MONTEREY — Melodies from Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin and The Temptations echoed over questions about cars dating back to 1958. A father brought his son in closer to the engine of a 1965 Mustang he used to dream of racing years ago. Visitors made their way between decades of auto history in what can only be described as a stroll, or rather cruise, down memory lane.
Classic Car Week’s cylinders fired for the first time in two years Friday night at Monterey’s Kick-Off Car Show, which brought nearly 30 rare race cars, three decades of history, and the event’s largest turnout to date to Alvarado Street in downtown.
“It’s like seeing a book come to life,” Grant Pullen, whose son fell in love with cars from reading about the history of automobiles. “A lot of the cars we read about which are the cars that changed the world are here.”
While seasoned, the vintage makes and models will double as active participants in WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca’s Monterey Pre-Reunion on Saturday and Sunday. Fortunately, they made a pit stop in downtown Monterey to give attendees a good look at what they only see a flash of on the track.
But attendees did far more than look, hopping behind wheels, popping on helmets and getting to know drivers who couldn’t wait to explain every detail of their cars like they were an old friend.
Greg Powell welcomed a pair of kids into his 1958 Morgan so they could imagine darting down WeatherTech Raceway. Powell encouraged anyone from every generation to touch, sit in and pseudo-drive his 63-year-old car as that hands-on experience is what hooked him onto racing decades ago.
“I remember coming to Monterey in 1981 to their historic races and just being in awe,” he said. “Now I’m a part of it.”
Powell grew up around racing. At 11 years old, he saw his dad bring home a Morgan and knew he would one day buy the same car for his own chance at the driver’s seat.
“I bought my Morgan in 2017, and it’s just been a dream,” said Powell. “I couldn’t be happier.”
This year marks Powell’s third visit to Classic Car Week for the Monterey Pre-Reunion and Rolex Motorsports Reunion next week. To him, vintage racing brings a level of respect and admiration to the track unseen in other events.
“It’s still driving hard, but you’re giving everyone a lot of room because there are some expensive cars down here, and they’re harder to repair,” said Powell. “There’s a lot of respect for these historic things.”
Steve Walker purchased his 1973 BMW CSL seven years ago in Italy and has been racing it ever since. Every year, Walker looks forward to Classic Car Week so he has an excuse to drive on one of his favorite tracks.
“Laguna Seca is just a wonderful ride, it’s got everything,” he said. “If you’re a car person, it’s car heaven. I really enjoy driving out here.”
While Walker’s interest in racing and in BMWs especially dates back to 1965, when his dad became a distributor for the make, he thinks vintage automobiles offer a kind of beauty anyone can admire.
“This particular model of BMW, the CSL, is to my mind the prettiest BMW they ever built,” he said. “If people enjoy seeing works of art in motion, they need to come out and see it.”
For Margaret Plumley, art is the reason she came out to Alvarado, pausing at each car for a short sketch.
“I’m not really into cars, but they’re fun to draw,” she said. “They’re a different design from what you see every day, and they’re an interesting challenge to draw the way they have rounded edges and different shadowing.”
The variety of shapes, colors and nicknames characterizing each vintage car even caught the attention of Cole Wippern and Anne Stanley, who happened to walk by the Kick-Off Car Show and couldn’t help getting a closer look.
“We noticed all these people around and all the awesome classic cars, so we walked over,” said Wippern. “This was a really cool thing to just stumble upon. We’re not crazy car people, but we can appreciate something that’s beautiful.”
Getting up close and personal with the cars allowed Wippern and Stanley to see just how much care went into preserving each automobile on display. Though they might not have known every detail about the cars themselves, they recognized the work, attention and pride that made the vehicles testaments to auto history.
“Just the love and attention and details that people have put into these cars,” said Wippern. “You know this is somebody’s night and weekend project for years. They’re here showing off this thing that they put so much time and energy and work into. Then to have other people appreciate that and to see those exchanges is awesome.”
For a complete schedule of Classic Car Week events visit seemonterey.com
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August 07, 2021 at 12:42PM
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Classic Car Week kicks off in downtown Monterey - Monterey Herald
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