Having already displayed photos from last year’s Car Week, I would not normally include this year’s events. However, I upgraded from the Leica M-E and M Monochrom to a Leica M10-R and Q2 for an unfortunate reason – see post https://shboing.com/leica-photography/. The intent is to provide a comparison between the cameras.
While Monterey Car Week is famous for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and The Quail Motorsports events, it has something for everyone (at least every car lover). A couple of the more off-beat events are the Little Car Show and the Concours d’Lemons. The Little Car Show in Pacific Grove features mini, micro, steam, electric and and arcane vehicles of 1,800cc displacement or less that are 25 years or older. The Concours d’Lemons’ theme is “Celebrating the oddball, mundane & truly awful of the entire automotive world”. It is exactly as it sounds – the worst of cars instead of the best.
This was the second year of the Vin Bar Porsche Pit Cru held at The Crossroads in Carmel. It is a collaboration between Vin Bar Carmel and the Monterey Bay Region of the Porsche Club of America.
These photos were taken with a Nikon Z6 with a 24-120mm f/4 lens.
In prior years, one of our favorite Car Week events was the Concours on the Avenue in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Unfortunately, due to the passing of its founder and organizer, the event was cancelled in 2022. This year Carmel showcased the Prancing Ponies Women’s Car Show and the Ferrari Owners Club Concours. The Prancing Ponies car show features women-owned exotic, classic, muscle, sport and electric cars. Proceeds go to the Prancing Ponies Foundation whose mission is to “Create Women Leaders One Girl at a Time”. The Ferrari Concours was a new event and includes both its namesake cars and Italian motorcycles.
These Carmel-by-the-Sea photos were shot with a Leica M10-R with a Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 lens.
Bonham’s The Quail Auction is one of the premier auctions during Car Week. Held on the west end of Quail Lodge & Golf Club, it offers a range of classic and exotic automobiles. The star of the show was the 1967 Ferrari 412P Berlinetta which sold for $30,255,000.
Photos were taken with a Leica Q2.
The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering is the second best event of Car Week behind the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Some would argue it is the best. Attending The Quail is like going to a fancy garden party combined with a ultra high end car show. In addition to high performance automobiles from the leading exotic car manufacturers, this year’s show featured the 1973 Porsche RS Carrera, Porsche 959s and Early Bentley 1950s R-Type Coupe amongst the classics.
Photos taken with a Leica Q2.
