From Concours d'Lemons to Laguna Seca and the
Monterey Motorsports Reunion
in just a 15-minute drive - Pebble is like that seemingly. And that's in addition to the amazing cars just ambling around Monterey. I've never seen a BMW M1 on the road before. But looking out of my bedroom window there was a chap pulling up in one and chucking the keys to a valet. The same with that lovely Ford Thunderbird from the other night. McLaren F1s outside hotels. Mustangs rumbling about. Indeed, you could just hang out in town and not visit any of the events and get your fill of cool cars.
But you'd be missing out if you didn't go to Laguna Seca. What a track. Circuits with elevation changes are always interesting and they don't get much more dramatic than those at Laguna Seca. Hiking up the hill to The Corkscrew was a sweat in the sunshine but from the top you can either look down across the whole complex and see cars take the run from the pit straight and the first third of the track. Or turn the other way and see them plunge down what has to be one of the most exciting corners anywhere. Nice when something actually lives up to hype and expectation.
As we arrived a grid of nearly 40 60s and 70s Trans Am cars were on their formation lap - see vid below for a flavour of the noise - and the sound of straight-piped V8s echoing around the hills was simply incredible. The diversity of cars in the paddock was pretty amazing too; from 20s Grand Prix cars to Can Ams via every which way of racing Porsche 911, Ford Mustang, Cobra, Alfa GTA and more.
I'd been warned that historic racing Stateside is a little more sedate than it is at Goodwood or the Silverstone Classic and so it proved in the one we watched from The Corkscrew. The grid included a 250 GTO and SWB, various Morgans, Corvettes and 356s but apart from the first five cars most seemed to be driving around the track rather than actually going for it. Ridiculously the SWB and Corvette battling for the lead actually got black flagged mid-way through the race, seemingly for getting a bit too ... racy. Madness. Still, it meant the rather lovely and astonishingly loud Alfa Romeo SZ who'd been chasing them was able to take the win; pretty impressive given it was only a 1.3-litre. Gorgeous car though.
Next stop? Shiny cars on golf courses again - Pebble Beach proper beckons.
Some V8 noise
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