The 15th annual The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering was held on Friday, August 18th this year, of course held at The Quail Lodge and Golf Club in Carmel, California. Always spectacular, there were some exceptional displays that contributed to another memorable experience for the limit of 5,000 attendees.
First, the Best of the Best Award for 2016 was earned by a stunning 1954 Maserati A6GCS/53 Berlinetta by Pinin Farinia. It won Best in Show at last year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and beat seven other contestants after being selected from a panel of twenty-four notable members of the automotive world including leaders of automotive companies, design, collections, famous race car drivers, etc.
The displays were wonderful, Koenigsegg had an unprecedented ten vehicles on display which made for some fantastic photo opportunities and a chance to finally compare the different models side by side. Floyd Mayweather’s was one of them. AMG had an actual engine builder assembling their twin turbo V-8 for all to watch. On the other side of the wall was the powertrain and suspension of the AMG Project One.
Pagani again had their impressive display and this time the Huayra BC, Huayra Roadster and the Pagani Zonda HP Barchetta. Pulling myself away from the Italian craftsmen to the Porsche display where the new 700 horsepower 911 GT2 RS was featured. Of course the 911 GT3 and 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series. Conspicuously absent was the Bugatti Chiron and the Ferrari 812 Superfast although both can be expected next year. And yes, there were Veyrons and F12tdfs and a Porsche 959. The infamous Rimac was also there, and speaking to the first owner in the US was an interesting conversation about Electric Vehicles.
There were so many notable displays such as Singer, BMW, Bentley, Acura and their introduction of the Acura ARX-05 DPi race car, Lamborghinis with a Huracan Performante, Rolls Royce and more. I really enjoyed studying the McLaren 720S up close. The cuisine was exquisite as always with menus from Beverly Hills, Carmel Valley, China, Italy and France. Additionally, California Caviar, Louis Roederer Champagne, Hog Island Oysters, Dolce Spazio Gelato are welcome returns.
It’s important to remember that besides the views, the people watching, the food and drink, the Bonhams auction entry and celebrity/VIP sightings and interviews, the charities supported deserve recognition. The Rancho Cielo Youth Campus, Naval Postgraduate School Foundation, the California Highway Patrol 11-99 Foundation receive contributions as does the Junior Reserve Training Corps.
The only critique I could make is that too many of the 250 or so cars were parked too close together, making photo opportunities difficult. Traffic is always an issue so the total number of tickets has probably reached the max. Perhaps a bus system should be incorporated like at Pebble Beach.
However I recommend arriving before the 10am start and check out the guest drive cars which this year were the Acura NSX and Lamborghini Huracan. Also check out the Porsche building which has their latest models on display, branded goods for sale, etc. Walking the parking lots, which is a show in itself, is also an option and a judging slip was even offered!
One very clever difference this year was keeping the event open with DJs on either end of the show and the drinks flowing at the bars. Talk about THE place to be before the private parties start! It was announced it was done to alleviate traffic which is very true. It also would keep people from leaving for the “other” show that afternoon and evening in downtown Monterey. I broke the cardinal rule of not to leave one good party to check out another event taking place. It wasn’t comparable, I won’t do that again. So arrive early, have a beverage, walk a lot so you develop an appetite for at least two meals and plan on making a great day out of it. I already can’t wait to go again and see what surprises will be there next year.
Be sure to check out over one hundred photos from the 2017 Quail here:
