The events of Monterey Classic Car Week start Friday, August 7, when 30 vintage race cars roar through the streets of downtown Monterey for a motorsports car show, giving spectators a close-up taste of the competition that will take place at nearby Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
The diverse collection of competition cars – including a 1956 Lotus Eleven, 1956 Alfa Romeo, 1966 Shelby GT350H, 1932 Alfa Romeo Monza and 1987 Corvette Trans-Am – represent some of the highlights of the historic racing that happens at Laguna Seca: The Monterey Pre-Reunion on August 8 and 9 and the week’s cornerstone motorsports event, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, on the following weekend.
The vintage racing is part of the weeklong series of enthusiast events that crowd the calendar of Monterey’s famous Classic Car Week. These include a number of highly anticipated collector-car auctions, various concours and car shows, and parties and get-togethers, all leading up to the crowning event of the week – the 65th annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Sunday, August 16.
The racing cars will be escorted by California Highway Patrol from the track down Highway 68 to downtown Monterey, where they will be parked on display in a family party atmosphere. One of the main sponsors of the show, Cibo Ristorante Italiano, will host a driver reception that will be open to the public starting at 5 p.m. with complimentary appetizers and live jazz.