Events

McLaren W1 First Drive: Ferocious Hypercar Transcends the Track

You know things are getting serious when McLaren rolls-out the ‘1’ suffix. The origin story is, of course, the very first road car McLaren ever built, the F1. Designed by visionary Formula 1 aerodynamicist and engineer Gordon Murray, it arrived in 1992 and rendered all other supercars obsolete. The tiny, lightweight F1 embraced carbon-fibre material technology, adopted a radical centre seat driving position with two passengers set back and either side and was powered by a 6.1-litre V12 engine from BMW that might as well have been passed down directly from the Gods. Game-changer? That doesn’t even come close to describing its impact, even if at the time sales didn’t come easy… The P1 was very different. Rather than a unique side project from the Formula 1 team, it was instead a statement piece for McLaren Automotive, a new road car division still in its infancy. It arrived in 2013 and was a wild-eyed showstopper. It traded the long-legged gait and supple suspension of the F1 for a weaponized hybrid system capable of delivering 903bhp and huge blue flames from its drainpipe exhaust. In Race mode, it lowered by 2-inches and its massive concave rear wing extended into the sky. The P1 was all about aerodynamic downforce, crazed acceleration and a snorting, angry soundtrack that mixed venomous twin-turbocharged V8 with the manic whirr of electric motors. Not so much a car as a force of nature. And now there’s this: The W1. It’s a true successor to the P1 with a similar brief and, on the face of it, it evolves rather than radically reinvents McLaren’s vision for the ultimate hypercar. This is not a criticism. How could it be when the result is this dramatic and has such staggering, other-worldly potential? The W1 has 1258bhp delivered to the rear wheels. It’s capable of 0-124 mph in 5.8-seconds, the quarter mile in 9.6-seconds at 167 mph and produces 2205lbs of downforce at 174 mph. The active aerodynamics – particularly a rear wing that extends way out beyond the rear of the car – are pure performance art and deliver massive aerodynamic efficiency. The result, aside from looking extremely cool, is that the W1 is McLaren’s fastest road car around a racetrack. Ever. Their benchmark circuit is the breath-taking Handling Track at the Nardo proving ground in southern Italy, where the W1 beats their previous benchmark, the flyweight McLaren Senna, by three seconds per lap. Or “a lifetime” as they call it in racing. Maybe two lifetimes! Core to the W1’s performance is the new ‘Aerocell’ carbon fibre tub. With integrated seats and a raised footwell to allow for inboard pushrod-operated front suspension – which in turn gives air a clean path to the huge underbody diffuser – it’s light, stiff, space efficient and has been instrumental in McLaren realising a full ground-effect concept. Just like last year’s F1 cars, which were the fastest ever made. There is also an active front wing and the aforementioned complex rear wing dubbed ‘Active Long Tail’. All of which is very admirable. But the ‘anhedral’ or gullwing doors and the fantastically shirnked-wrapped feel to the minimalist, highly-focussed interior are a pretty good side effect. The W1 feels special. Those fixed seats are perhaps a shade more upright than expected, and the driving position is less obviously racecar than, for example, the Aston Martin Valhalla or Ferrari F80. However, once you’ve adjusted the pedals (they move on a slider) and the delicate, slim-rimmed and alcantara-trimmed steering wheel, there’s an overwhelming sense of purpose. The cabin is so tightly tailored and imparts a sense of lightness and agility before you so much as start the all-new 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, which makes 916bhp all on its own and revs to 9200rpm. Reach up to a roof-mounted control panel to find the starter button. Maybe this fighter plane trope is a little corny, but somehow you feel thrilled rather than manipulated. The W1 has a sense of humour as well as all that motorsport-derived sophistication. There’s a short delay, but when the engine does fire it’s instant – as the high-powered hybrid system negates the need for an old-school starter motor. A sharp flare of revs tells you that this engine is hyper-responsive and angry. On some deep level your brain and body have been sent all the signals required to prepare for something new and intense. Ahead of us, an empty Mugello racetrack, so press and hold the blue button next to the red starter to select Race mode. The centre display graphic shows the W1’s transformation in real time as it lowers by 37mm at the front and 17mm at the rear whilst simultaneously undocking all that active aero goodness. Race mode is not road legal and is geo-locked. You can show your friends and neighbours the aero dance, but it won’t allow you to select a gear to actually drive unless you’re at a circuit. Incidentally, the rocker switches either side of the display binnacle allow further options now: Toggle up the Handling control on the left for Race+ (for F1-spec super smooth tracks) or stick to Race for gnarlier ones. On the right toggle select ‘GP’ for sustained performance over a stint or ‘Sprint’ to unleash all 1258bhp for a time attack. There’s also a DRS and Boost function on the steering wheel. But I guarantee you won’t have the mental capacity to use them… Exit the pitlane, pin the throttle and W1 takes maybe a millisecond or two to gather its might (the gearing stretches to around 60mph in first, nearly 100mph in second, primarily to aid traction), but then lunges at the first turn with incredible ferocity. It instantly feels light, almost like inertia is no longer a thing. McLaren really does prize lightweight engineering, and at 3084lbs (dry) the W1 has a 278lbs advantage over the Ferrari F80. Plus, Ferrari uses figures for cars fitted with every single carbon fibre option. In reality, the gap is probably wider still. The impression of agility and stunning control continues as the track is unravelled at startling pace. The electric motor mounted to the side of the new 8-speed dual-clutch transmission is good for 342bhp and 324lb ft and it boosts any low rev lethargy the new flat-plane crank V8 might have (spoiler alert: It doesn’t appear to have any), so the W1 just feels massively, almost impossibly powerful at any revs. Even so, there’s real reward for wringing it out to 9200rpm and the power curve feels superheated but organic, too. In Race mode the steering – still hydraulically powered – has less assistance and it is noticeably heavier than other McLarens. However, that resistance is welcome as it gives you something to push against and imparts so much information about the front grip level. New Pirelli Trofeo RS tyres with a bigger front footprint than P1 or Senna really help. The front-end feels incredibly secure and the rear-axle follows with perfectly-aligned precision. The whole car feels super-stiff, completely locked into the surface and inspires confidence, but there’s an inherent agility and adjustability that means you’re quickly confident to push at its limits and really impose yourself on the chassis. It’s such a complex car but the driving experience is intuitive, and the driver feels a key contributor rather than just amazed (or terrified) observer, holding on for dear life. Every dynamic ingredient really is shockingly effective and yet has a subtlety and lightness of touch. From that delicious steering to the incredible brakes, the W1 just feels so mission-focussed, so hooked-up. Only the new 8-speed gearbox is a slightly disappointment. It’s fast and punchy, but after the scintillating energy of the Ferrari F80 ’box it feels competent rather than inspired. Other quibbles – it’s okay to quibble when the starting price is $2.1-million before tax and destination charge. Well, that new twin-turbocharged V8 sounds tightly wound and aggressive but if you have a P1 tucked in the garage you’ll miss the snorting, Darth Vader-style soundscape and all the drama that goes with it. Ferrari does this better, too. The F80 sounds deathly dull from the outside but is a riot of turbochargers, electric motors and all sorts of mechanical fury within the cockpit. Even so, the W1 is wildly entertaining on track, and the rear-drive configuration makes it more of a challenge and more satisfying than the F80 when chasing lap times or just sliding around for fun. In the Ferrari, you must second-guess what the front e-axle might do, whereas in the W1 it’s all on you. There are plenty of tools to help, including the ingenious Variable Drift Control, but somehow the W1 is more heroic. Or at least fools you into feeling more heroic – which is surely the point! On the road? Nimble, loaded with feel and sublime response. The ride is noticeably tougher than, say, a 750S but the control is ramped-up too, and with a bit more speed the whole car finds a delicious rhythm. Sport mode for the drivetrain brings some nice turbo whooshes and chirps, but the noise remains high-quality rather than extreme excitement. It is perhaps the one area the W1 feels just a little too tame. Of course, there’s nothing tame about the raw performance… which is genuinely shocking and literally hurts your neck muscles after a few hours. How McLaren has given the W1 such immense traction through just two driven wheels is beyond me. So, is it worthy of that ‘1’? I think so. Perhaps we won’t be talking about $25-million auction results for the W1 in 30 years from now, as we are for the F1. Perhaps it doesn’t quite have the amazing presence and jaw-dropping star quality of the simply gorgeous P1. But it is such an intense experience and the way it marries stunning track performance with delicate poise and entertainment on normal roads is something akin to magic. Maybe not ‘the one’ but definitely a searing, outrageous addition to McLaren’s fiercest family line. Just 399 W1’s will be built and they’re all sold. I’m not surprised at all. View All McLarens For Sale Images: McLaren Automotive

