ANDY PRILL
Following forced postponement of 2020 Monterey Car Week as a consequence of travel restrictions and social distancing brought about by the pandemic, this year’s event came back with a bang, and though enthusiasts enjoyed what was on offer, eyes are already pointing toward the 2022 gathering, which promises to be a belter...
Monterey Car Week never fails to disappoint. Each year, classic cars of all varieties take to the Californian city’s streets, golf courses, parks and the Weathertech Raceway at Laguna Seca for many different events, including historic racing, auctions, specialist lectures, restoration reveals and themed static displays, all culminating with the Pebble Beach Concours d’elegance (currently enjoying its seventieth anniversary), featuring two-hundred of the world’s best collector cars. Held across ten days from August 5th, this year’s Monterey Car Week was a huge success — despite the challenges event organisers faced in continuing to deal with the pandemic — and, as you’ll have read elsewhere in this magazine, the turnout of Porsches was fantastic, spearheaded by an impressive collection of 917 race cars, including the Martini-liveried winner of the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans.
After 2020’s Monterey Car Week was postponed through restrictions caused by COVID19, it came as no surprise to see motoring enthusiasts and manufacturers embrace 2021’s event with open arms, the latter keen to promote new car reveals. Alongside Bruce Canepa, Patrick Long and others, I serve on the Selection Committee for the Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion (MMR), one of Monterey Car Week’s highlights. Each year, we celebrate a specific marque, and for 2021, Ford took the limelight. More specifically, we celebrated the Blue
Oval’s contributions to the Trans-am series on the fifty-fifth anniversary of its debut. Ford enjoyed massive success in the competition, especially during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, and it was right for the MMR Selection Committee to recognise the fact. There is, however, an even bigger celebration on the horizon and, as a restorer of classic Porsches, it’s one especially close to my heart.
I’m pleased to be able to reveal — hold the front page — 2022’s dedicated marque will be the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Granted, Le Mans isn’t a carmaker, but, occasionally, the Selection Committee will break with tradition and dedicate MMR to a historically important automotive event. It’s difficult to think of one having as much impact as Le Mans. I’m also delighted to report the Automobile Club de l’ouest (the largest automotive group in France and organiser of Le Mans) will be headline sponsor, using
2022’s MMR to kickstart a series of celebrations marking the hundredth anniversary of Le Mans in 2023. With this in mind, 2022 Monterey Car Week promises to be an extraordinary event and, to make it easier for visitors to see and do more of what’s on offer, MMR will be realigning its calendar, offering racing on the Friday and Saturday (as opposed to the traditional Saturday and Sunday outings), ensuring enthusiasts don’t have to make tough decisions regarding visitor attractions. No longer will you have to decide whether to hit Laguna Seca or Pebble Beach on the Sunday — you’ll be able to enjoy both on different days! Be sure to make MMR a date in your diary.
OCCASIONALLY, THE SELECTION COMMITTEE WILL DEDICATE MMR TO A HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT EVENT