Click here to view part two of our Pebble Beach coverage.
How can you really grasp the beauty of a week dedicated to classic cars, knowing you may never have the chance to do so again? It’s definitely not lazing around in the hotel because I wasn’t doing any of that! But a busy week full of classics is still a good week indeed!
So what better way to kick off reporting in Monterey, CA than cruising in a 1937 Packard? A beautiful car it was, riding in the Tour d’Elegance the Packard was a sight to see! The engine was the quietest I’d ever heard, a low purr ready to pounce the road with style. The Tour d’Elegance was a trip down the famous 17-Mile Drive, then California Highway 1 to Big Sur and back again to the city of Carmel, which was filled with cars of all sorts, colors, years, models and body styles.
Next was the Hagerty Cocktail Party, where I was introduced to the guests of the Concours d’Elegance by McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty Collector Car Insurance. I met many people, including Barry Meguiar and Bucky Worboys, Account Executive of DuPont Registry. It was a good experience, and it was pretty fun too!
Our next event was the Concours d’LeMons! This event featured unique cars with unique owners, including cars spanning from Pintos to Gremlins, a double-decker bus, a VW bus brought by Wayne Carini and even Hagerty’s Sweetest LeMon winner, an AMC Pacer.
The next event I reported on was the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. There were races for Ferraris, Muscle Cars, GT, Touring cars, and Jaguars, each exciting in their own way. Seeing the Ferraris race was nothing compared to hearing them race. I love to hear them streaking down asphalt and screeching along curves!
Sunday was the big day. The Super Bowl of Concours, the greatest of the great, Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach. Here were some of the most beautiful cars I’ve ever seen. There were cars of all kinds to see, the finest in the land, the kind that don’t have swirls in the paint job, the best of the best. There were some sweet Jaguars, including one that was completely original, some gorgeous classic Stutzes and even a 1907 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. This year was also celebrating 125 years of Mercedes-Benz!
Of course, it’s only a week, it has to end sometime. Going home is relieving yet sad at the same time. I’ll take these memories with me wherever I go and tell them to other people and kids. That’s what it’s all about, connecting kids with cars. And this is a goal I hope to achieve in my life – to keep the lifestyle going and the flame burning hotter than ever before. This is Hagerty Youth Reporter, John, signing off. Thanks Hagerty!