By Rétromobile New York – September 11, 2026

Cart Department To Bring Iconic Art Cars To Rétromobile New York

Rétromobile New York has announced a partnership with CART Department by renowned collector Larry Warsh, ahead of the show's debut this November. Building upon Rétromobile's longstanding celebration of motoring history and design, the collaboration introduces CART Department's distinct perspective on the car as a canvas for creative expression and reflection of contemporary culture. Drawing from Warsh's extensive collection, the presentation will spotlight works that move beyond conventional modes of display to examine the relationship between automobiles, contemporary art, and culture. For nearly 50 years, Rétromobile has served as a meeting point for the international collector-car community, bringing together significant automotive history and the people shaping the field. Its arrival in New York extends that legacy to the United States, creating a new destination for the collector community while introducing the Rétromobile experience to one of the world's foremost cultural capitals. At the New York edition, CART Department will present a curated selection of art cars and related works, taking visitors through the distinct creative perspectives of internationally recognized artists and cultural figures, including Keith Haring, Jay-Z, Ai Weiwei and Shepard Fairey. “What makes this collaboration so special is the opportunity to look at the automobile from a different perspective,” shares Gérard Neveu, CEO of Rétromobile New York. “Rétromobile has always celebrated the artistry that makes these cars more than mere machines, and CART brings that same curiosity through the world of contemporary art. New York feels like the perfect place to bring those worlds together, and I think visitors will discover something they may not have expected at the show in November.” Haring’s 1971 Series III Land Rover Defender is covered in the artist’s signature graphic imagery, including elements from his 1983 poster design for the Montreux Jazz Festival. The 2004 Maybach 57 featured in Jay-Z’s “Otis” music video was dramatically stripped down and transformed into a custom muscle car, turning the ultra-luxury vehicle into an unexpected cultural object. Additional works featured in the presentation will include those by Daniel Arsham, Esther Mahlangu, Damien Hirst, Kenny Scharf, Richard Prince, Olafur Eliasson, Zaha Hadid, Jeff Koons, and Barbara Kruger. Central to the collaboration is Warsh’s more than three decades of experience in the international art world and his longstanding exploration of the car as a vehicle for creative expression. An early collector of Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Warsh has assembled more than 70 one-of-a-kind art cars associated with leading figures including Damien Hirst, Barbara Kruger, Jenny Holzer, Lawrence Weiner, Rashid Johnson and Olafur Eliasson. Most recently, Warsh established CART Department, a cross-platform initiative that examines the automobile beyond its utilitarian purpose through the lens of identity and contemporary culture. Ai Weiwei’s BMW incorporates thousands of LEGO bricks, transforming a familiar vehicle through one of the artist’s most recognizable materials. Shepard Fairey’s 1937 Packard 115C Touring Sedan layers imagery across the historic automobile to examine themes of wealth, power and consumption. Ever since its invention, the automobile has had an irresistible pull on the human imagination, and that's especially true when artists do the imagining,” shares Larry Warsh. “In their visionary hands, vehicles become more than transportation, status symbols, or engineering marvels. They become canvases for art and culture. CART Department is thrilled to collaborate with Rétromobile on their inaugural New York exhibition to introduce CART X, a new hybrid global event that merges cars, art, music, and fashion, reshaping how cars are appreciated in a broader lifestyle context and absorbed into popular culture.” Visit Retromobile.us Buy Tickets

