Highlights from Monterey Car Week 2018 – in pictures

An inside look at the world's greatest automotive extravaganza

Monterey Car Week: five days of motoring heaven on the California coast.

From million-dollar road trips and race-track displays to record-breaking auctions and the world's greatest garden party, it's a motoring spectacle like no other.

And the 2018 edition didn't disappoint: rare cars sold for fortunes, pristine and priceless classics claimed concours prizes and there was champagne aplenty.

Didn't make it down to Pebble Beach? Here's everything you missed.

Kick-off in Carmel

This year’s proceedings kicked off in fine fashion on 21 August with Concours on the Avenue in Carmel-by-the-Sea – a relaxed and inclusive event won by a show-stopping 1967 Lamborghini 400GT owned by local man Robert Ross.

Strong competition

Scores of classics turned out for the event, which saw a carefully curated selection of historic machines line up along either side of Ocean Avenue and the surrounding streets, including a 1966 Bardahl Special Lola T70 Mk2 Spyder in Dan Gurney Blue.

Special edition

Not everything on the avenue was so easily identifiable: an eye-catching 1958 Williams Special drew a lot of attention for its blunt styling, including cycle wings formed from old spare wheel surrounds. The one-off car scooped the preservation award.

Champion Speedster

Former Trans-Am Series champion Tony Gloy delighted the crowds in Carmel with his 1958 Porsche 1600 Speedster, which was described as being one of the most original of its type.

Brilliant bug

Tony and Pat Olmo’s 1956 Volkswagen Beetle Deluxe Cabriolet was also a firm favourite at the Carmel concours. The couple bought the car in '94 after it had languished under a cover for eight years, before restoring it over the course of two years.

Toyota in red

Concours regular Dan Egan also caused a stir with his remarkable 1967 Toyota 2000GT, finished in striking red. “If it had have been silver I wouldn’t have bought it,” joked Egan.

Pristine Porsches

A brace of former Bruce Jennings Porsche 911s drew plenty of admiring glances on the Avenue, too. The last privately owned Jennings racer – a 1969 911S – was brought to the event by Randy Smalley. It was paired with Bob Smalley Jr’s 1968 911S, which was bought new by Jennings and kept until he died in 1995.

On to the Little Car Show

Next on the calendar was the Little Car Show, an event for cars more than 25 years old with engines no bigger than 1.6 litres – proving not everything at Pebble Beach has to be big.

Winner via Japan

First of the diminutive machines was a rarity which made its way to Pacific Grove via Japan, having picked up a first-in-class award at the previous day’s Concours on the Avenue. Carson Chen’s 1967 Mazda Cosmo 110S was presented in remarkable condition having been sympathetically restored to an incredibly high standard.

Many Minis

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Minis proved one of the most popular models at the Little Car Show, with in excess of 20 examples filling out the numbers – including this fetching orange Austin Mini Cooper 'S' Mk2.

Rare Riley

A less common Riley Elf also drew attention at the show. Launched in 1961, the Elf was a classic example of badge engineering, being sold under the Riley brand as a more luxurious version of the Mini.

All decked out

A quirky 600cc Fiat Multipla inspired many smiles on Lighthouse Avenue – complete with surfboard on the roof and Italian flags attached to the front windows. Remarkably, the Multipla was just 50cm longer than a Mini Cooper but could technically seat six people.

Hot notch

We were also quite fond of this Volkswagen Type 3 Notchback from 1971. Launched in 1961 as a 1500cc car, this sky blue number is one of the later 1.6-litre models.

Which way to the beach?

A handful of rare Cincinnati-built Crosleys also delighted the crowds, including this delightful Convertible – complete with matching surfboard. A 1947 example residing in Monterey, power came from a plucky 750cc motor.

Canine classics

Not all attendees of the Little Car Show were human – nor could all of them stay awake...

Lesser-spotted Morris

A charming Morris 1000 Pickup proved a rare sight, being one of around 500 examples thought to have been brought into the USA – and much fewer to have survived. Kevin Keebler has owned the rare machine for five years: “I bought it from an estate sale – it had been sitting at the back of a shop for 35 years,” says Keebler.

Cruising down Highway 1

From little cars to big roads, a dazzling array of classics cruised the coastal roads of the Monterey Peninsula on Thursday 23 August for the Tour d'Elegance, ahead of the main Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance event on Sunday.

Roar d'Elegance

Where Sunday’s concours event is about fastidiously presenting the pristine machines for judging, the Tour d'Elegance gives owners and spectators alike the chance to experience the remarkable motors on the move – and often roaring.

A tour of many motors

Striking diversity marked this year’s event, with the lion’s share of some 200 concours participants taking part – including this 1972 Citroën SM Chapron Mylord Cabriolet.

Little cars on the big road

This year's Tour featured a flock of diminutive OSCA machines – which had their own class at this year's Concours d'Elegance – and a 1953 Siata 300BC Bertone Barchetta.

Roaring out of the Raj

Several cars from the Motor Cars of the Raj class – many boasting a full complement of passengers – also completed the journey, led by this imperious 1935 Bentley 3½-litre Antem Drophead Coupé.

Popular Prancing Horse

Departing from Pebble Beach at 9am, the convoy travelled inland towards Tehama Golf Club then looped back on the Carmel Valley Road, before a scenic run along the recently reopened Highway 1 to Big Sur. It concluded on Carmel’s Ocean Avenue, where huge crowds gathered to get a closer look at these most exotic machines. 

VIP machine

This '50s presidential Cadillac Limousine also caused quite the stir on Ocean Avenue, complete with its masked passengers.

