Kristina Cilia

Concours for a Cause 2026

Where Automotive Heritage Meets Community at Car Week

Ocean Avenue in Carmel-by-the-Sea does not need much help drawing a crowd during Monterey Car Week. On Tuesday, August 11th, Concours for a Cause, now in its fourth year, filled the avenue from ten in the morning until four in the afternoon with vintage automobiles, local art, and a public invitation that has become rare during this particular week on the Monterey Peninsula: come as you are, no ticket required.

This 'art car' is a 1956 Mercedes 190SL painted by artist Bill Dambrova Kristina Cilia
This ‘art car’ is a 1956 Mercedes 190SL painted by artist Bill Dambrova

The morning began under a soft gray sky, with a light mist drifting through the trees lining the avenue. By midday the fog had thinned into a bright, filtered overcast, comfortable for walking and ideal for taking in the cars without squinting into direct sun. It was, in other words, a textbook Carmel August day, cool enough for a light jacket and dry enough that nobody worried about it.

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