By Sponsored Article – September 09, 2026

Supercar Saturdays Florida Is Bringing Miami Heat to SEMA Fest 2026

What happens when one of South Florida’s best-known supercar communities packs two enclosed haulers with exotics and sends them across the country to Las Vegas? This November, Supercar Saturdays Florida is about to find out. Following a successful debut at SEMA Fest in 2025, Supercar Saturdays Florida (SSF) will return to Las Vegas November 4–7 for an expanded four-day experience built around SEMA Week. But simply calling it a return trip to SEMA doesn’t quite capture what organizers have planned. The SSF Road to SEMA Fest – Las Vegas VIP Experience begins in Miami, where two haulers loaded with supercars will depart South Florida bound for Las Vegas. Once there, the cars and their owners will connect with members of the Las Vegas and West Coast supercar communities for a week that combines the spectacle of SEMA with the thing these cars were ultimately created to do: drive. Ferraris, Lamborghinis, McLarens, Porsches, Koenigseggs and other high-performance machinery are expected to be represented throughout the week. From the Convention Center to the Open Road SEMA may provide the backdrop, but SSF is building an experience that stretches well beyond the Las Vegas Convention Center. Participants will take part in a schedule of events that includes Las Vegas Strip supercar cruises, desert rallies and scenic drives, track experiences, VIP driving opportunities, private dinners and gatherings, automotive and brand activations, and professional photography and content creation. At the center of it all will be SSF’s return to SEMA Fest on Friday, November 6, where a curated collection of hypercars and exotics will be displayed as part of the public celebration that closes out SEMA Week. It is familiar territory—but on a considerably larger scale. SSF made its SEMA Fest debut in 2025 with a collection that included vehicles from Ferrari Las Vegas, Koenigsegg and members of the Las Vegas supercar community. The response helped pave the way for SSF to return as a featured experience in 2026, this time with a much larger contingent arriving directly from South Florida. The result is something rarely seen even during a week as automotive-obsessed as SEMA: three distinct supercar communities coming together in one city. One of the Biggest Weeks in the Automotive World For anyone unfamiliar with the scale of SEMA Week, "big" is an understatement. The SEMA Show runs November 3–6 at the Las Vegas Convention Center and is one of the world's premier automotive specialty-products trade events. More than 2,400 exhibiting companies are expected to participate, bringing together manufacturers, builders, buyers, media, and automotive professionals from around the globe. Then comes SEMA Fest. Taking place Friday, November 6, SEMA Fest opens the celebration to the public with the famous SEMA Cruise, drifting and motorsports exhibitions, featured vehicles, automotive activations and live entertainment. For 2026, the concert lineup is scheduled to feature The Offspring, Jimmy Eat World, 311, and The Alive, while the Supercar Saturdays Florida hypercar and exotic showcase will provide another major attraction for enthusiasts. Ten Years of Supercar Saturdays Florida There couldn't be a more appropriate year for SSF to expand its national presence. In 2026, Supercar Saturdays Florida celebrates its 10th anniversary, marking a decade since the event began bringing together South Florida's collectors, owners, and enthusiasts. Its signature second-Saturday gathering at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood has grown into one of South Florida's most recognizable recurring automotive events, regularly attracting hundreds of vehicles along with collectors, automotive clubs, dealerships, brands, celebrities and industry leaders beneath the unmistakable silhouette of the Guitar Hotel. Over the years, however, SSF has increasingly taken the show on the road. Rallies, Fun Runs and special automotive experiences have expanded its footprint, including a post-event Supercar Fun Run connected with the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix and relationships and activations involving Barrett-Jackson, Gumball 3000, duPont REGISTRY, SEMA and SEMA Fest. Las Vegas represents the next evolution of that idea. Instead of simply gathering great cars in one location, SSF is creating experiences around the people who own and enjoy them—and connecting automotive communities separated by thousands of miles. Miami Meets Vegas That may ultimately be what makes the 2026 Road to SEMA Fest experience different. The story doesn't begin when the doors open at the Las Vegas Convention Center. It begins when two haulers leave Miami carrying a little piece of South Florida's car culture westward. From there, the cars become part of four days of drives, rallies, track time, gatherings and events before culminating in SSF's second appearance at SEMA Fest. For owners, it is an opportunity to experience SEMA Week from behind the wheel rather than simply from the convention floor. For enthusiasts, it promises an extraordinary concentration of machinery. And for automotive and lifestyle brands, the expanded program creates opportunities to participate across everything from vehicle transport and displays to driving events, photography, digital content and on-site activations. After ten years of building a supercar community in South Florida, Supercar Saturdays Florida is taking that community national—two haulers at a time. Visit Website Event Details SSF Road to SEMA Fest – Las Vegas VIP ExperienceNovember 4–7, 2026Las Vegas, Nevada Supercar Saturdays Florida at SEMA FestFriday, November 6, 2026Las Vegas Convention Center Participation is limited to a curated group of approved supercars. Registration, vehicle transport, sponsorship, partnership and media inquiries:SupercarSaturdaysFL.comSupercarSaturdaysFlorida@gmail.com

By Sponsored Article – September 09, 2026

Porscheast Returns to Rally Point East on Saturday, October 10

Porscheast comes back to Rally Point East on Saturday, October 10, bringing a full field of Porsches to the club's Hamptons campus for four hours of cars, food, and more. Admission is open to enthusiasts, collectors, and anyone who wants to spend a Saturday morning among them. When: Saturday, October 10, 2026, 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM Where: The Hamptons, New York The field spans the range of the marque: early air-cooled cars, vintage and modern road models, GT variants, and motorsport machinery. Cars are displayed across the outdoor lot and inside the club, with owners on hand throughout the day. Running alongside the display is a program filled with live music, art, and fashion, plus premium food and beverage service. The bar is open, and brand partners host boutique retail and activation spaces among the cars. Rally Point East is a members club in The Hamptons built around the automotive experience. The property covers 8,000 square feet of social and storage club, with an event center, cafe (the cafe will be closed during the event), bar, climate-controlled car storage, and an outdoor lot. On-site parking accommodates up to 200 cars, so arriving in something worth looking at is encouraged. Early October is the easiest time of year to make the drive east. Plan the route, bring the car, and come see the full spread. Brands interested in aligning with Porscheast can inquire about partnership and on-site activation opportunities at Rally Point East. Learn More GALLERY-EMBED

By Khris Bharath – September 06, 2026

Lamborghini Miura and McLaren F1 Make History With Double Best of Show Win at Salon Privé

Salon Privé has never crowned two Best of Show winners in a single year. That changed at Blenheim Palace this week, where a 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400 S and a 1995 McLaren F1 took top honors, marking the first double crowning in the concours’ 21-year history. The result reflects a new structure for 2026. Salon Privé introduced the Concours d’Excellence alongside its long-running Concours d’Elégance, giving modern collector cars a distinct top honor as limited-production supercars and hypercars become increasingly significant within the international collector market. 70 cars competed across 12 classes, including one celebrating 80 years of Bristol Cars. The Miura, owned by Amir Ravan and the RLC Collection, competed in The Italian Job: 60 Years of the Lamborghini Miura and claimed the Concours d’Elégance award. Ravan credited Tom Hartley Junior and his team, who spent four years restoring the car, for the result. “The Miura is one of the great automotive designs, a car whose presence and proportions remain as captivating today as they were when it was first unveiled” - Salon Privé Co-Founder and Chairman Andrew Bagley. Terry Bramall’s 1995 McLaren F1 became the inaugural winner of the Concours d’Excellence, competing in Poster Cars: Icons from Our Youth. The winning car, chassis 040, was the first of only three F1s fitted from new with the high-mounted mirrors envisioned in Gordon Murray’s original design. The Concours d’Excellence used the M100 judging system, a 100-point framework developed for contemporary collector cars that replaces traditional originality-focused judging with criteria better suited to modern engineering and design. Billy Hibbs’ Maserati 3500GT Spyder Prototipo by Vignale finished runner-up in the Concours d’Elégance, while Gregor Piëch’s one-off Porsche 918 Coupé Sonderwunsch was runner-up in Concours d’Excellence. The 2025 Rimac Nevera Time Attack also made history as the first fully electric car to compete in the Salon Privé Concours since the event began 21 years ago. One of the two Best of Show winners will advance to the Peninsula Classics Best of the Best in January 2027, joining winners from events including Villa d’Este, Cavallino Classic and The Quail. View All Supercars & Exotics for Sale Images: Salon Privé UK

