Carmel/Monterey, 14th of August, 2015
After the Pebble Beach Tour on Thursday the attention went
towards the Quail Lodge for the annual Motorsport Gathering.
Although one of the most expensive events during the week with
ticket prices of 600 Dollar The Quail was again sold out well in
advance. Not only being known for the quality of cars but also for
food and atmosphere the Quail again attracted a lot of less car
interested people wandering through the field with a glass of
champagne. Several classes were set up the day before and early
in the morning before the gates were opened at 8am for the media
and 10am for the general visitors, amongst them again the normal
pre- and post-war classes of sports and race cars, single marque
classes for Ferrari and Porsche 356 but also a special feature of
Le Mans Cars. Although announced as long tail cars it was more
a general class for the sports prototypes from the early 1970s to
the group C cars including a Ferrari 512 S, the Porsche 908/2 and
the Mazda 757. Ferrari was again particular strong with a Ferrari
275 GTB/4 NART Spyder, a lovely light blue 500 Mondial and the
matching Sweden colored 250 GTO but star was without doubt
the 340 Mexico. Still in original condition it was just given back its
Carrera Panamericana livery and won its class.
The Ferrari F50 got his own class celebrating 20 years with
several examples.
Porsche was displayed with an entire line-up of the type 356 from
early pre-A models to the latest C before the 911 was introduced.
Other cars of particular interest were the display of the Petersen
Museum in Los Angeles that featured one of the Ford GT40 MKII
as raced at Le Mans in 1966 together with the all new version of
the upcoming successor of the GT as already shown on
Wednesday at the McCall party.
The pre-war class was impressive with the Million Franc Delahaye
brought over by the Mullin collection and one of two Bugatti T55
on the field, its sister car was shown in Bugatti’s own line-up right
at the entrance.
Unfortunately the event also proved that free alcohol might lead to
rather nonchalant behavior as some visitors took a little bit too
much during the very hot sunny day as the glazing sun might
have done the rest.
After the Best of Show winner, the Alfa Romeo T33 Stradale was
announced the field cleared pretty fast as most of the cars were
leaving early into the weekend.
Splendor and Ferraris on the Fairway
The celebrated classes this year included Coachbuilt Ferraris,
Long Tail Cars of Le Mans and Iconic Pre-1965 Porsches. The
traditional classes of cars on display included Pre-War Sports
and Racing, Post-War Racing, Post-War Sports, Sports and
Racing Motorcycles, The Great Ferraris and Supercars.
The Quail’s signature Fireside Chat Series celebrated luminaries
of the motoring world. German Formula One Champion Jochen
Mass delighted the crowd with accounts of his 114 Formula One
World Championship Grand Prix races. British Sports Car Racing
Champion Derek Bell and his son, Justin Bell, British racecar
driver and renowned U.S.-based media personality traded stories
from their combined decades-long careers on the main stage.
Launches, World Debuts and Test Drives
Cementing its status as a launch pad for automotive unveils, The
Quail introduced debuts and experiences from global luxury
brands, bolstering the gathering’s position on international
motoring calendar. Unveilings included:
· Lamborghini presented the world debut of the Aventador LP
750-4 Superveloce Roadster
· The high performance two-seater 1/1 Bentley EXP 10
Speed 6 futuristic concept design, made its west coast debut
· Engineered and hand-crafted in Britain, David Brown
Automotive’s Speedback GT was launched in the American
market
· Infiniti offered the Oculus Rift DK2 headset and simulator
for an interactive experience of the Q60 Convertible Sport, in
addition to the Infiniti Red Bull Racing Show Car and Q50 Sedan
displayed
· Maserati’s show-stopping special editions included the
100th Anniversary Neiman Marcus Limited-Edition Maserati Ghibli
S Q4; The GranTurismo Convertible MC Centennial Edition in
celebration of Maserati’s Centennial; and the 2015 Quattroporte S
Q4 range
The Rolex Circle of Champions
Rolex, the world’s leading Swiss watchmaker and brand with
great appreciation for motorsports, has been the Official
Timekeeper of The Quail since its inception in 2003. Rolex Circle
of Champion winners are uniquely selected by the same
collectors entering their fine vehicles in the competition.
Participants subjectively choose the vehicle that has achieved
what they believed to be its design goal, performance
expectations and overall impact on automotive history and soul in
its class. The 2015 category awards and winners included:
The Rolex Circle of Champions “Best of Showâ€
1968 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale
Owner: Mouse Motors - Illinois
Spirit of The Quail
1961 Moto Guzzi Falcone Carozzeria
Owner: Mark Leonard – California
FIVA
1967 Ferrari 330 GTC
Owner: David W. Donner - Colorado
Coachbuilt Ferraris
1952 Ferrari 340 Mexico
Owner: Brian & Kim Ross - Ohio
Long Tail Cars of Le Mans
1984 Jaguar XJR-5
Owner: Randall Smalley – Florida
Iconic Pre-1965 Porsches
1962 Porsche 356B T-6 Roadster
Owner: Chris & Pat Roman - California
The Great Ferraris
1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta
Owner: Bob & Michele Cohen – California
Supercars
2014 Ferrari LaFerrari
Owner: Ken & Dayle Roath - California
Octane Editor’s Choice
1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Competizione
Owner: Len & MaryBeth Rusiewicz – Pennsylvania
Pre-War Sports and Racing
1937 Delahaye V12
Owner: Peter & Merle Mullin, Peter Mullin Automotive Museum -
California
Post-War Sports 1945-1960
1956 Alfa Romeo 1900 CSS 3 Window Coupe
Owner: Paul Colony – California
Post-War Sports 1961-1975
1964 Bizzarrini A3/C Corsa
Owner: Peter Goodwin – North Carolina
Post-War Racing
1965 Ghia-de Tomaso P70
Owner: Mark Moshayedi - California
Sports and Racing Motorcycles
1925 Brough Superior SS100 Alpine Grand Sport
Owner: Bowman Motors – California
Chassis Numbers complied by Jens Robert
Text & images … Peter Singhof
www.ClassicCarPhotography.de
|
