Pictures from Monterey Week 2012 - slow connections beware!

[Michael Stoops]

Each year in August the car hobby goes crazy on the Monterey Peninsula in Northern California - auctions, car shows, historic races and of course the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. As always, Meguiar's was there in force and this thread will hopefully give all of you a chance to see some of the action that goes on through the week.

We start with an unusual event for us - Ferrari's private, invitation only launch party for the all new F12 berlinetta super car. We prepped and maintained just a couple of cars here, but as this was a critically important event for Ferrari, that made it important for us, too.

Ferrari erected an unusual tent for the event, on private grounds in a large upscale community near the Quail Golf Course.


This being Ferrari, of course there was a Formula 1 race car on display outside.


Inside, guests were treated to regular presentations on the new F12, touting the incredible engineering that goes into this amazing car.


This crowd may not look all that large, but consider that this presentation was done every hour on the hour for three days straight and the numbers certainly added up!


Following each presentation, a member of the audience was asked to help pull the cover off the F12.


The new F12 berlinetta. 740HP out of 12 naturally aspirated cylinders, this is said to be the fastest, most powerful road car Ferrari has ever built.








The wall displays showed off both leather and paint choices available for the car.


Following the F12 presentation, guests were ushered back to the next room where Ferrari discussed their "Tailor Made" program. As the name implies, Ferrari will tailor your new car to suit your particular wants and desires. You name it - color, fabric, texture, trim material, stitching, whatever - and they'll make it for you. Centered in the room was this new Ferrari FF.

[Michael Stoops]

Each year during Monterey Week classic race cars turn out at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. From pre WWII racers to Formula 1 cars, from road legal sports racers to full blown Le Mans prototypes, there's a little of everything here. Scratch that - there's a LOT of everything here!



While the vast majority of cars present were actually raced on track during the weekend, others were here just on display, like this 1959 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk III


1960 Lola Mark 1


There's always something highly unusual here, like this 1917 Hall-Scott The Four. This monster has a 9.9 litre 4 cylinder engine producing 125HP and 428lb-ft of torque.






A Bugatti Type 51 Grand Prix racer


The beautiful Lotus Elite


Another display only car, a 289 Cobra


This 1931 Alfa Romeo Tipo B "P3" is an ex Tazio Nuvolari Grand Prix racer


The car is fitted with dual tachometers - it seems Nuvolari had a habit of over revving the engine and then blaming any damage on a failed tach. So the engine designer, Vittorio Jano, installed a second tach as a backup just to keep Nuvolari honest!


This 1953 Cooper racer is fitted with a Porsche engine. Back in the day it regularly beat even the factory Porsche 550 Spyders, and it was one of the first mid engine cars in the US. With a Porsche engine in a Cooper chassis, this car is affectionately known as the Pooper.


1970 Porsche 908/3 - this is an ex Vic Elford car.


Here Alain Decadenet discusses the finer points of an Alfa Romeo TZ as only Alain can.


Even the engine of 1961 Ferrari 250GT SWB Berlinetta is a thing of beauty. Six Weber carbs feeding 12 cylinders of Prancing Horse glory.


A pair of Morgan 3-Wheelers from the 1930's


Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato. This one wasn't racing, but there were a couple in full race trim that were.


A trio of Camaros from the Trans Am Series dropping down the famed Corkscrew.


Looking down to the Andretti Hairpin from the top of the hill near the Corkscrew.


There's a familiar sight from events all over the US!


In the presence of greatness. This is the real deal - chassis CSX2299, the very Shelby Daytona Coupe that was driven by Dan Gurney, Bob Bondurant, Jo Schlesser, Jack Sears and others and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Daytona 24 Hour, 12 Hours of Sebring, and the 1965 FIA GT World Sports Car Championship.


Normally we think of Fiat when we hear "Abarth", but in the fading years of Porsche 356 sports car dominance, the German marque reached out to Carlo Abarth to breathe some new life into the aging 356 B Carrera GT. The result was this 1961 Porsche Carrera Abarth GTL - 5 inches lower, 4.7 inches narrower and 110lbs lighter than a standard 356B.


Even the team support vehicles were classic, and very cool!


Virtuoso Performance always brings a collection of vehicles. Here in white with orange stripes is a 1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce, and next to it a 1957 AC Aceca, precursor to the AC Ace that spawned the Shelby Cobras.


Even the kids got to have some racing fun!


A Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage.


This view leaves no question why this Maserati was called the Birdcage. With 250HP out of it's 2890cc 4 cylinder propelling just 1300lbs, no wonder this was such a fast car.


BMW had a 328 long before the modern 3 Series existed. This example dates back to that original run from 1936-1940.


BMW M1 in street clothes.


BMW M1 in a racing suit.