By Khris Bharath – September 02, 2026

Bristol Revives the V10 Fighter Using Original Unused Chassis at Salon Privé

Bristol Cars has returned to Salon Privé with one of its most distinctive modern models. The company unveiled a newly completed Fighter at Blenheim Palace, built around an original unused chassis from the production program that ended in 2011. Four additional Fighter chassis remain and will now be completed for individual customers. Bristol plans to finish each example using original drawings and components while allowing buyers to specify their preferred configuration. <- Gallery -> The Fighter was Bristol's final production model before manufacturing ended in 2011. Former Brabham Formula One engineer Max Boxstrom designed the body around aerodynamic efficiency while retaining the unusual proportions that made the car immediately recognizable. Its distinctive gullwing bodywork achieved a drag coefficient of 0.28, an impressive figure for a front-engined performance car developed more than two decades ago. The cabin remains equally distinctive, with analog instruments, a manual gear lever, a conventional handbrake, and rows of physical rotary controls. Tan leather covers nearly every visible surface, including quilted seat inserts and door panels, while the rear hatch opens to a carpeted luggage area behind the seats. Power comes from an 8.0-liter V10, mounted behind the front axle and paired with a six-speed manual transmission. Bristol says the newly completed cars will produce 525 horsepower as standard, while customers can also specify an uprated 600-horsepower version, with the company quoting a maximum speed approaching 210 mph. The Fighter's name also reflects Bristol's long connection with aviation engineering. Bristol's automotive business emerged from the Bristol Aeroplane Company after the Second World War, with the Bristol 400 arriving in 1946. The Fighter later borrowed its name from the Bristol F.2 Fighter, a two-seat aircraft produced during the First World War. “Bringing Bristol Cars back is about far more than reviving a name; it is about bringing back the spirit of a marque that has always stood apart. Bristol has a remarkable story, from its roots in aviation and engineering to the extraordinary and exclusive cars it crafted. We want to honour that heritage while giving Bristol a future that is every bit as distinctive.” - Paul King, Director of Bristol Cars The remaining four Fighters will be offered in right-hand-drive or left-hand-drive configurations, with pricing available upon application. Salon Privé continues through September 6 at Blenheim Palace, where a dedicated concours class is also celebrating Bristol's 80th anniversary. View All Supercars and Exotics for Sale Images: Bristol Cars

