During the third week of August, the Monterey Peninsula is transformed into an automotive nirvana for anyone who appreciates unique and unusual automobiles. Between competing auctions, carefully choreographed manufacturer events, the Monterey Historics, The Quail, the Concorso Italiano, and the elegant Pebble Beach Concours, there is something for even the most jaded automobile enthusiast. And I have to admit to having become somewhat jaded myself over the years. My father had been bringing my brothers and me to Laguna Seca since the early ‘60s. 2006 was to be quite different however. This year I wanted to immerse myself in this extraordinary, well orchestrated automotive circus and spent Thursday through Sunday in Carmel . This was to be my home base from which to soak up what is now simply referred to as “Monterey 2006.” Here is a shorthand account of my Monterey 2006!

Thursday Noon : Culmination of the Pebble Beach Tour. Ocean Avenue, Carmel.

This was an opportunity to view many of the cars destined for Sunday's Pebble Beach Concours. The 50 mile “Tour” was added 8 years ago to the Concours activities to encourage owners of these cars to drive them. Participation in the tour could pay dividends on Sunday because in the case of a tie for a class award, the car that participated on the Tour will be favored. Most of Ocean Avenue was closed late morning and as the Tour participants dribbled in from Highway One, they were parked side by side up Ocean Ave. Both the weather and the cars were simply glorious, a perfect warm-up for this special weekend.

1948 Delahaye 175 S Roadster by Saoutchik		1938 Alfa Romeo Tipo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta		Bruce Meyer's hot rod ex-Jon von Neuman Ferrari 625 TRC Scaglietti Spyder

Friday AM : Monterey Historics. Laguna Seca (aka Mazda Raceway) Monterey .

Laguna Seca is a familiar spot for me as I've been visiting this lovely venue for 42 years! My father campaigned racing Ferraris on the West Coast in the early 60s. While the intensity of historic racing in the states is a fraction of what you will see in the UK , there are always a few standouts at Laguna. Cooper was the featured marque for 2006 and during the 1955-1961 2.5 liter and over Sports Cars practice, it was impossible not to notice a dark green Cooper Monaco being seriously and accurately flogged around turn 4 lap after lap. Once the session ended, I made my way to the pits to find the legendary Barrie “Whizzo” Williams emerge from the green Cooper with a great big grin on his face. What a treat!

Barrie "Whizzo" Williams and Cooper Monaco		The car that changed Indianapolis forever, the "Kimberly Clark" Cooper		Warming the ex-Jacques Villenuve Ferrari 312

Toyota was an event sponsor and we were blessed with demonstration runs of a very current (replaced after the 5 th race this season) Toyota F1 car. My knowledge of these cars was such that I knew the techs would warm the car approximately 1 hour before it actually emerged on the track. I quizzed the Toyota F1 techs as to when this would happen and was front and center to witness the complicated technical exercise required to start one of these cars. Everything was handled via laptops and once fired; the engine was controlled by a hand held throttle control, rather like what we used to control our slot cars when we were kids! Obviously the noise was absolutely earsplitting…and glorious. It seemed inconceivable that such a small device could emit such an overwhelming, all encompassing wall of sound! Ricardo Zonta was on hand for the driving duties and was able to do what Ferrari was not able to do a few years ago with one of their then contemporary F1 cars---break the Champ Car track record!

Toyota techs preparing to start the F1 car		Bringing the F1 car to life!		Vintage F1 cars, the good old days!

Friday Afternoon: The Quail. Quail Lodge, Carmel Valley .

When the Concorso Italiano outgrew the Quail Lodge and moved to Fort Ord a few years ago a new event was born to replace the sea of red Ferraris and Lamborghinis. Simply referred to as “The Quail”, this elegant and refined gathering has become the destination of what I suppose I would refer to as a more discerning group of automobile enthusiasts. The organizers assembled a unique group of milestone cars with the emphasis on Sports and Racing cars. Included in the price of entry ($150) were fabulous catered food, wine and music. With ticket sales limited to about 3,000, the atmosphere was that of a stylish garden party amongst $100m worth of automotive art. And if you had made prior arrangements with Mercedes-Benz, you could have taken a very leisurely demonstration drive in a new SLR! It was a lovely event. As I was walking from the Quail to the Bonham's Auction next door, I noticed I was walking next to Jean Todt, Ferrari's F1 team manager, with a lovely Japanese woman on his arm! Such is the gravity of “The Quail.”

