Now in its third year, “The Quail” has quickly risen to become one of the highlights of the Monterey Historics weekend. The formula is seemingly simple: take a beautiful setting like Carmel Valley’s Quail Valley Lodge; hold a concours designed to highlight sports and racing cars; limit the total number of attendees to just 3,000; and provide tons of value to justify the $150 entry fee. The result is one of the nicest automotive events to be found anywhere.
This year’s event paid homage to the Carrera Panamericana and featured a marvelous display of exotic machinery that originally competed in the event. Of the ex-Carrera cars on display, Arturo Keller’s 1952 Ferrari 340 Mexico Coupe Vignale was judged best of the show. Other category winners included John Mozart’s 1959 Ferrari TR 59/60 ‘Fantuzzi’ in Postwar Racing and William Connors’ 1937 Bugatti 57S Atalante in Prewar Sports and Racing.
In addition to the stunning array of racing cars on display, entry to the Quail also entitled each guest to such included amenities as four food pavilions with themed lunches prepared by noted chefs, unlimited beer and wine, a newsstand offering free copies of numerous enthusiast car magazines, massage therapy and even an artist doing caricatures. Other features included Bentley’s unveiling of the new Blue Train Arnage alongside the original Woolf Barnato “Blue Train Special” and an on site Land Rover test drive course. But perhaps one of the most indulgent features of The Quail was breathing room! With attendance strictly controlled to just 3,000 people/year, the Quail is literally the only event during the Monterey weekend where you can enjoy the cars without a phalanx of people around them…and that truly is a welcome luxury.
Submitted by Casey Annis
