It is that time again, for the mega car event called the Monterey Car Week & Concours d’Elegance. It runs from August 15th thru the 21st this year (next week for those of you without a calendar in front of you).

The event dates back over half a century, where only 200 of the best collector cars in the world roll onto the legendary 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links to be shown and compete. Only a handful of those will receive official recognition for style, technical merit and historical accuracy.

But the Concours is only the final event in a packed week celebrating the classic automobile! All over Monterey County, classic cars take to streets, golf courses, parks and the world-renowned Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, surrounding visitors with automobiles from yesteryear.

Events include:

Tuesday, August 16:
Carmel Concours on the [...]

Red with Orange flames, Tan interior and top, 400ci/500hp, 3-spd automatic transmission.

Boyd Coddington was one of the finest Hot Rod builders. Coddington became interested in cars at about the age of 12, and acquired his first vehicle, a 1931 Chevy pick-up truck which he swapped for his shot gun, at the age of 14. Before he left school, Coddington had built his first Hot Rod. After receiving his diploma from high school, Coddington took a three year apprenticeship at a machine shop in Salt Lake City and when he was fully trained, moved to Los Angeles to work as a machinist for Western Gear. In his spare time he began building Hot Rods and in October 1978 he gave up his paid employment and set up his own full time business. Any worries about making ends meet were soon vanquished, business was rolling in [...]

Russo Corsa Red w/Tan interior. 3.2 liter/260hp, 5-spd manual transaxle.

The Ferrari 328 was the successor to the Ferrari 308. While mechanically still based on the 308, small modifications were made to the body style and engine, most notably an increase in engine displacement to 3.2 L for increased power and torque output. 7,400 Ferrari 328s were produced by the time the model was replaced by the new 348 in 1989, bringing the total for the 308/328 generation to nearly 20,000. The 328 is considered by some Ferrari enthusiasts to be one of the most reliable Ferrari’s, unlike some models, most engine maintenance can be performed without lowering the engine from the vehicle. Thus, making it one of the first “user friendly” Ferrari’s.

The 328 GTS (S for Spider) model, together with the fixed roof 328 GTB (B for Berlinetta), [...]

Calumet Cream w/Lt. Buckskin interior, 500c.i. V-8, automatic transmission. ONLY 68 ORIGINAL MILES!!

“It was the best of times . It was the worst of times” . . .

The ’70’s were turbulent times indeed for the auto industry. Especially the “Big Three”. The Federal Government was getting involved big time, as were insurance companies to make cars safer (good) and slower (bad). The beginning of the decade saw the peak of the horsepower wars! But, towards the end, the fun was disappearing at a swift rate and the party was basically over . . . for a while, at least. So, the ’70’s came in like a Lion, but went out like the proverbial Lamb. Unfortunately, a byproduct of all this was the death of the American Convertible. Most were gone after the ’75 model year, but there was one exception . . . The [...]