by Mike Gulett –
Monterey Car Week is not one big event it is many events, some large and some small, all crammed into one week. Usually the hotels and restaurants are quite full. Normally more than 80,000 people travel to the Monterey Peninsula on the Central California Coast each August to see some of the world’s most spectacular cars doing what they were meant to do, like you know sitting on golf courses, being trailered in and out and a few racing at Laguna Seca.
It is now a little more than four months until Monterey Car Week 2021. Are we going to have Monterey Car Week this year and if so will it be “normal”? Or is the coronavirus going to cancel it again like it did in 2020? If we do have events how many people will show up (both participants and spectators)? Will the rules of engagement change?
The crowds at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance – 2016
Some people may choose to skip this year because of fears of the virus and some of those who do come may take a pass on the more crowded events and in particular the indoor events because of concern about catching the virus.
Many will have been vaccinated by August but many will also not have been vaccinated by then. The event organizers will likely implement some rules on how many spectators will be allowed at each event, how close they can be and masks will almost certainly be required.
For those bringing their cars for either a show or an auction they have to make arrangements months in advance. If you’re asking, “How can I ship my car to California?”, you’ll have many options to choose from when it comes to making arrangements for shipping and local storage for the planned event. Many people who attend Monterey Car Week in normal years travel long distances and many come from outside of California and outside of the US. The rules for traveling in August 2021 are not yet clear.
Concorso Italiano – 2005 – where this Espada won the Lamborghini Club Award – photo from E.P. Charlton
We have seen some car events beginning to happen this year such as in person auctions like Mecum in the US. I have watched some of these auctions on TV and while there are people in attendance there are fewer people than before and they are masked and spaced apart. There is quite a lot of bidding by telephone and over the internet. That could happen at the Monterey auctions of course. However, a concours d’elegance is not the same without cars and people.
In the past year RM Sotheby’s has been holding both on-line and in person auctions, Gooding has been on-line only, Russo & Steele has been on-line only, Bonhams has been in person and on-line and as mentioned earlier Mecum has held several in person auctions.
We could certainly see some, or all, of the events we normally do during Monterey Car Week but with different rules and perhaps fewer people at each event and fewer people overall.
Maybe for those of us who do attend it might be just fine with smaller crowds and less traffic?
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
The Optimistic Monterey Car Week Schedule
Monterey Car Week Kick-Off
August 6, 2021Monterey Pre-Reunion
August 8 and 9, 2021Automobilia Monterey Expo
August 9, 10 and 11, 2021The Porsche Monterey Classic
August 9, 2021Worldwide Auctioneers
August 9 – Aug 12, 2021Classic Motorsports Magazine Monterey Kickoff Cruise-In
August 10, 2021Concours on the Avenue
August 10, 2021McCall’s Motorworks Revival
August 11, 2021Little Car Show
August 11, 2021Carmel Mission Classic
Rescheduled to August 10, 2022Pebble Beach Motoring Classic
August 11, 2021Prancing Ponies Car Show
August 11, 2021Mecum Auto Auctions: Muscle Cars & More
August 12-14, 2020Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
August, 12-15, 2021Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance Presented by Rolex
August 12, 2021Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum
August 12 – 14th, 2021Pebble Beach RetroAuto
August 12 – 14th, 2021Russo and Steele
August 12 – 14th, 2021The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering
August 13, 2021Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction
August 13, 2021Legends of the Autobahn
August 13, 2021Pacific Grove Rotary Concours Auto Rally
August 13, 2021Werks Reunion
August 13, 2021RM Sotheby’s Monterey
August 13 and 14, 2021Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auctions
August 13 and 14, 2021Concorso Italiano
August 14, 2021Exotics on Broadway
Saturday August 14, 2021Concours d’LeMons
Saturday August 14, 2021Annual Ferrari Owners Club Gathering
August 14, 2021Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
Sunday August, 15 2021
I can’t imagine driving anything wilder than a Ferrari P3 (or is it P3/4 or 412?) on the street but this yellow bomb on the Tour d’Elegance in 2017 had regular license plates. They could get number plates for sale that would be very cool. Wouldn’t custom plates look good on this one? – photo by Wallace Wyss.
Driving out of The Quail, A Motor Sport Gathering – 2012
Unless otherwise indicated all photos by Mike Gulett and Rebecca Fuller.
I predict less crowding than before. We’ll see if the motels charge the same outrageous prices. I think there will be more competition among startups in the automotive field to push their electric cars at invitation only soirees like Fisker, Karma (ex-Fisker) Rivian, etc. so reporters will have a field day at their exclusive parties. Companies not represented on the dais at the major shows will soon be forgotten. (Remember Oldsmobile? Pontiac?)
I think there will be a relaxation of rules of cars at concours for cars not finished. I mean we enthusiasts still want to see a hand wrought aluminum body on a coachbuilt car even if it’s not painted yet. Get it out there! It’s like saying “we can’t show Marilyn Monroe until her dress is finished! Do we even need a dress?
It’s a shame that the folks with non stratospheric checking accounts can’t experience Pebble Beach any longer.