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Home / Lifestyle / Automobiles
Automobiles

The Best Classic Cars on View at Monterey Car Week

By Frank Vizard on August 16, 2017

For automobile enthusiasts prone to nostalgia, there's no better place to be right now than Pebble Beach.

© Courtesy Pebble Beach Concours

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Lovers of classic cars are flocking to Monterey, California this week for a bevy of events organized around a zeal for the automobiles of yesteryear. And while many will be competing for a variety of awards at Monterey Car Week, as the events are collectively known, there will be a lot of high-end buying and selling. Hagerty, the large insurer of classic cars, anticipates $290 million will change hands at sales conducted by leading auctioneers.

While that figure is lower than past years, it’s not likely to lessen the excitement at the most prestigious events (August 16-20), like the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, The Quail: A Motorsports Reunion, and the two-year-old Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Awards sponsored by Peninsula Hotels. Classics fans can also see old favorites in a series of races at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Auctions run by companies like Gooding & Company, RM Sotheby's, and Bonhams are expected to sell some models for top-dollar amounts. Hagerty expects a 1956 Aston Martin DBR1 (RM Sotheby's) to fetch $20 million, a 1995 McLaren F1 (Bonhams) between $10 million and $14 million, and a 1970 Porsche 917K (Gooding & Company) featured in the 1971 Steve McQueen film Le Mans as much as $16 million. Hagerty anticipates at least 10 cars will have an auction price of $5 million or more.

Investors also might lean toward automobiles designed by Italy’s Pininfarina: four of the eight cars vying for the Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award are the creations of the noted Italian car designer. Here are nine of the classic cars that caught our eye.

 
Courtesy Pebble Beach Concours

1970 Porsche 917K

One of the most iconic cars in film history is the 12-cylinder Porsche 917K that appeared in the 1971 film Le Mans, starring Steve McQueen, about the fabled 24-hour French endurance race. The car itself, however, disappeared from view until it was rediscovered languishing in a Paris warehouse in 2001 still in its Gulf livery.

A Swiss restorer has brought the racer back to its former glory and the car will headline the auction offerings of Gooding & Co. It is anticipated the car will fetch between $13 and $16 million. goodingco.com

Courtesy Pebble Beach Concours

1965 Reactor Dream Car

The Reactor is one of nine cars being highlighted at the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegancein a special class called American Dream Cars of the 1960s. Built by legendary custom car builder Gene Winfield in 1965, the Reactor was featured in such TV shows as Star Trek, Batman, and Mission: Impossible.

The two-seater was created around a French Citroen DS chassis and fitted with a 180-horsepower Chevrolet Corvair Corsa engine. pebblebeachconcours.net

Courtesy Pebble Beach Concours

1936 Cadillac (Rick Dore)

If Cadillac had a French mother, its progeny might look something like this custom coach built by Rick Dore, a well-known Californian customizer. The car resonates with the influence of French coach-building masters Figoni et Falaschi while still retaining an original American vision.

The result is a stretched beauty with a sporty, low-slung body and open wheel fenders being shown at The Quail. signatureevents.peninsula.com

Courtesy Pebble Beach Concours

1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Berlinetta by Touring Superleggera

Arguably one of the most celebrated cars of the 20th century, this exceptional example of a 1938 Alfa Romeo is known for its exaggerated rear overhang, false louvers on the scuttle, and dramatic front fenders.

It also was the first of only five models constructed on the 2900B chassis. It is one of the cars competing for the Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award sponsored by the Peninsula Hotels. signatureevents.peninsula.com

Courtesy Pebble Beach Concours

1969 McLaren M6GT Road Car (Mouse Motors)

Bruce McLaren’s desire to build a fast car resulted in this prototype McLaren M6GT from 1969. It is light, low, loud, and quick. It has a top speed of 165 mph and accelerates to 100 mph in 8 seconds thanks to a Bartz-tuned Chevrolet engine.

The M6GT is among the cars competing at The Quail: A Motorsports Reunion. signatureevents.peninsula.com

Courtesy Pebble Beach Concours

1928 Mercedes Benz S-type 26/180 Sports Tourer

Characterized by its yellow color and swooping black accents, this 1928 Mercedes Benz S-type 26/180 Sports Tourer is one of just 146 produced. This rarely seen car, on the market for the first time since 1964, features a 180-horsepower, turbocharged six-cylinder engine.

The car is being auctioned by Gooding & Co., and Hagerty predicts it will fetch between $5 million and $6 million. goodingco.com

Peter Singhof Images / Courtesy Pebble Beach Concours

1960 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Coupe Superfast II

Among the cars competing for the Peninsula Classic Best of the Best Award is a 1960 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Coupe Superfast II. Only 14 of these cars were produced, but it provided the foundation for many cars to come.

It is also considered to be the first truly aerodynamic design by Pininfarina. The award, now in its second year, is sponsored by Peninsula Hotels. signatureevents.peninsula.com

Courtesy Pebble Beach Concours

1952 Pegaso Z-102 Berlineta Cupola

While this Spanish car maker produced about 80 high-end sports cars between 1951 and 1958, this is only one of two Cupola models made with an oversized rear window, side exhausts, and partially skirted fenders.

It is competing in the Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Awards sponsored by Peninsula Hotels. signatureevents.peninsula.com

Courtesy Pebble Beach Concours

1936 Lancia Astura Cabriolet Tipo Bocca

Designed by the legendary Pininfarina, this elegant Lancia Astura Cabriolet is distinguished by its curved side glass, a power top, and an unusual basket-woven interior trim.

The exterior highlights include a long, bright trim line on the side of the body that wraps around the tail and dips in front toward the upper corner of the radiator grille. It’s competing in the Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Awards. signatureevents.peninsula.com

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