By Edward Jones – September 01, 2026

Monterey Car Week 2026: Broken Records, Unforgettable Times and Tamer Streets

Last year I showed up to Monterey Car Week with no idea what I was walking into. I'd spent more than a decade hearing stories from coworkers about the cars, the weather, and the parties, and I finally went to see whether any of it held up. It did. So this year I came back, and the interesting thing about a second trip is that you stop being amazed by the fact that a Koenigsegg is parked at a gas station and start paying attention to everything happening around it. Alright, it actually is really awesome seeing a Koenigsegg posted up at a gas station and always will be. I flew in Wednesday and landed in the afternoon. Stepping out of the airport into that cool Monterey air after a Florida August is a feeling I'd been looking forward to for months, and it did not disappoint. I unpacked, got some work done, and went to dinner at Il Vecchio, a wonderful Italian spot where the pasta is made fresh in front of you all night long. If you want a low-key first night before the week takes over your life, that is the move. Thursday is when it started in earnest. The team and I headed up into the mountains to a winery for Gordon Murray Automotive's private unveiling of the new S1, with Gordon Murray and Dario Franchitti on hand to do the honors. I want to thank GMA for the invite and for being such lovely people. I've enjoyed watching how far this company has come over the past few years, and I'm genuinely excited to see what they do next. GALLERY-EMBED From the mountains, it was back down and over to Zenvo's house for introductions to the Aurora Agil and the Aurora Tur. Two hypercars built off the same idea with very different purposes, and Chief Designer Christian Brandt was there to walk through the design language behind each one. There is nothing better than going over a car with the person who drew it, because you get the reasoning behind every surface and every curve rather than a spec sheet. I especially appreciated learning that Danish furniture design was part of the inspiration behind the Tur. Also, shout out to the pizza served at the house, which was phenomenal. Next came the Concours Village to pick up credentials, then over to see what Gooding Christie's had on display. Front and center sat the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe that would go on to sell for $42.9 million, which is the kind of thing you walk past and have to remind yourself is real. I made a lap of the lots and then headed to Lincoln's private event at the Pebble Beach Club, where the brand had its latest models lined up, including the new 2027 Navigator and Nautilus. We ran through the Lincoln Rejuvenate mode, a five- to ten-minute session that combines massage, audio, visuals, and even scent when the available Lincoln Digital Scent is installed. After the day I'd already had, I needed it more than I expected to. Once that wrapped, I made my way to the House of M event by BMW, where the BMW M Concept Neue Klasse made its North American premiere right by Cannery Row. There was a long list of iconic and classic M cars alongside it, and the crowd was full of BMW purists in a genuinely great setting. The pizza was on point there too. That's the moment I realized I was going to be a pizza connoisseur for the week, because pizza turned out to be the common thread at nearly every event I attended. Not a complaint by any means whatsoever. If you're wondering whether I called it a night there, you'd be wrong, unfortunately for my feet. I still had Gunther Werks' private event at Folktale Winery ahead of me, and it turned out to be one of the highlights of the entire week. The atmosphere was lavish, warm, and welcoming all at once. Standing in the cask room surrounded by the winery's barrels and roughly 3,000 candles was unreal, and the smell of the wood was an experience by itself. On display was a recent commission finished in multi-stage Pearl White over smooth-grain Marine Blue leather with bespoke blue houndstooth, making 850 horsepower and running a manual transmission. That's the right car for the coast roads and the run up through Carmel Valley, and I don't think anyone at that event would argue. And while I didn't get a chance to attend, duPont REGISTRY was a partner with Luxury Rally Club for their Concours & Cocktails at The Preserve event. This event was an invite-only happening held in an unbelievably picturesque setting that offers extraordinary cars, elevated culinary experiences, and unforgettable conversations. This upscale event is on everyone's list of things to attend during MCW, but only a select few get the chance to experience it. On Friday, The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, was taking place, and while I didn't get the chance to attend, duPont REGISTRY was on display alongside Luxury Rally Club with an activation sponsored by BRABUS. In attendance was also the BRABUS BODO, the car on the cover of our August 2026 issue. For my own Friday, I finally had a few hours to catch up on work and actually look around. If you think Monterey Car Week is all about the cars, you're right, but the setting is a big part of why it works. The coastline gives you those deep blues as a backdrop, and it delivers the cool air that makes walking around all day genuinely pleasant instead of the endurance test it would be back home in Florida. The people are as good as the scenery. I spent some time talking with employees at shops along Lighthouse Avenue about what they think of the week. I'd expected a range of negative opinions and mostly got the opposite. Most of those I talked to loved seeing the cars roll through their hometown, and they appreciated the surge in spending at local restaurants and shops. The complaints came down to two things: traffic, which means leaving earlier for work or school, and the drivers who insist on revving and breaking local traffic laws. For what it's worth, this year felt calmer than last, and there was a noticeable law enforcement presence around town. Enforcement on the Monterey Peninsula was increased for 2026, and Car Week led to 761 traffic stops and 48 arrests across the peninsula. Some people will complain about that, but we want Monterey Car Week to survive, and it won't if reckless driving keeps trending up. More to the point, we should be kind to the locals who welcome us into their beautiful home and treat them with respect. The vast majority of visitors already do, but a couple of bad apples can ruin the bunch. Now that I'm off my soapbox, let's talk about Mecum. With more than 500 cars crossing the block and over $100 million in sales, there was a lot of ground to cover, and thankfully David Morton from Mecum gave me a tour of the field. A bare carbon fiber Bugatti EB110, a Koenigsegg Jesko Attack, and the custom baby-blue 1959 Chevrolet Impala lowrider from Nipsey Hussle and DJ Khaled's 2019 "Higher" video were all in the mix, along with plenty more that stopped me in my tracks. I also got a preview of what's coming to their Kissimmee auction, which is always a must-attend. Once night fell, it was over to RM Sotheby's at the Portola Hotel and Monterey Conference Center for its 29th year in Monterey. That room is always electric, with high hammer prices coming through left and right, and RM consistently brings the best of the best to this sale. Friday was a shorter day than Thursday and a more auction-forward one, which I always enjoy. It was also a welcome breather, because Saturday was going to be long. That being said, I wish I were in the room when the Ferrari Luce "Chassis 0" smashed all estimations and sold for a record-breaking $40 million, all of which went to the Ferrari Foundation charity. Bright and early Saturday, I headed to Bayonet Black Horse Golf Course for Concorso Italiano, which duPont REGISTRY partnered with for the 2026 edition. If you're a fan of Italian cars, or just fine automobiles in general, this is one you can't miss. The field was full of machinery that made its way over from Italy, with Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Bizzarrini, De Tomaso, Ferrari, FIAT, Iso, Lamborghini, Lancia, and Maserati all represented. duPont REGISTRY Select was on hand with several vehicles that were actually for sale, including a stunning Porsche 918 Spyder, one of the few but very welcome non-Italian cars on the property. GALLERY-EMBED duPont REGISTRY's presence went well beyond the display. Cristina Cheever, Charles Bradley, Eric Curran, and Antoine Tessier all took the stage across the day, and Charles sat down with Jeff Mason of the Piston Foundation for a conversation about the skilled trades shortage facing this hobby, which is not an abstract problem when restoration shops are aging out faster than they're being replaced. The Chairman's Award, presented by duPont REGISTRY, went to a 1949 Ferrari 166MM Touring Barchetta owned by David and Carol Seielstad of Princeville, Hawaii, with Antoine and Charles on stage alongside current chairman Tanya Kosta and former chairmen Tom McDowell and Jack Wadsworth. The award pits past Best of Show winners against each other, so the bar is absurd by design, and a 166MM is a small car carrying an enormous amount of history. Best of Show went to Jim Utaski's 1959 Maserati 3500 GT Bertone. When the awards wrapped, duPont REGISTRY led a rally off the property and over to the Monterey Motorsports Festival, which is exactly how a car show should end. Happening simultaneously with Concorso Italiano was the Exotics on Broadway event, which duPont REGISTRY was a sponsor for. The show has come a long way since it started in 2015, pulling in more than 40,000 spectators, and it does it without the ropes and reserved seating you find elsewhere on the peninsula. This year the layout changed, with the old Fremont area relocated to Del Monte Blvd as a fully enclosed, ticketed Vendor and Hypercar Showcase holding more than 40 hypercars, a lineup of sponsors and vendors, and a main entertainment stage. Going back to my day, the rally from Concorso Italiano put me at the Monterey County Fairgrounds for the Monterey Motorsports Festival. No allocation, no waitlist, just a ticket and a gate. The billing is "One Night, One Culture, All Cars," and the festival takes that literally. Rare builds and iconic machines shared the grounds with custom culture, a JDM section, Mecum's classics and muscle, and an off-road corner. duPont REGISTRY Group presented the evening and filled a good share of the programming, with Charles Bradley hosting main stage collector interviews and Raffaello Porro running additional conversations, plus a curated collector car display and the duPont REGISTRY Editor's Choice Award going to one of the cars on the field. GALLERY-EMBED The headline was Kimera Automobili, the 2026 featured marque, with founder Luca Betti pulling the covers off the Koenigsegg-powered K-39 live on the main stage before sitting down to talk about where the company is headed. Once the sun dropped, the Arena and Main Stage carried the night with the biggest concert of the week, and between the food vendors, the outdoor bars, and the vendor village, the fairgrounds felt like the one place all week where every corner of car culture was standing in the same lot. After two events like that back to back, I went straight back to the house, because Sunday is the big one. After a lovely breakfast at Happy Girl Cafe, it was time for the 75th Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Stretched across the 18th hole and all around the grounds were cars of unimaginable provenance, pulled out of their loving homes for a shot at one of the coveted awards and, for a few, at Best of Show. Lamborghini brought what I counted as 43 Miuras to celebrate the model's 60th anniversary, setting the record for the largest gathering of Miuras ever assembled in one place. Ferrari had its own section dedicated to its finest work, including a curation of one-offs with my personal favorite, the SC40, among them. When the time came, I headed to the stage, where the collector car world's top prize went to a Duesenberg SSJ originally owned by Clark Gable. The streamers and confetti filling the stage never get old, and it's still the best possible way to close out the event. Pebble Beach also surpassed $50 million in total charitable giving this year, a grand number for an equally grand event. This concours is always magical to attend, and not only because I see cars I will probably never see again. I get to catch up with friends and with people I work with all year long, in what I'd argue is one of the most serene settings on earth. If you've never been, this is one event you have to see in person at least once to understand how much it means to the automotive world. GALLERY-EMBED Once the day wrapped up, it was back to bed and then home after a long week. This was only my second Monterey Car Week, and it was just as magical as the first. I think that's how everyone else feels too, and it's why they keep coming back. The whole week was full of unforgettable events and memories made possible by the automotive world I've loved since I was a kid, and it's an honor to be part of what I'd call the most famous car week on the planet. So again, if you ever get the chance to attend, even just to car spot from a sidewalk, do it. You will not regret it. Just be sure to be respectful to the locals and to your fellow visitors, because it takes the whole village to keep Monterey Car Week around so the generations after us can experience it too.

