It’s unofficially known as “Car Week” on the Monterrey Peninsula. The main event is the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance, now in its 63rd year, held right on the famous golf course that overlooks the Pacific. It’s the Premier exhibition of Classic and Collector cars anywhere and enthusiasts come from all over the globe. Around Carmel, Monterrey and Pebble Beach, there are specialty events and high end car auctions every day for the whole week. The streets are clogged with exotic Ferraris and other makes of low production specialty cars, some of which are essentially race cars marketed as transportation.
On Thursday, the 260 cars featured at the main event, which is held on Sunday, are invited to participate in a fifty mile tour of the Peninsula. This is Tom’s second car week, but his first to experience the Tour. The Concours is a juried and judged exhibition, with entrants competing in various classes and for the prized Best of Show award. The rules state that in the case of of tie for a given award, the car which toured would then win over one that did not, so there is additional incentive beyond the fun they are obviously having.
Tom started the day at 7:00 am at the Tour starting point located right on Seventeen Mile Drive.The cars were packed together tightly as they were staged for the rally, so getting a good shot without people in it was virtually impossible. After the cars had systematically left the area by 8:00, Tom obtained a map of the Tour and consulted a Patrol Officer at the site for ideas about where to locate for shots of the cars passing later on in the four hour tour. The streets were not cordoned off, so the million dollars cars jockeyed for lanes amongst regular traffic. At the end of the Tour, the cars parked in rows on Ocean Avenue, the main drag of the charming resort hamlet of Carmel.
Tom is having a great time. He promised to keep us posted in photos. This morning he is going to photograph more cars and then into San Francisco to the Golden State Bridge area. He has a shot in mind. Stay tuned.