In Pebble Beach, rare cars trump luxury

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We may be at the dawn of the autonomous car era, where our cars drive us wherever we want to go, without so much as a glance at the speedometer.

Some futurists predict the end of the automobile as we know it.

But if you tried to talk about this Jetson-like future to any of the 50,000 car fanatics gathered on the Monterey Peninsula last week, you would have been met with uncaring stares.

For you would not be one of them – those that make the annual pilgrimage to ogle, enjoy, and tell tall tales about their own magnificent machines.

The Pebble Beach car week is all about the rare, the amazing, and the exotic examples with which the history of four and two-wheeled transportation is replete.

I took a drive up the coast and told KCRW’s Steve Chiotakis about what I found:

Events started as early as last Tuesday, with free events like the Concours on the Avenue in Carmel, continued with the Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, on Friday (tickets starting at $600), the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and many, many others.

And then the signature event: the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach on Sunday, when 228 cars line the 18th hole and submit to judging for prized ribbons.

Major manufacturers also have dinners to which the press are invited.

I sat with head creative officer Shiro Nakamura of Infiniti in the Library at the Lodge at Pebble Beach. Sounds a bit like the answer to a game of Clue. He was passionate about their new Infiniti Q80 Inspiration Concept car.

To see some of my favorites, click here or scroll below:
Pebble Beach car week 2016

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