Monterey, 19th of August, 2022 |
Early in the morning the press preview gives a look at the cars on display, as a lot of setup was still on the
way and the five different hospitality tents were busy to prepare for the masses to come in during lunch time.
The Quail is one of the concours eligible for the “Best of the Best” award formerly given at the Peninsula Hotel
in Paris before the Rétromobile, but this year the ceremony moved back to the car week and so the
freshly-awarded Ferrari 250 GT LWB TDF greeted the visitors at one of the entrances. |
While at the Quail, one could go down to the Bonhams tent and watch their auction with a record line-up of
almost 140 cars in the single day auction. Bonhams sold some of their main cars although, the top lot Jaguar
E-Type remained unsold. When we headed back to the show field for the awards, the auction was only half
way through and a lot of cars were still coming up. |
The concours is not a strict concours by judging rules, rather the entrants and visitors choose the best cars
in the various classes and the Best of Show. Looking around, it was clear that the classic cars play a minor
part nowadays, as the field is dominated by the various setups of the exclusive manufacturers of supercars
who use the Quail to unveil their latest creations. In a short sequence over the morning several press
conferences and displays draw the attention to the latest creations, like the all-new Bugatti Roadster or the
reinterpretation of the Porsche 911 RS 2.7 into modern times. Usually very strong is the display of the
Koenigsegg and Pagani supercars, rarely seen anywhere else. It is obviously that both manufacturers found
their key clientele in the Quail for some years. After looking around and finding the various gems like the
Jaguar D-Type in the Le Mans display that should later win the Best of Show award, a duo of nicely
restored Maserati A6 and A6 G54, or the rare ATS 2000, it was time for the lunch. As mentioned, five
themed chef tents gave lots of opportunities to find what one likes, including some fish and chips with
Pimms in the British sector. After the lunch the focus was more on alcohol and a lot of cocktails were
enjoyed while the sun burnt away the morning mist. |
The show finally came to an end at around 4pm after the awards were given. Even with the last spectators still
around, staff started to take down the decoration and the settings, as the golf course will be soon back in the
hands of the golfers. |
In the evening one had to choose between auctions to attend, as the two main auctions of Gooding and RM
are being held at the same time. After the Masterworks of Design collection yesterday, RM today had the
cars from Oscar Davis on the list and within them there were some really big cars. Top lots of the day were
the Talbot-Lago Teardrop, the Ferrari 375MM and 500 TRC, as well as the Maserati 450S, but at least the
Maserati failed to sell. |
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