by Chris Mulvihill - 08/28/2023
The morning of August 15th was greeted with unseasonably warm West Coast weather for the start of the biggest collector car week in North America. The heat, morning fog, and high humidity didn’t dampen the excitement this week brought to so many who traveled to Monterey, CA. There were great ‘street’ car shows, several car and memorabilia auctions, days of vintage car racing at Laguna Seca, and of course, Sunday’s Pebble Beach Concourse.
A Beautiful, spacious setting for the Porsche Club of America Werks Reunion Monterey. The 1965-1973 Class boasted several factory stock models.
Having attended numerous events, I found the Porsche Club of America (PCA) Werks Reunion to be (again) outstanding. This year’s Reunion had a great slant as 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of Porsche. The PCA is one of the most well-organized car clubs in North America and they really know how to put on a show. There were 13 judged classes of Porsches totaling 150 cars. Aside from the authenticity and presentation of the car, the ‘story’ behind the car is also given consideration. Knowing the ownership history or an exceptional story about the car really adds to the fun of judging. In addition to the judged cars, there were over 530 Porches in the ‘coral parking’ area which is a show-in-itself. Coral cars are Porsches the owners have driven to the event and are from as many states/countries as the judged cars.
Spectator admission for the day was only $40 a carload (a bargain!) which was held on the beautiful Monterey Pines Golf Course. Shade, food trucks, areas to sit and live music were all part of the enjoyment.
On a very foggy morning, the Grid Marshall signals 2 minutes to practice for Group 1 (1955-1967 SCCA Small Displacement). Car #55, a 1955 Cooper Porsche Pooper lead the group onto the track.
The Rolex Motorsports Reunion was celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Corvette and the 50th anniversary of the F5000 (Formula 5000) race cars. With a recent Laguna Seca Raceway management change, practice is now Wednesday and Thursday. This positive change allows all spectators a chance to see their favorite cars on the track for two full days of practice before two full days of racing.
There were 14 racing groups totaling over 385 cars. Practice days provided 25-minute track sessions for each racing group. This allowed all to ‘sort’ their cars and get familiar with the track layout.
The 1976 ‘Chesterfield Cigarettes Formula 1 McLaren M23 enters the famous ‘Corkscrew’ drop with a 1976 Penske PC4 in close pursuit.
Built in 1957 at a cost of $1.5M, Laguna Seca Raceway is a storied track that is 2.23 miles long with 11 turns. It is famous for ‘The Corkscrew’ that requires drivers to master a sharp left into a 59ft drop spiraling to the right into a small straightaway which ends in a sharp lefthand turn.
The Corvette history display was very impressive. Car #1 is a 1957 fiberglass SS (super Sport) which was built on a modified Mercedes-Benz 300SL chassis. It was raced only once in the 1957 12 Hours of Sebring and retired.
General Motors had an amazing display of experimental, prototype, and vintage Corvette racers on display. Some of these priceless cars were driven on the track (at slow speeds) during the lunch break. It was exciting to stand next to as well as hear these pieces of automotive history.
Even well-cared-for cars don’t start easily! This 1960 Corvette Cerv-1 single-seat racer took the attention of six GM engineers to fire up. Dubbed ‘The Hill Climber’ it never officially competed and was used as an engine test mule capable of reaching 200 MPH.
In addition to Corvette and Porsche celebrating anniversaries, it is also the 60th anniversary of McLaren and Lamborghini. With these milestones, it appeared that Monterey had a more-than-usual number of historic cars in attendance; never a bad thing.
This week is essential for any car person. The tickets for Sunday’s Concourse are now exceedingly high and the event is (close to being) oversold. However, if you elect not to attend the Concourse, there are plenty of reasonably priced (or free) events during the week which provide many amazing cars. Part of the fun of car-watching and collecting is ‘the hunt’ for what you enjoy. Happy Hunting.
Chris Mulvihill founded Classiccaradvisors.com in 2007. His passion for cars began as a young boy walking the service area of his grandfather’s Oldsmobile dealership. After graduating from Indiana University, his automobile knowledge expanded to the factory side as a Ford Motor Company Field Manager based in Los Angeles. During his time on the West Coast, he began attending vintage car events where he established deep-rooted friendships in the classic car industry. His interests are in the history of cars, restoration, and maximizing driving enjoyment.
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