Monterey Car Week 2025 Part 1: Auto Icons on the Road with the Porsche 993 Speedster
Jamie Ong
Each August, Monterey Car Week turns the California coast into the global capital of automotive excellence, the Superbowl of cars. It’s the summit - where provenance, passion, and serious investment converge. For Auto Icons, Monterey is more than a pilgrimage, it’s a proving ground.
This year, our Drive the Icons Tour brought one of the rarest modern-era unicorns: the blue Porsche 993 Speedster from MLR Porsche to join Monterey Car Week. Auto Icons returned to the tour reconnecting with our car family and celebrating machines built to be driven.
From Southern California to Sonoma: An Experience Beyond the Car
Before Monterey’s hills and switchbacks, the journey began in Southern California. We picked up the blue Porsche 993 Speedster from storage and immediately headed into the Malibu Canyons for a car meet at the “old place” - a spot steeped in automotive history. Here, our client experienced the MLR engineering prowess firsthand.
“This car drives amazing, such an analogue feel. Drives as good as the coupe!”
were the client’s words - an honest reflection of the Seam-welded chassis and bespoke upgrades that MLR performs. Unlike mass-production 911s, which cannot justify the cost of such intricate rigidity improvements, this Speedster offers a connected, visceral driving experience.
From Malibu, the journey continued with a visit to the Driven Collection, where we parked alongside the original G-model 911 Speedster. Side by side, the lineage of Porsche Speedsters was undeniable - a living conversation between heritage and modern refinement.
The Porsche 993 Speedster also graced the halls of the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles, before its purpose beyond the display, the open road of Monterey.
A few days later, we made the scenic drive up to Sonoma. Nestled just outside Napa Valley, this understated wine region provided two nights of relaxation and exploration before Monterey’s high-octane schedule took over. It was a reminder that Monterey Car Week isn’t just about speed - it’s about the total experience: roads, landscapes, flavors, and shared moments with like-minded enthusiasts.
Expanding the Icons Portfolio
Along the route and hilly roads of Santa Cruz, we collected another 993 Speedster, as well as an upcoming available gem, the 993 RUF BTR - one of the most formidable air-cooled machines of its era. We staged a shoot at the summit, fog lifting, asphalt twisting, and the cars biting into the curves like it was born there. Both represent the rare, the collectible, and the unforgettable, and Monterey’s roads provided the perfect canvas to show what these cars can do in motion.
Both the 993 Speedster and the 993 RUF BTR will have their own stage soon. But Monterey was the perfect place to hint at what’s coming.
Insider Note: Why the 993 Speedster Matters
Collectors already know: the 993 is the last air-cooled 911, and values have rocketed accordingly. But the Speedster variant? That’s another level. It exists in a grey zone - part factory, part exclusive, part myth. Fewer than a dozen are believed to exist, and most are locked away. Auction houses keep recycling the same few examples in whispers.
Here’s the truth: in a market where 993 Turbo S and GT2 prices have exploded, the Speedster is still undervalued - if you can even find one. Owners guard over flipping them. Seeing one in motion - here, now - is like catching lightning in a bottle.
Roads That Challenge and Inspire
Monterey magic lies in the combination of concourses and paddocks: the elegance of Pebble Beach, the intimacy of The Quail, the living history of Laguna Seca, and the sweep of the Pacific Coast Highway 9 and Big Sur.
From the sun-drenched coastline of Malibu to the twisting, elevation-rich roads of Santa Cruz, every mile of Monterey Car Week is a test of car and driver alike. Here, cars are living, breathing expressions of design, engineering, and legacy. Highway 9, a favorite among locals for its sweeping curves and rollercoaster-like topography, became our arena. At the summit, engines roared against the backdrop of fog lifting from the hills, asphalt twisting beneath tires, and cars carving corners as if born for them.
From show lawns to open roads, Monterey Car Week is a celebration of culture as much as it is of cars. It’s where collectors measure their machines not just by provenance, but by the visceral thrill of motion, the conversation sparked at an impromptu roadside stop, and the shared passion that brings generations together.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Monterey Car Week journey, which will appear in our next blog, bringing the roads, the races, and the rarest machines to life.
