jay Leno doing a stint along the way to give away some raffle prizes. Considering each class gets a first, second and third place trophy, and that there are typically only three or four competing cars in each class, almost everyone goes home with something, which is nice. But when the confetti flies, it is for the Best of Show only. This year that honor went to the Mormon Meteor, a special 1935 Duesenberg SJ racer once owned by Salt Lake City's former mayor Ab Jenkins. Back in the day it set a 24-hour speed record at 135.58 miles per hour. That was in 1935. In 2004 it also sold for a record $4.45 million at the nearby Gooding Auction. Throw in that breathtaking 30-foot long bodywork, fresh from a major restoration, and it all adds up to this year’s champion.

After the last bit of confetti falls and the last flashbulbs pop, the winners are driven back to the fairway so the public can heap one last bit of praise upon them. This is also when the doors are opened to the public so they too can come in and see the splendor of Pebble. Another free alternative for the budget-minded. And as the public comes in we head out. It’s been another incredible year up in Monterey. From Tuesday’s Carmel Concours to the Quail Tour, the Jet Center Party, the Pebble Tour, the Russo Auction, Concorso, the Quail, RM, the Historics, and ultimately ending up at Pebble, it’s been a heck of a week. It has been exhausting, but so much fun, kind of like wining and dining your top ten dream dates in less than a week. The experience can be overwhelming, but if you take it one step at a time, and give yourself a week afterward to recuperate, you’ll come out of it with a lifetime of memories.

One last tip: If you plan on going, remember that hotels book quickly and are often extremely expensive during this week in August. One way to cut down on the costs is to take advantage of our free activity suggestions. Another is to split the cost of the hotel room by sharing it with a friend or ten.