[Michael Stoops]

RM Auctions holds one of the greatest collector car auctions in Monterey during the week, and they have a reputation for offering some of the finest automobiles in the world. Consequently, selling prices tend to be rather high, but these are often some of the most collectible cars found anywhere. What follows is just a sampling of the vehicles on offer over the past weekend. Meguiar's is proud to be a long standing sponsor of RM Auctions.

All information and selling / no-sale prices provided by RM Auctions website.

1956 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing - Sold at $875,000


1936 Delage D6-70 Milord Cabriolet - No Sale at $1,100,000


1938 Horch 853A Special Roadster, previous Best of Show Winner at Pebble Beach - Sold at $5,170,000


1968 Ford GT40, used extensively during the filming of "Le Mans" with Steve McQueen - Sold at $11,000,000 (a new world record for an American car sold at auction)




1955 Ferrari 410S Berlinetta - Sold at $8,250,000


1952 Tojeiro-MG Competition Barchetta - Sold at $154,000


1967 Lamborghini Miura P400SV - Sold at $660,000


Porsche 935 JLP-3 IMSA Race Car - No Sale at $1,125,000


1954 Hudson Italia Coupe - Sold at $265,000


1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale - Sold at $132,000


2001 Bentley Speed 8 Le Mans Prototype, finished 3rd at 2001 24 Hours of Le Mans - Sold at $2,530,000


1963 Shelby 289 Cobra - Sold at $627,000 (background: 1935 Packard Twelve Dual Cowl Sport Phaeton - Sold at $319,000)


1956 BMW 503 Series 1 Cabriolet - No Sale at $260,000


1953 Bentley Continental R-Type - Sold at $1,620,000


1955 Aston Martin DB3S Sport Racing - Sold at $3,685,000


1956 Fiat Grand Prix Transporter; commissioned by Maserati for their Grand Prix team, later used by Shelby Racing to transport Shelby Daytona Coupes, and used in "Le Mans" movie with Steve McQueen - Sold at $990,000


1925 Renault 40CV Cabriolet de Ville - Sold at $264,000 (this car is absolutely enormous!!)


1960 Plymouth XNR; designed by Virgil Exner, and formerly owned by the Shah of Iran - Sold at $935,000




1956 Ferrari 250GT LWB Berlinetta Tour de France - Sold at $6,710,000


1947 Mercury Station Wagon - Sold at $79,750


1929 Duesenberg Model J Disappearing Top Convertible Coupe - Sold at $1,897,000


1962 Ferrari 250GT SWB California Spyder - Sold at $8,585,000


1967 Aston Martin DB6 Volante - No Sale at $780,000


1914 Mercedes 50 HP Seven Passenger Touring - Sold at $528,000


1915 Rolls Royce 40/50 Silver Ghost Limousine - Sold at $561,000


1937 Peugeot 402 Darl'Mat Special Sport Roadster - Sold at $203,500


1960 Porsche 356B 1600 Roadster - Sold at $209,000


1963 Porsche 904/6 Carrera GTS Factory Works Prototype - No Sale at $1,575,000


1931 Chrysler CG Imperial Dual Cowl Phaeton - Sold at $363,000

[Michael Stoops]

Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The most prestigious car show in the world, held every August on the 18th fairway of the Pebble Beach Golf Links along the Pacific Ocean, brings out the very best and most spectacular cars on earth. It was a privilege to be there again this year, and the images below, though sizeable in number, are barely 10% of the images we shot at the event. Enjoy!

The day starts before the sun comes up with what's known as "Dawn Patrol", sponsored by Haggarty Insurance.


All of the cars being judged in the show must be driven onto the display field, and that starts early.


One of the featured groups of cars this year was "Cars of the Maharajas" and this 1910 Brooke 25/30 Swan Car was among them. This car is owned by the Louwman Museum, The Hague, Netherlands, and was driven onto the show field by Evert Louwman, director/owner of the museum. The Louwman Museum was featured in an episode of Car Crazy recently.


Meguiar's hands out a goodie bag to each entrant of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance as they drive onto the field.


Dawn, and the ever present fog blankets the fairway.
























Also featured this year were a group of vehicles with Saoutchik Coachwork. This is a 1948 Talbot-Lago T-26 Saoutchik Grand Sport Coupe


1928 Mercedes-Benz 680S Saoutchik Torpedo


1939 Delage D8-120S Saoutchik Cabriolet





1948 Cadillac Series 62 Saoutchik Cabriolet


1949 Delahaye 175 Saoutchik Coupe de Ville


1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Zagato Spider (my personal favorite car of the event)


Cockpit of the Alfa 8C 2300





1931 Bugatti Type 55 Roadster


1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Aprile Spider Corsa


1952 Ferrari 212 Inter Pinin Farina Cabriolet


1954 Pegaso Z102B Saoutchik Coupe


1928 Mercedes-Benz 680S Saoutchik Torpedo - this car went on to win Best of Show this year




1960 Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Cabriolet


1934 Packard 1104 Super Eight Phaeton


1932 Packard 903 Deluxe Eight Sport Phaeton


1937 Rolls Royce Phantom III Vesters & Neirinck Coupe


The row of Saoutchik Coachwork built cars.


