HomeNews and EventsJunior Journalist Report: Monterey Classic Car Week

Junior Journalist Report: Monterey Classic Car Week

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Nathan Evans with the 1962 Ferrari GTO at Bonhams auction
Nathan Evans with 1962 Ferrari GTO at Bonhams | Courtesy of the author

Editor’s note: This is another in our series of Junior Journalist Reports about classic cars written for ClassicCars.com by a group of young reporters. This one is by Nathan Evans, 14, who attended for the first time the events of Monterey Classic Car Week with his family, including the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance where his grandfather was showing his classic car for the first time. 

By Nathan Evans 

At my school, most kids I know are into football, baseball or basketball. They are not typically interested in cars unless we’re talking about a new Ferrari or a 200 mph Bugatti Veyron.

I’m 14 years old and a third-generation car guy; whether its motor racing or classic cars, I love it. So you can imagine how a kid like me felt when I learned the whole family would be going to the famed Monterey Classic Car Week!

To add to this exciting news, my friend Bob Golfen (associate editor at ClassicCars.com blog) asked if I’d be a junior reporter for the ClassicCars.com website. So the following is my take on an amazing week:

Pebble Beach ranks for me as one of the best trips I’ve gone on. There was so much action and, of course, beautiful cars to behold. The trip was particularly memorable since we had a car from my grandfather’s collection, a 1909 Pierce-Arrow, in the Pebble Beach Concours itself. And the fact that I was spending this time with my father and grandfather really made the event much more special than if I were going by myself.

The week started off by going to the Concours on the Avenue in downtown Carmel. I was surprised by how many people were there. And all the great cars. The best car, in my opinion, was the Porsche 917 from the Canepa Collection.

Photos by Nathan Evans

The next day we went to one of my favorite experiences of the week, seeing the auction previews. We started at Bonhams. I’ll never forget the fact that a Ferrari GTO was sitting right in front of me. I also loved the fact that there were some fantastic brass era cars and former grand prix cars.

At RM Auctions, we saw two former Michael Schumacher Ferraris, one of which won numerous F1 races in 2000. Because we were an entrant in the Pebble Beach Concours, we were invited to the Gooding & Company cocktail reception and preview. There were a bunch of great cars there, including a 1912 Packard previously owned by Phil Hill and an awesome Maserati 250F – my favorite car at Gooding’s sale.

Thursday, we took the Pierce out for a stretch on the Pebble Beach Tour. I will never forget all the people taking pictures as the cars drove by. It was truly an amazing sight.

The next day was another favorite as we went to Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway for the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Although I don’t find Mustangs and Camaros all that interesting, I did find the pre-war racecars very intriguing. I also enjoyed walking through the marketplace and buying some great model cars for my collection.

The week concluded with a bang: the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. I have never seen so many rare and amazing cars in one place in one day. I tried to take a picture of every car, but the crowds soon made it difficult to take good shots. I ended up photographing 153 of the 218 entrants. Two of my favorite classes were the 1914 French Grand Prix and the Early Steam Cars.

Looking back on the trip, I really loved everything about it. Now I can’t wait to go to Hershey in October and to Arizona’s auction week in January.

Editor’s note: Do you know or are you a potential ClassicCars.com Junior Journalist? We’re looking for people ages 13 to 18 who attend classic car events with a parent, grandparent or guardian and can write about their experiences and provide a few photographs. For more information, please contact [email protected].

1 COMMENT

  1. ”WOW” Nathan great pictures, would love to see all 153. I think you could have a future as an Automotive Journalist. Looking forward to see more from you.

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