Monterey Auto Week: beauties of beholders
With more than 30 shows, auctions, rallies, merchandise vendors and memorabilia sales, Monterey Auto Week for years has been misnamed.
As it increasingly reaches its saturation point, another private show is added or a manufacturer decides to accelerate its marketing to a captive audience.
The automotive extravaganza, which this year concluded Aug. 15, now lasts 10 days. It returned from its 2020 pandemic hiatus in glory with traditional highlights from Concours on the Avenue in Carmel to The Little Car Show in Pacific Grove.
The free gatherings yearly combine to define a celebration of automotive attainability. They’re the equalizers among the unattainable vehicles at shows with entry fees making pro sports tickets seem like bargains.
A $10,000 Crosley or a $100,000 Kaiser-Darrin mean as much to their owners as the 1995 McLaren F1 sold by Gooding & Co. for $20.5 million does to its new owner. There’s room for all.
Aston Martin thought so, too. It decided this year to join the festivities to celebrate its 70th anniversary while the Pebble Beach Concours had the same birthday.
Aston Martin’s participation was marketing savvy with a caveat. With the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach Golf Links
and the Pacific Ocean as backdrops, the British manufacturer unveiled its third hypercar, the 2022 Valkyrie Spider, by invitation only. It was accompanied by the new mid-engine Valhalla with the twosome revealed by Tobias Moers, Aston Martin’s CEO, and Marek Reichman, the manufacturer’s CCO and Head of Design.
The new Aston Martin’s stunning looks and impressive specifications are equaled only by an unannounced price. It’s speculated at more than $3.5 million, further adding to the automotive beast’s headiness.
The oddity Aston Martin catered to was the carmaker’s global tease.
Unless you are a current Aston Martin owner and were afforded the opportunity to buy one of the 85 examples manufactured, you’re out of luck. The Valkyrie Spiders are all sold.
The limited edition has the same 6.5-liter Cosworth V-12 as the regular Valkyrie. Combined with its hybrid system,