By Jordan Aquistapace – August 31, 2026

Santa Lucia Preserve Concours & Cocktails Brings Car Week Together

By the middle of Monterey Car Week, it can most certainly feel like you’re constantly checking the clock and looking at the next place you need to be. There are cars everywhere, events happening from morning until well after dark, and more than enough reasons to keep moving. That’s part of the fun, of course, but every once in a while, an event comes along where you can actually slow down and really enjoy the moment. The Santa Lucia Preserve Concours & Cocktails was one of those evenings this year.Set within the Santa Lucia Preserve just outside Carmel, the invitation-only event brought together more than 600 people for an evening of cars, cocktails, food, and conversation. Hosted by Luxury Rally Club, it had a noticeably different feel from some of the larger events taking place throughout Monterey Car Week. There was still plenty to see, but nothing seemed rushed or unintentional. Guests wandered between the cars, grabbed a drink, enjoyed an incredible culinary experience, and settled into conversations that seemed to last a little longer than usual during a week when everyone is constantly on the move.For duPont REGISTRY Group, it was also a chance to step away from the usual pace of the week and spend some time with many of the collectors, enthusiasts, and industry friends we see throughout the year. We were there alongside a diverse group of automotive and luxury brands, and that variety was one of the more interesting parts of the evening. BRABUS, Porsche Classic Club, Karma Automotive, GMC, Rivian, EarthRoamer, Velocity Restorations, Vintage Modern, Fari Cars, Dione Motorcars, and others brought everything from performance-focused builds to off-road and adventure-oriented vehicles.The setting certainly helped add to the beauty of the evening. Rather than being surrounded by pavement, buildings, and the crowds you find at some of Monterey’s better-known venues, the Preserve offered plenty of open space and a backdrop of California countryside. As the sun began to disappear, the cars took on a different character under the evening light, while guests moved between the displays and the various food and beverage stations. It was easy to forget, at least for a little while, just how busy the rest of Monterey Car Week was. GALLERY-EMBED Naturally, the cars were only part of the evening. Food was a major component, with delicious dishes from The Pocket Carmel, Passionfish, Tsarnicoulai, and Quoign Pastries, among others. There was also a surprisingly deep selection of wine and spirits spread throughout the event. Flowers Winery, Peter Michael Winery, Realm Cellars, Heitz Cellar, Robert Craig Winery, Champagne Philipponnat, and several other wineries were represented, while The GlenDronach, WhistlePig, Bushwood Spirits, LALO Spirits, Grey Goose, and Patrón rounded out the spirits selection. Having a drink in hand while talking through a car you had just walked around felt pretty appropriate throughout the night.One of the things everyone enjoyed most was how naturally the automotive side of the evening mixed with everything else. Airshare and Seanet Yachts brought aviation and yachting into the conversation, while The Motorcoach Store and EarthRoamer added another dimension to the idea of luxury travel. Elsewhere, you could find everything from custom hats and clothing to event design and décor. It made the evening a gathering of people who simply happen to share an appreciation for cars and the lifestyle that surrounds them.That was probably the biggest takeaway from the night. Monterey Car Week has no shortage of spectacular cars to see, but the events that stick with you aren't always the ones with the biggest crowds or the most valuable car on the lawn. Sometimes it's the atmosphere, the people you happen to run into, or a conversation that lasts longer than expected. The Preserve Concours & Cocktails had plenty of those moments.As the night went on, the Al James Band provided the soundtrack, the drinks kept moving, and the crowd gradually settled into the evening. There was no real sense that anyone needed to rush off to the next event. After several days of bouncing between concours fields, rallies, auctions, launches, and parties, that slower pace was a welcome change.For duPont REGISTRY, being part of it also meant getting to spend time with the people who make this community so incredible. We spend plenty of time talking about cars, but being around them with the people who collect, drive, build, sell, and appreciate them is really what Monterey Car Week is all about. By the time the evening came to an end, it was clear that the Santa Lucia Preserve Concours & Cocktails had brought together all the right ingredients for a memorable night. Great cars filled the property, the food and drinks kept everyone around, and the conversations continued well into the evening.

By Edward Jones – August 31, 2026

Monterey Motorsports Festival 2026: A Loud And Exciting Takeover of the Fairgrounds