Drop-top thrills

The Patterson Collection’s 1937 Cadillac Series 90 Hartmann Cabriolet had everyone talking as it glided through Pebble Beach, setting the tone for the rest of the week's events.

Oysters at The Quail

On with the shows and to motoring's most exclusive garden party: The Quail – a glitzy golf-course gathering, fuelled by oysters, champagne and countless classic cars.
 

'50s magic

Winner of Best in Show was a jet-age 1953 Lancia Aurelia PF200C Spider by Pinin Farina, which stole the show on 24 August and captured the imagination of show-goers with its swooping lines and torpedo-like body.

Born to be shown

Displayed at the Geneva and Turin Motor Shows in 1953, the unique concept car was built by Italian coachbuilder Pinin Farina on the chassis of an Aurelia B52 – itself a rare model, with just 98 examples built.

Seems familiar

Winner of the Post War Sports Cars 1961-’75 class was the 1966 Lamborghini 400GT of Robert Ross – winner earlier in the week of the Carmel-by-the-Sea Concours on the Avenue.

Magnificent Mercedes

Among the other entrants were a true concours-standard 1964 Triumph Spitfire 4, a 1966 Sunbeam Tiger Mk1A and a 1971 Mercedes-Benz 600 SWB – all correct down to the last nut and bolt

Quality assured

The blue/grey 600 SWB was a fine example of the German marque's luxury autobahn cruiser.

Pristine Prancing Horse

Meanwhile, the Great Ferraris class – which boasted a dazzling array of entrants including a 1949 166M Barchetta and 1957 500TRC – was won by the 1967 275 GTB/4 NART Spyder from the Rare Wheels Collection in Florida.

Lovely in red

You don't have to be a rare mid-century Ferrari to garner attention at The Quail – but it helps.

World's greatest garden party

Between boozing and schmoozing, The Quail's wealthy guests (tickets cost upwards of $950) got to enjoy a sumptuous spread of automotive delights – from brand-new supercars to priceless classics.

Big kid's toy

Despite the ticket price, The Quail doesn't take itself too seriously: the winner of this year’s Spirit of The Quail award was a life-size recreation of a 1/16 scale Tamiya Sand Scorcher radio-controlled car, which was presented alongside a replica control set.

Fancy affair

Prize-giving was a similarly glitzy affair, with – who else? – Jay Leno and Bargain Hunt's Tim Wonnacott doing the honours.

Off-road winner

The event wasn't without a competition flavour, as this prize-winning Renault-engined Alpine A110 proved.

From La Sarthe to The Quail

Similarly, this 1981 Lancia Beta Monte Carlo Turbo won its class – and can add the honours to its class win at Le Mans in '81.

Track action

Monterey Car Week isn't all about static shows and trophy presentations, mind: the Monterey Motorsport Reunion brought together more than 500 historic racers at the world-renowned Laguna Seca raceway.

A celebration of all sorts

From muscle cars to endurance racers, the Reunion embraced all kinds of classic motorsport machines.

Plenty of enthusiasm

Enthusiasts descended in spades on the California circuit – though some took the historic vibe more seriously than others.

Tackling the track

And none of the machines were hanging around, with countless million-dollar classics put through their racing paces – and tackling the infamous Corkscrew corner.

Grand finale

From the track to the grass, Sunday meant the week's main event: the Concours d'Elegance – hosted on the greens of the Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Continuing a trend

The 2018 competition was the 68th concours, with the Pacific Ocean providing a stunning backdrop, scores of priceless classic cars descended on the greens for judging.

Stallions out in force

From one-off concepts to rare and storied historic racers, the competition was fierce for both class wins and overall honours – and there was no shortage of Ferrari machinery, from prize-winning Dinos to pristine 250GT Europas.

Costly accident

While they were judged in minute detail, not every classic made it out of the Concours d'Elegance in pristine condition...

Classic concept

This Ferrari 512S Modulo concept was a definite head-turner on the golf course. It was built by Italian coachbuilder and long-time Prancing Horse collaborator Pininfarina and first shown at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show.

Supercharged style

Some stunning ’30s classics were in attendance, too, including this lovely 1935 Auburn 851 Supercharged Speedster, complete with iconic boat-tail design.

No shortage of variety

From little open-wheelers to grand American tourers, the Concours d'Elegance offered true variety for classic car enthusiasts.

Wrapped up with ribbons

With the Pacific Ocean as its backdrop, the Pebble Beach event proved a fitting way to draw Monterey Car Week – arguably the world’s biggest and most beautiful automotive extravaganza – to a close.

From Tour to Concours

Popular on Thursday’s Tour d’Elegance, the Patterson Collection’s 1937 Cadillac Series 90 Hartmann Cabriolet was also a welcome sight on Sunday. Its mammoth fenders were unmistakable as it glided onto the podium in the California sun.

Three's better than two

Several three-headlight machines were present, too – including this lovely 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Figoni Fastback Coupé which fought for top honours.

Concours of many classes

This year’s Concours featured a number of special classes, including categories for OSCAs, post-war custom Citroëns, Eisenhower-era convertibles and 1960s Indianapolis 500 machines – while this 1955 Maserati A6GCS Frua Spyder picked up the Cunningham Award for the most exciting open-top car.

Start your engines

One of the most exhilarating moments of the Concours came as the winners of the 1960s Indy cars took to the podium, with each of the three machines being started up in a cacophony of noise before leaving the ramp. 

Worthy winner

The overall winner? A stunning 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta stormed to victory, 80 years after causing a stir at the Berlin Motor Show.