The Full Monterey

A Snapper’s Guide To Getting The Most From Car Week.

- Alastair Brook

BEING A STAFF photographer for these pages, I’m extremely fortunate with the amount of control I have over things. A car is brought to me, a location is agreed on, time is given to get a range of shots, the journalist hops through certain hoops and, hopefully, everyone is pleased about the outcome. It’s all too easy to settle into a bit of a rhythm, so what better opportunity to step outside this carefully curated comfort zone than Monterey Car Week?

Monterey county plays host to several car-themed events; from the motorsports reunion at Laguna Seca, to the headline-grabbing auctions. Various car rallies thread through the Pacific Coast Highway’s Big Sur and around the quiet town of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Supercar heavyweights such as Pagani, Koenigsegg and McLaren take up residence in various lodges and resorts around the region, hosting deep-pocketed clients. Launch events and ritzy parties such as the Quail motorsports gathering and the McCall’s Motorworks Revival are thrown throughout the area, all leading up to the prestigious concours d’elegance staged at the Pebble Beach golf course come week’s end.

Car Week is and always has been a meeting of money; old money, new money, buyers, brokers, sellers, owners and enthusiasts. The biggest collectors flexed their Benjamins, arriving by private jet, while their multiple supercars were delivered by transporter to be parked outside their chosen resort accommodation.