1930 Hispano-Suiza 46C Kellner Transformable


1937 Bugatti Type 57C Vanvooren Cabriolet. Yes, that's a bottle of M34 Final Inspection laying on the ground. No, we didn't plant it! It's pretty common to see Meguiar's products being used for final prep on the cars here at Pebble Beach, and not just because we hand out those goodie bags. There is no M34 in those bags!


1929 du Pont Model G Merrimac Speedster




1901 Duryea Four-Wheel Phaeton, owned by none other than Barry Meguiar.


Derek and Robbie doing some final prep on Barry's Duryea


Funny how the sun came out just when Barry showed up to be photographed with his car!


Barry and his good friend George Barris (AKA, King of the Kustomizers)



Yours truly onboard with Barry.


1938 Steyr 220 Glaser Roadster


1937 Peugeot 302 DS Darl'mat Pourtout Cabriolet


1937 Talbot-Lago T150C Figoni & Falaschi Cabriolet


1938 Delage D6-70 Letourneur et Marchand Cabriolet


1938 HRG Airline A. Crofts Coupe


1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Pinin Farina Spyder


1956 Ferrari 410 Sport Scaglietti Spyder


1936 Lancia Astura Pinin Farina Convertible


1914 McIntyre Imp Model 2 Tandem Cycle Car


1913 Turcat-Mery MJ Boulogne Torpedo


1905 Clement SD Sedan


1912 American Underslung Scout 22 Roadster


1919 McFarlan Type 125 Touring


1918 Biddle H Town Car


1938 Hispano-Suiza Dubonnet Saoutchik "Xenia" Coupe


1930 Mercedes-Benz SS Sport Four Seater


1955 Lancia Aurelia B24 Pinin Farina Spider America


1952 Mercedes-Benz W194 Coupe. This car won the 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans driven by Hermann Lang and Fritz Riess, the first German car to win that event. This was the inspiration for Mercedes-Benz to build the road going 300SL Gullwing sports car.


Interior of the same W194 Coupe


1952 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Coupe. Owned by Mercedez-Benz Classic, this is one of only two such cars hand built in Rudolf Uhlenhaut's race workshop; it's a hugely important part of Mercedes-Benz racing history.


1954 Chrysler New Yorker Ghia Coupe


Alan Taylor and Car Crazy Radio was doing interviews all day long at our Hospitality Suite. Here Alan (c) and Barry (r) talk with Craig Jackson (l) of Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auctions.


By mid afternoon the fog had started rolling back in and the crowd was settling in for the upcoming awards presentations.


Stepping away from the Concours itself, there was also a display of new concept cars nearby. In the foreground is the awesome Hennessy Venom GT Roadster owned by Steven Tyler




Lamborghini Sesto Elemento


Aston Martin Vanquish


Fisker Surf


McLaren MP4-12C Spider


Ferrari had a special display just off the fairway, featuring not only several of their new cars (along with the public unveiling of the new F12 berlinetta) but they also had this 250 Europe GT from the Classiche program.


The full Ferrari display, prior to the unveiling of the F12 berlinetta





Left to right - California, FF, 458 Spyder

[BillE]

Thank you so much for the pictures Michael!

Needless to say, those are SO 'over the top', it's hard to get my head around it all. Especially the prices!

Seeing the 'older' cars (from the 50-60 era), does bring make many memories of growing up SoCal.

Thanx again...

Bill

[Marc08EX]

Thanks for sharing these pictures Mike! I'm totally jealous!!!

[Superior Shine]

Beautiful write up! You certainly got around!!! I was too busy babying the Buggies.

I detailed this car for Pebble Beach back in the summer of 1990!! I have pics in a box somewhere that I will post if I can find them.

[davey g-force]

Amazing pics - thanks for sharing Mike!

[aerogt01]

Thanks a bunch, Mike. Outstanding pictures. Your posts could have gone on forever and I would not have gotten tired of them.

[Michael Stoops]

Thanks a bunch, Mike. Outstanding pictures. Your posts could have gone on forever and I would not have gotten tired of them.

Thanks! Be careful what you wish for, though - I shot close to 700 images at Pebble Beach alone, and when you add in everything else it was close to 2,000 images during the time I was in Monterey, so this really was just a small sampling.