Inside Monterey Car Week: The Quail, Pebble Beach & The Cars of the Future | Cars & Bikes | Forbes

Monterey Car Week: A Deep Dive

Key Concepts:

• Monterey Car Week: An annual gathering for car enthusiasts, owners, and luxury car businesses.
• The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering: An exclusive car event featuring exhibits, competitions, and auctions.
• Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance: A prestigious car show judging vehicles based on elegance, provenance, and importance.
• Concept Lawn: An area at Pebble Beach showcasing concept cars that define future design language.
• Studio Originals: Rivian's series of one-of-a-kind vehicles.
• Project Endurance: McLaren's upcoming racing project with limited participation opportunities.
• Design Vision: Jaguar's approach to concept cars, emphasizing their role as previews of future designs.
• Bespoke Craftsmanship: Customization and artistry in luxury vehicles, exemplified by Rolls-Royce Phantom.

The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering

• Overview: The Quail is described as a luxurious "garden party" and networking platform for car lovers and brands.
• Exclusivity: Tickets cost $1,595, including champagne, caviar, oysters, and other food offerings.
• Car Selection: Features heritage cars and special classes like the F50 class, showcasing the evolution of automotive design.
• Tradition and Innovation: The event highlights the contrast and connection between classic cars (e.g., 1975 GT500) and modern vehicles (e.g., 2025 Czinger).

Rivian's Studio Originals

• Pebble Beach Edition: Rivian showcases a one-of-a-kind R1T as part of their "Studio Originals" series.
• Brand Evolution: The goal is to explore how the brand can evolve while maintaining its "inviting and rugged" feel.
• Performance: The featured Rivian R1T has a quad-motor setup, achieving 0-60 mph in 2.6 seconds and a quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds.
• Interior Design: The interior emphasizes a "living space" feel with bespoke elements like olive ash wood with unique fungal infection patterns.
• Risk-Taking: Creating one-off vehicles allows Rivian to experiment with designs and gather customer feedback without mass production constraints.

Acura RSX Reveal

• Future Design: The Acura RSX is presented as a showcase for the future of Acura design, emphasizing a sophisticated and muscular body.
• Performance Focus: The coupe silhouette is designed to express aerodynamics and a sporty feel.

McLaren's Project Endurance

• Triple Crown Ambition: McLaren aims to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport (Indy 500, Monaco, Le Mans) again by 2027.
• Exclusive Opportunity: Up to 35 individuals can purchase a Project Endurance car and participate in its development.

Jaguar's Design Vision

• Type 00: Presented as a "design vision" rather than a concept car, signaling that it represents the design of future Jaguars.
• Brand Reset: Jaguar is showcasing the Type 00 globally, including non-traditional venues like the NBA All-Star game.
• Production Car Reveal: The four-door grand touring production car will be revealed in 2026, with orders starting then.

Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

• Competition of Elegance: The event judges 250 collector cars from around the world based on elegance, provenance, and importance.
• International Presence: Features cars from the 1800s to 2025, with 55 cars from outside the US representing 22 countries.
• Driving Requirement: Cars must be able to start and drive over the ramp to be eligible for an award.
• Owner Passion: Owners invest significant time and money into their cars, driven by a passion for automotive history.
• Example: 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV: A restored supercar that was the first to be called a "supercar". The test driver for Lamborghini signed the door of the car.
• Example: 1933 Henley Roadster: A Rolls-Royce, one of eight made in this body style, with custom features.
• Rolls-Royce Phantom Celebration: In 2025, the event will celebrate 100 years of the Rolls-Royce Phantom, highlighting its engineering excellence, luxury, and bespoke craftsmanship.

Concept Lawn at Pebble Beach

• Design Experimentation: Car makers showcase concept cars that define their future design language and test public taste.

Lucid Gravity Cross

• Rugged Variant: An adventurous, rugged version of the standard Lucid Gravity, featuring an updated front bumper, tow hooks, off-road tires, and a roof cargo tray.
• Core Focus: Maintains Lucid's focus on range, performance, interior space, and design.

Land Rover's Expedition Heritage

• Polyiana: A 1950 Land Rover, the first to circumnavigate the globe, driven solo by Barbara Toy in 1956-57.
• Pan-American Highway Expedition: A 1971 Range Rover expedition to demonstrate the vehicle's credibility.
• Hybrid Electric Range Rover: A 2014 hybrid electric L405 model tested in challenging conditions, showcasing Land Rover's technology and expedition heritage.

Conclusion

Monterey Car Week is a multifaceted event that caters to a wide range of automotive enthusiasts, from collectors and historians to luxury car buyers and designers. It serves as a platform for showcasing automotive history, innovation, and future design trends, while also providing networking opportunities and a chance for brands to connect with their target audience. The week combines exclusive events like The Quail and Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance with opportunities to preview upcoming models and concepts, making it a significant event in the automotive world.