SLR test drives at the "Quail"		Mercedes performance lineage at the "Quail"		Barn find Delahaye at the "Quail"

Friday Late Afternoon: Bonham's and Butterfield's Auction. Quail Lodge, Carmel Valley

This was a quick visit due both to my brother Christopher lacking patience for the auction scene and my frustration with the agonizingly slow pace and low overall energy of the auction. We did see and hear one of the thundering UOP Shadow CanAm cars cross the block. I watched the relatively unheralded, fearless, and notoriously short tempered George Follmer thrash this beast around the original and far more dangerous Laguna Seca during both the car's and track's heyday. After a few more lots, we decided to head back to our headquarters in Carmel to get rehabilitated for dinner and the next venue, the RM auction. Bonham's & Butter fields managed to knock down about $13m worth of merchandise. The highest bid went to the 1938 Talbot Lago 150SS “Teardrop” with gorgeous Figoni et Falaschi Coachwork. I still have a picture I drew of this car 40 years ago! With bidding stalling at about $3m, the car was a no sale. Highest actual sale value went to a proper race car, a 1956 Jaguar D-type at $2.1m.

Ex-George Follmer Shadow Can Am car at Bonham's Auction		1938 Talbot Lago 150SS, no sale at $3m		Lineup for Bonham's Auction

Friday Evening: RM Auction. Downtown Monterey .

Rob Meyer and company managed to blend just enough hype with a dose of restraint to give their auction a nice energy. Combine this with a superb collection of great cars and I feel you have a winning combination in the Auction realm. Notable sales were a much raced 1964 289 Competition Cobra that Santa Cruz 's Bruce Canapa purchased for $1.23m and a 1964 Shelby 289 Cobra “Dragonsnake” ex-drag car for $660,000. Obviously, investment grade Cobras are moving through the roof!

I was surprised to see a very nicely restored 1957 300SL roadster with both tops and Rudge wheels sell for a whopping $605k including the buyer's premium. Even factoring in a factory fitted 9.5:1 compression engine, this is an extremely high figure. Other SL results follow below. Keep in mind the figures include a buyer's premium. Click here for all the RM Auction results.

Saturday AM/PM: Hiking. Julie Pfeiffer Burns State Park , Big Sur.

Ok, I can only take so many fabulous vintage automobiles so I took Saturday off and drove 40 minutes south of Carmel to the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. The Park is about 15 minutes south of Big Sur Station on Highway 1. It is a glorious if twisty drive down the raw and pure California Coast and well worth a visit if you're ever in the area. The hike was spectacular, winding up through the redwoods and skirting back down along the coast with breathtaking views. On my way back up the coast I was able to flop down at the beach with a snack and watch the Pelicans waft by…very relaxing.

Glorious California Coast at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park's western edge

Saturday Early Evening: Ideo “Pit Stop” Party . Downtown Monterey .

This is the second year I've been invited to this cool gathering of friends of product design Guru, Stanford professor, and car freak, David Kelley. The chances are quite good that there is something in the room in which you are currently sitting that was designed by him or his design group. That ourSL.com looks so sleek today is a direct result of his invaluable input. This was a nice warm up for the conclusion of the RM auction.

Ideo Party L-R: Caroline Ducato, Tony Spencer, Roy Spencer, Jane O'Leary .

Saturday Late PM: RM Auction, night two. Downtown Monterey

Lot number 465, the rare and unruly 1958 Ferrari 412 S was RM's featured car and it did not disappoint bringing a hefty $5.6m! The car embodies the spirit of sports car racing in the late 50s before the mid-engine

	RM Auction's main attraction sans hood.

invasion from England forever changed the balance of power. I grew up with these cars and was very fortunate to experience the full character of the epochal sports racing car from the ‘50s, the front engine V-12 Ferrari competition roadster. While $5.6m was a whopping value, pre-auction hype mentioned $8m so there is a chance the seller may have wished for more! Your checkbook did not need to bulge to the tune of millions of dollars to buy something at RM --- $8,800 bought a cute 1951 MG YA Saloon later in the evening. Click this link, RM RESULTS for all the sale information.

