The Quail Motorsports Gathering 2018 was held Friday, August 24th at the Quail Lodge Golf Club in Carmel Valley, California. The 16th annual ‘Quail’ celebrated sports and racing automobiles and motorcycles, with participants and guests enjoying wonderful weather, food, drink and camaraderie among like-minded enthusiasts in a garden party setting. The Quail drew more than 250 entrants from around the world in 12 classes.
The featured themes for the 2018 Quail Motorsports Gathering were highlighted by four special classes. The first of which, “50th Anniversary of the Lamborghini Espada and Islero,” paid tribute to two of Lamborghini’s most timeless V12-powered touring cars. Also representing Italian automotive tradition, “The Great Lancias” class represented the manufacturer’s rally heritage through a selection of models.
Celebrating German automotive history and legacy, the “70 Years of the Iconic Porsche 356” class included notable examples of the marque’s first production sports cars, led by the class-winning 1951 Porsche 356 Pre A Split Window of Mike Malamut. Additionally, “The Alois Ruf Reunion” showcased a selection of bespoke sports cars, including the brand-new RUF CTR, from the legendary Pfaffenhausen manufacturer and tuner. Bruce Meyer’s fantastic 1988 RUF CTR Yellow Bird #001 took home the top prize in this class.
Notable cars on display included the 1936 Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic Coupe, which was honored with the third annual Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award. The Bugatti, co-owned by the Mullin Automotive Museum and Rob and Melani Walton, was chosen from a pool of eight Best of Show vehicles from the top 2017 Concours, deeming it the “most exceptional car in the world.”
Throughout the Quail Motorsports Gathering 2018, guests were treated to a roster of events including the Fireside Chat Series headlined by Scott Pruett and Tom Kristensen. Manufacturers also hosted press conferences from the event field to make industry announcements and debut new products.
Judging at the Quail Motorsports Gathering is different from traditional Concours because each car is judged by the other collectors competing in the same class. Only one car per class is honored with Best in Class, while they all compete for the Best of Show Award. This award, given at the Rolex Circle of Champions Awards Ceremony, called on all entrants to vote on the vehicle that achieved what they believe to be the best representation of historic excellence. All cars must be fully operational to compete and class winners are placed in the Rolex Circle of Champions for viewing once announced.
The Rolex Circle of Champions Best of Show at the 2018 Quail Motorsports Gathering was awarded to the 1953 Lancia Aurelia PF200C owned by Anne Brockinton Lee of Nevada. Other winners included Sir Michael Kadoorie’s 1958 Ferrari 250 TR (Octane Choice) and the 1970 Datsun 240Z of Eric Breslow (FIVA).
“The success of our 16th-anniversary celebration was truly overwhelming,” said Gordon McCall, Director of Motorsports for The Peninsula Signature Events. “Because of the support of our sponsors, the gourmet selection of food, the unbeatable program of events and, most importantly, the amazing collector car community, we are continuously proud of how far we’ve come as a staple of Monterey Car Week. We are thrilled to see what 2019 will have to offer.”
Similar to 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, Sports Car Digest also documented the 2018 Quail Motorsports Gathering, with photographer Richard Michael Owen producing the following images from this year’s event.
Quail Motorsports Gathering 2018 – Photo Gallery (photos: Richard Michael Owen)
Quail Motorsports Gathering 2018 – Award Winners
Rolex Circle of Champions – Best of Show
1953 Lancia Aurelia PF200C
Owner: Anne Brockinton Lee – Nevada
Spirit of The Quail
1979 Volkswagen Tamiya Sand Scorcher
Owner: Dean Lanzante – United Kingdom
Octane Choice
1958 Ferrari 250 Testarossa
Owner: The Hon. Sir Michael Kadoorie
Hong Kong SAR
FIVA
1970 Datsun 240Z
Owner: Eric Breslow – Nevada
70 Years of the Iconic Porsche 356
1951 Porsche 356 Pre A Split Window
Owner: Mike Malamut – California
The Great Lancias
1981 Lancia Beta Monte Carlo Turbo
Owner: John and Suzanne Campion – Florida
The Alois Ruf Reunion
1988 RUF CTR Yellow Bird #001
Owner: Bruce Meyer – California
50th Anniversary of the Lamborghini Espada and Islero
1969 Lamborghini Islero
Owner: Dr. Perry Mansfield – California
Custom Coachwork
2012 Aston Martin V12 Zagato
Owner: Russell Steiner – Montana
Sports and Racing Motorcycles
1947 Indian Chief
Owner: Arjun Oberoi – Delhi
The Great Ferraris
1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 NART Spyder
Owner: Rare Wheels Collection – Florida
Supercars
2018 Ford GT
Owner: Fred Donner – New York
Post-War Racing
1972 Alpine A110
Owner: Joseph Gabany – California
Post-War Sports 1961-1975
1966 Lamborghini 400 GT
Owner: Robert Ross – California
Post-War Sports 1945-1960
1946 MG TC
Owner: Michael Coit – Texas
Pre-War Sports and Racing Cars
1929 Riley Brooklands Special
Owner: Michael Potiker – California
The unauthorized use and/or duplication of any editorial or photographic content from sportscardigest.com without express and written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to sportscardigest.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Hope to get there one of these days….
where’s all the motorsports?
Lenny Mishik