We’re pleased to share that our own Laura Duffy, Vice President of Jones Lang LaSalle Brokerage, Inc., the exclusive sales representative for Napa Vault, represented us this past week at the acclaimed Monterey Car Week and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. These annual gatherings draw car enthusiasts with high expectations from all over the world, and Laura reports that this year’s events did not disappoint!
Monterey Car Week
Monterey Car Week, which ran August 9 through August 18 this year, is a celebration of all things car-related, including forums and panel discussions, exciting design reveals, spectacular car shows, thrilling races, and auctions featuring one-of-a-kind vehicles. Car enthusiasts look forward to this week in August all year, knowing they’ll experience a huge variety of events and see an astonishing array of unique vehicles.
Among the most exciting events this year was the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Hundreds of historic race cars and sports cars competed in this multi-day racing event. We also think our Napa Vault owners would be especially interested in the Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum, which involved fascinating conversations about car collecting with leaders from the automotive world.
At the Werks Reunion Monterey on August 16, our friends at Porsche San Francisco celebrated a win with their first-ever entry in the Porsche Classic Restoration Challenge.
“It was great seeing our friends from Porsche San Francisco take home the trophy,” Laura says. “Congratulations to an outstanding team! All of their hard work paid off.”
Also of note were famous auctions; shows specifically for Italian cars, German cars, Porsches, and luxury cars; and the Prancing Ponies Women’s Car Show. The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, hosted 11 major debuts and celebrated the anniversaries of 8 manufacturers with an extraordinary display of unique vehicles.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
To top off a week of automotive adventures, Laura attended the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Sunday, August 18. This annual event dates back to the beginning of the Pebble Beach Road Races in 1950 and is described by its organizers as “a competition of elegance.” It’s a competitive gathering of remarkable vintage cars and a global stage for concept reveals and new-model debuts. This blend of historical automotive excellence and cutting-edge innovation makes the Concours a unique and eagerly awaited showcase in the automotive world.
This year’s Concours d’Elegance celebrated Packard’s 125th anniversary by featuring several early Packard models. Other featured classes in 2024 included Maserati, Pietro Frua’s coachwork, wedge-shaped concept cars and prototypes, and 1990s BPR and FIA GT race cars.
Laura’s Concours d’Elegance Highlights
Laura’s favorites at the Concours d’Elegance included a variety of spectacular preservation vehicles, pristine antiques, exciting classics, and fascinating concept cars from every era.
Congratulations to the Best of Show winner, the 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports car presented by Fritz Burkard of the Pearl Collection in Zug, Switzerland. This year marks the first time a preservation vehicle was named Best of Show, and Burkard’s historic Bugatti wowed judges and observers alike.
Laura also enjoyed seeing the other award winners, including the 1930 Packard 734 Speedster Eight Victoria Coupe belonging to Helen and Jack Nethercutt of Sylmar, California; the 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero Bertone Coupe belonging to Phillip Sarofim of Beverly Hills; the 1993 Jaguar XJ220C Le Mans Coupe belonging to Henry Pearman of Heathfield, United Kingdom; and the 1956 Maserati 300S Fantuzzi Spyder belonging to Robert Davis of New York City.
These extraordinary vehicles are just a few of the incredible cars on display at the Concours d’Elegance, which raised over three million dollars for charity this year.
A Rousing Success
As always, Monterey Car Week and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance were a thrilling tour of automotive art and science, giving attendees the opportunity to explore luxury brands, historic oddities, nostalgia-inducing classics, and everything in between. These events are popular among car enthusiasts for a good reason: they bring the community together to celebrate history, engineering, and style.
“Attending the Monterey Car Week and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance was an incredible experience,” Laura says. “The level of craftsmanship, history, and passion that goes into each vehicle is truly awe-inspiring, and I really enjoyed meeting car collectors and enthusiasts from around the world. It’s truly an international affair!”
If you haven’t experienced these events, we hope you get the chance in 2025. In the meantime, come and see us at Napa Vault for your private tour of our car condominiums, the perfect place to store and enjoy your vehicles. Contact us today to request information or schedule your visit.