Sunday: Pebble Beach Concours . 18 th Fairway Pebble Beach Golf Links

After the auction hype and the noise of the Historics at Laguna Seca, it was time to relax and wander Pebble Beach 's gorgeous 18 th fairway to savor the world's finest collection of classic motorcars. Under the usual early grey skies and with the placid Monterey Bay as a backdrop, I watched this year's entrants alternately chuff, glide, and roar toward their designated spots on the lawn. I always try to arrive shortly after dawn to beat the crowds and stand at the entrance as all the cars drive by.

The eccentric French Voisin was one of the featured marques and Pebble's organizers treated us to a diverse selection of these extremely rare and arcane Motorcars. Zany is the only word I could come with to describe the marvelous Voisin “Ski” coupe. It was absolutely over the top.

Creator of some of the most dramatic designs of the ‘30s, coachbuilder Figoni et Falaschi was celebrated with a mouthwatering display of styles gracing Talbot Lagos and Delahayes.

Zany Voisin "Ski" Coupe		Swoopy Delahaye Cabriolet		1947 Delahaye 135 M Figoni & Falaschi Roadster "Narval"

Perhaps my favorite class at Pebble was the “Preservation” class featuring unrestored examples of specific eras. It simply amazes me what comes out of the woodwork to end up on the lawn in this class, one so contrary to Pebble's general atmosphere of obsessive over restoration. The 1911 Cole Series 30 Model “Speedster” was utterly charming with its ORIGINAL leather driver protection “skirt” and one remaining ORIGINAL canvas pull string headlight cover! Just amazing!

Original leather driver/passenger "skirt" on 1911 Cole		Never touched 1911 Cole!		Original headlamp cover!

You simply run out of superlatives as you wander row after row of drop dead gorgeous examples of automotive history. And has often been the case during this weekend over the years, I am sometimes reunited with a car that passed through our family in the 60s. This year I found two old friends, the prototype 3 liter Ponton Fendered Ferrari Test a Rossa #0666 and the 1962 Ferrari Series 1 GTO #4219 sitting side by side! My father owned these particular Ferraris in 1961 and 1963 respectively and my brothers and I were treated with many memorable and loud rides through Hillsborough California . Today, former Microsoft CFO Jon Shirley owns the Test a Rossa while Brandon Wang owns the GTO. The cars are definitely in good hands.

1962 250GTO SN 4219, formerly owned by author's Father!		1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa SN 0666, formerly owned by author's Father!		Former Microsoft CFO, Jon Shirley, during judging with #0666

Best of show went to Robert M Lee's outrageous 1931 Daimler Double-Six 50 Corsica Drophead Coupe. What were my favorites? I would gladly park the totally original and unrestored ex-Herman Goring Mercedes-Benz 500K “Tourenwagen" in my garage. Amazing! And as much as I cherish the Ferraris my father owned, I fell for another voluptuous Italian, the pale Grey 1938 Al fa Romeo Tipo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta from the Miles Collier Museum . Absolutely sublime!

Best of Show Daimler Double Six		1938 Alfa Romeo Tipo 8C 2900G Touring Berlinetta		Unrestored ex-Herman Goring Mercedes 500K

The practice green outside the lodge is always host to the world's Manufacturers wishing to show off special design studies and soon to be released new models. Daimler Chrysler had shipped in the outlandish Exelero, a 220 mph two door Maybach built at Fulda Tire's request to conduct high speed test s for a new series of tires. It was over dinner Friday evening that my 4 brothers and I had been mulling over just what you would have to drive to really stand out during this weekend from the hordes of Ferrari 360s, Bentleys, and Enzos (4 parked nose to tail on Ocean Ave Fri/Sat night!). We ruled out John Force's Funny Car as too impractical and decided the Exelero would definitely usurp any pretenders. And here it was in its rather extensive flesh!

Menacing Exelero		What a profile!		One of a kind 220 mph Coupe!

Heading home Sunday afternoon I had to remind myself how lucky I was to have this amazing group of events taking place less than 2 ours from my doorstep. People were flying in from the all corners of the earth to be a part of this week. I learned so much about a number of unique automobiles I'd never seen before and I've seen damn plenty over the years. Monterey can be a great education. I saw old friends --- cars and people --- and had a chance to reminisce with my brothers over the 45 years of auto racing experiences we've had in Monterey . We found some great new books and I even managed to sell my '59 300SL roadster to a client from Spain while sitting on the stone wall on Ocean Avenue watching all the posers cruising by! Yes, I have to say this week was certainly automotive nirvana!

Mark you calendar for next year!

Roy Spencer, founder www.ourSL.com