Monterey Car Week has a rhythm to it. Early mornings on damp grass, judges with clipboards, lawn chairs, nice suits or dresses, and coffee. The Monterey Motorsports Festival is not that, and thank goodness for it. On Saturday, August 15, the event swallowed the entire Monterey County Fairgrounds and turned it into something loud, young, and genuinely fun. Most importantly, something different. You could hear it before you saw it. Cars arrived revving, popping, and generally showing off, and nobody in line seemed to mind. That set the tone for the whole night. Every corner of the fairgrounds had something parked in it, and the crowd moved between displays from the afternoon until the music started. The variety was the best part. Supercars sat within walking distance of JDM heroes, and neither felt out of place. The Lotec Sirius even made an appearance. For me, one of the most interesting automotive attendees was a car built from the ground up by a young engineer who goes by DeSimone, which is exactly the kind of thing that gets lost at more buttoned-up shows and exactly the kind of thing this crowd stops to talk about. Personally, I genuinely enjoyed my chat with the creator and can't wait to see what he builds next. And it was that chat that made me really fall in love with the event. This car was placed around a group of others in an area only accessible by walking through an entryway, like an area waiting to be discovered, as if I was playing a video game. Once there, I realized the entirety of the event was built like this and had so much for me to find. So, from there I went off and walked the grounds to see all the incredible cars on display around every corner. If you have spent any time in one of those open-world driving games where the whole map is a festival and every car is welcome, you already know the feeling. Except this one had real noise, real cars, and real people. It should be noted there was most definitely zero racing to be had. Once the sun went down, the main stage took over with an impressive music lineup for a giant crowd. David J opened at 7:00, Dreya V followed at 7:45, me n ü came on at 8:45, and Sidequest closed the night at 9:45. By that point, the fairgrounds had stopped being a car show entirely and become an automotive festival unlike any other. Paolo Manca, Founder & CEO of the event, says: “With 450 cars on display, we increased tremendously versus 2025 when the cars were 300. Our 6,000 visitors could enjoy a real car-party where supercars and music mingle for an unstoppable experience.” duPont REGISTRY came in as a partner of the festival, and the arrival was hard to miss. The team arrived at the fairgrounds in five supercars, which were part of a giant 50-car parade, and parked directly in front of the stage, which meant that for the rest of the day, every piece of programming had a proper backdrop. This fourfold partnership, MMF-dPR-Concorso-Pininfarina, holds the signature of Raffaello Porro, MMF’s communication advisor and ambassador in Europe. He also introduced Alberto Scuro, president of FIVA and ASI, alongside Massimo Carnelos, General Counsel of Italy in San Francisco, for their opening remarks. On the Peyton Stage, Basem Wasef ran the show as emcee. Wasef contributes to duPont REGISTRY magazine and knows how to keep an audience with him, which matters when you are competing with exhaust notes fifty feet away. He welcomed a long list of guests over the course of the day, among them duPont REGISTRY Editor-in-Chief Charles Bradley. Bradley presented the 2026 Editor's Choice Award to Luca Betti, the former rally driver who founded Kimera Automobili, for the Kimera K39. The car made its public debut at the festival, which made the timing about as good as it gets. Betti's background matters here. Kimera is not a design house doing a styling exercise; it is a shop run by someone who spent his career competing, and the cars reflect that. Handing the award to him with the K39 sitting there in front of the stage on its first day out in public was one of those moments where the programming and the metal lined up perfectly. Later on, Wasef hosted a roundtable that pulled together Cristina Cheever, Chief Marketing Officer of duPont REGISTRY Group, Charles Bradley, Editor-in-Chief of duPont REGISTRY, and Eric Curran, President of Sales at duPont REGISTRY Select. Four people who look at this industry from very different angles, talking in front of an audience that had spent the day surrounded by the cars in question. More intimate was the conversation between Charles Bradley and Harald and Fredrik Skjoldt, father and son, the first president of the Lamborghini Club Norway and good friend of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the second a former skijoring champion, both successful businessmen with a deep passion for collectible cars. It is a good format for an event like this. No slides, no script, just a conversation about where the market is going and what people are actually buying, delivered to a crowd that ranged from lifelong collectors to people who had never been to Car Week before. Plenty of Monterey Car Week events are excellent at what they do, and they all typically follow a similar vibe. The Monterey Motorsports Festival went the other direction. It felt like a true automotive festival meant for all. With music, food, noise, and a fairground teeming with excitement, Monterey Motorsports Festival is exactly what MCW needs: a breath of electrifying air. We want to thank Raffaello Porro for bringing this opportunity to duPont REGISTRY Group and making the introduction that led to the partnership. He recognized the fit early, and he was right about it. Expanding our experiential presence has been a priority for us, and that means meeting enthusiasts and collectors where they actually gather rather than reaching them only through a screen. A festival built around open access and a genuinely mixed field is exactly the kind of environment we have been looking for.

By Edward Jones – August 26, 2026

Concorso Italiano 2026 In Review

There is a moment at Concorso Italiano, usually somewhere around mid-morning, when the fairways at Bayonet Black Horse stop looking like a golf course and start looking like the world's best-organized Italian traffic jam. Hundreds of cars. Red, mostly, but not entirely. Ferrari Field runs one way down the slope, Alfa Field the other, and by the time you have walked past Maserati, Lamborghini, De Tomaso, FIAT and Lancia, Iso and Bizzarrini, the motorcycles, Special Coachworks and Global Exotics, you have covered more ground than you planned and seen less of it than you wanted. The 41st edition went big. More than 600 cars came through Concorso, with another 340 at The Paddock Monterey, and roughly 11,000 tickets distributed across the two days. That is a lot of people looking at a lot of Italian metal, and the layout held up. The Group showed up in force. Cristina Cheever, CMO of duPont REGISTRY Group, Charles Bradley, Editor-in-Chief, Eric Curran, President of Sales at duPont REGISTRY Select, and Antoine Tessier, CEO of duPont REGISTRY Group, all took the stage across the day, and the display just inside the gate carried five cars available for sale. One of the stage segments had nothing to do with a trophy. Charles sat down with Jeff Mason of the Piston Foundation for an on-stage conversation about the skilled trades problem facing this hobby, which is not an abstract worry. Restoration shops are aging out faster than they are being replaced. Piston Foundation puts scholarship money behind students learning the work, and those students were on the field all day. They also picked their own winner; more on that shortly. GALLERY-EMBED Then came the Chairman's Award, presented by duPont REGISTRY and reserved for a field of past Best of Show winners going up against one another. Antoine and Charles were on stage alongside current chairman Tanya Kosta and former chairmen Tom McDowell and Jack Wadsworth to hand it to a 1949 Ferrari 166MM Touring Barchetta owned by David and Carol Seielstad of Princeville, Hawaii. A 166MM is a small car that carries an enormous amount of history, and this one looked exactly as it should. GALLERY-EMBED The Chairman's Club is where the day slows down. Steak and lobster, a hosted bar, delicious sides, seating with a clean view of the stage, and a signature cocktail called the duPont Drop that did quite well for itself over the course of the afternoon. duPont REGISTRY sponsors the space, and it filled up with the people looking to relax in luxury. The stage schedule read like a list of birthdays. Sixty years of the Lamborghini Miura, with Valentino Balboni presenting his namesake award. Sixty for the Maserati Ghibli, the De Tomaso Mangusta, the FIAT 124 Spider and the 850 Sport Spider. Eighty for Vespa. A hundred for Ducati and for Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera. A hundred and twenty for Lancia. Add a hundred years of the Maserati trident, thirty years of the Ferrari 550 Maranello, and Ged Farnaby on the 330 GTC and GTS, and the morning was basically a rolling history lesson with the cars sitting right there in front of you. The 1959 Maserati 3500 GT Bertone owned by Jim Utaski of Skillman, New Jersey, took top honors, presented by Gary Bobileff and Alberto Scuro with ASI and FIVA. It also won its marque class outright. A Bertone-bodied 3500 GT is a rarer thing than the coachwork-agnostic crowd sometimes realizes, and this one earned the walk. The 2026 Winners Best in Show - 1959 Maserati 3500 GT Bertone, Jim Utaski, Skillman, New Jersey Chairman's Award presented by The duPont REGISTRY Group - 1949 Ferrari 166MM Touring Barchetta, David and Carol Seielstad, Princeville, Hawaii Concorso Italiano Duetto Award - 1969 Alfa Romeo 1750 Spider Veloce, Ingo Schmoldt, Oakland, California ASI Award - 1956 Alfa Romeo 1900 Primavera Coupe by Boano, Greg Haskin, Atascadero, California Valentino Balboni Award - 2013 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, Donald Anderson, San Diego, California La Bella Macchina Award - Donald Osborne Doug Magnon Award - Adolfo Orsi Meguiar's Best Finish Award - 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso, Mark Robinson, Haleiwa, Hawaii Piston Foundation New Generation Award - 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4, Tom Mingle, Oakland, California Marque First Place Winners Alfa Romeo: 1953 1900 CS Touring, Larry and Maureen Delorefice, Pinole, CaliforniaIso/Bizzarrini: 1966 Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada, Phil White, Redwood City, CaliforniaDe Tomaso: 1972 Pantera, Forest Goodhart, Watsonville, CaliforniaFerrari: 1966 330 GTC, Francois Henley, Saratoga, CaliforniaFIAT/Abarth: 2002 FIAT Multipla, Robert Calisi, Etobicoke, Ontario, CanadaLamborghini: 2013 Gallardo LP560-4, Donald Anderson, San Diego, CaliforniaLancia: 1966 Flaminia Super Sport, Paul Tullius, Chico, CaliforniaMaserati: 1959 3500 GT Bertone, Jim Utaski, Skillman, New JerseyMotorcycles: 1968 Ducati 350 Mark 3 Desmo, Joaquín Vodanovich, Palos Verdes, CaliforniaSpecial Coachworks: 1967 Apollo GT Coupe, Denny Paul, Carmel, California When the awards wrapped, duPont REGISTRY led a rally off the property and over to the Monterey Motorsports Festival, which is exactly how a car show should end. Not with a parking lot slowly emptying, but with a run out the gate. Proceeds from the week supported the Piston Foundation, All-In Monterey and the Mid Coast Fire Brigade. Between the students walking the field, the fire truck parked in the middle of it, and 600-plus cars that got driven here rather than trailered into a museum, that feels about right. GALLERY-EMBED

By duPont REGISTRY – August 22, 2026

Luxury Rally Club Rally to Car Week 2026 Recap

Most people treat getting to Monterey as logistics. You book the flight into San Jose, you arrange the transporter, you sit in the shuttle, and the actual Car Week starts when you walk onto the first lawn. Luxury Rally Club looked at that and decided the four days before Car Week were being wasted. The Rally to Car Week started on a Sunday evening in Torrance and finished Wednesday afternoon in Monterey. Roughly 300 miles as the crow flies, considerably more the way LRC routed it, and not one of those miles was filler. Day 1, Sunday, August 9: A Hangar in Torrance Zamperini Field, six to nine in the evening. No driving, no schedule pressure, just the group in a hangar getting to know each other before anyone turned a key. That sounds like a small thing, but it isn't. Rallies live or die on whether people are comfortable with each other by the second morning, and the ones that skip the introduction usually spend the first full day sorting themselves out at fuel stops. Starting with a night that has no departure time attached to it is the right call. Day 2, Monday August 10: Los Angeles to Pismo Beach Monday morning began at Concours Collection Storage on Arizona Place, which is a fitting place for a rally to gather. Registration and luggage drop opened at 8:30, breakfast ran until 10:15, drivers' meeting immediately after, wheels turning at 10:30. The luggage part deserves a mention, because it explains a lot about how LRC thinks. Bags went onto the LRC Comfort Bus, not into anybody's cabin. If you have ever tried to pack for four days of Car Week in a car that was designed around two seats and an engine, you know exactly how much that changes the experience. You drive the car the way it was meant to be driven and your suitcase meets you at the hotel. From there, it was north to Santa Ynez, lunch at SY Kitchen at 1:15, and back out at 2:45 for the run to Pismo Beach. Check in at The Cliffs Hotel and Spa at five, aperitivo at Dolphin Bay Resort at 6:30, sunset dinner at seven, and a nightcap on the Cliffs lawn by the firepits at 9:30. A long day, but paced so that the last three hours of it were spent sitting still with a drink and a view. GALLERY-EMBED Day 3, Tuesday, August 11: Morro Bay, Paso Robles, and Relaxation Tuesday is where the itinerary gets clever. Two nights at The Cliffs meant nobody packed a bag on Tuesday morning, and the day became a loop rather than a transit stage. Drivers meeting at 9:15, out at 9:30, coffee and pastries in Morro Bay at 10:15. Then inland to Paso Robles and lunch at DAOU Vineyards and Estate at 12:30, up on Hidden Mountain Road, which is worth the climb before you even get to the food. Back on the road at 2:30, back at the hotel by 3:45 with the afternoon free. The evening stayed on property. Aperitivo on the Cliffs oceanfront lawn at 6:30, Car Week Eve dinner at seven, and a nightcap back at the Comfort Bus at ten. Nobody had to drive anywhere. GALLERY-EMBED Day 4, Wednesday August 12: Pismo Beach to Monterey Wednesday morning was a clean exit. Breakfast and check-out at 8:15, bags to the Comfort Bus, drivers meeting at 9:15, rolling by 9:30. The final leg ran up to Pasadera for lunch at TPC Monterey from one until 2:30, then accommodations check-in at four. Which means the group arrived in Monterey having eaten, having driven a properly good road, and having spent four days with the people they were about to spend the rest of the week with. Compare that to landing at an airport on Wednesday night and trying to find your bearings on Thursday morning. GALLERY-EMBED The temptation with an event like this is to fill every hour. LRC didn't. Look at the schedule again and count the gaps: a free afternoon in Pismo, a nightcap with no end time, a breakfast on your own. The structure is there when you need it and absent when you don't. The other thing the itinerary gets right is the driving itself. Santa Ynez, the coast up to Pismo, the run inland to Paso Robles, then Highway 1 country into Monterey. These are roads people build trips around, and LRC built a trip around them rather than treating them as the distance between two hotels. Luxury Rally Club is part of duPont REGISTRY Group, and this is the kind of event that explains why. Car Week is a collection of lawns and auctions and parties that mostly ask you to look at cars. The Rally to Car Week asks you to drive one first. By Wednesday afternoon, everyone in the group had already had their week.

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