The Concours on the Avenue was an ideal way to begin Monterey Auto Week. The nearly 200 showcased cars and trucks ranged from new and vintage Ferrari models to collectors’ Mercedes-Benz sedans and Porsche cabriolets.
The free one-day show in Carmel, which returned Aug. 16 after a one-year hiatus, offered arguably the most varied selection of cars scheduled in the weeklong automotive celebration.
There were myriad muscle cars, iconic Packard and Rolls Royce models and restored Volkswagen bugs to attainable Volvo coupes all presented on Ocean Ave., the quaint city’s main “thoroughfare,” as well as several side streets.
Officially, the Concours on the Avenue, was scheduled from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. But two hours earlier, many vehicles were already in place and an enthusiastic, but correspondingly mellow crowd began to mingle amid a backdrop of the Pacific Ocean, the city’s colorful foliage and a keen selection of piped-in jazz.
Monterey Auto Week Schedule
Thursday, Aug. 18
Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Pebble Beach to Big Sur to Carmel and back to Pebble Beach. Information: 831-622-1700, [email protected].
Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, various times, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Salinas. Information: 242-8201, www.mazdaraceway.com.
Friday, Aug. 19
A Motorsports Gathering, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Quail Lodge Golf Club, Carmel Valley. 831-622-8887, www.quaillodgeevents.com.
Concorso Italiano, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Laguna Seca Golf Ranch, Monterey. 425-742-0632, www.concorso.com.
Saturday, Aug. 20
Concours d’LeMons, 9:14 a.m. Laguna Grande Park, Seaside. Information: 916-207-4645, www.concoursdlemons.com.
The Ferrari Event, 4 to 7 p.m., Barnyard Shopping Village, Carmel. Information: Brian Martini 831-624-8886.
Sunday, Aug. 21
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, 10:30 a.m., 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach. Information: 831-622-1700, www.pebblebeachconcours.net.
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Article Last Updated: August 18, 2011.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
