Monterey Car Week 2025 Part 2: The Next Chapter of Icons in Motion

After the opening drives and first glimpses of Monterey Car Week 2025, the icons were already on the move - curated machines proving their legacy on California’s legendary roads. Part 1 captured the start of our journey with the Porsche 993 Speedster, setting the stage for a week defined by passion, performance, and the rarest automotive experiences.

This year, every mile brought new moments, new machines, and new legends - each one staking its claim in the ongoing story of Monterey Car Week. The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, was a study in exclusivity. Limited access, the rarest machines, and conversations that shape the collector market defined the day, highlighted by show-stopping debuts and meticulous craftsmanship on display. Then, Saturday shifted the energy to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca, where period-correct race cars from nearly every era roared around the corkscrew. The smell of fuel, the sound of engines, and the presence of Le Mans veterans brought motorsport history vividly to life, proving once again that Monterey is as much about experience as it is about legacy.

Each year, a carefully curated roster of the world’s rarest and most significant automobiles gathers on the fairways of the Quail Lodge & Golf Club. Unlike the sprawling concours lawns, The Quail is designed for conversation, connection, and context.

For collectors, it’s a chance to examine cars up close, share insights with fellow enthusiasts, and glimpse future legends before they hit the wider market. From ultra-rare Porsches and Ferraris to bespoke coachbuilt one-offs, The Quail provides access few other events can. It’s also a proving ground for new releases, limited-edition hypercars, and boutique collaborations where those “next big things” are unveiled and validated by the most discerning eyes in the collector world.

The Quail always delivers its share of drama, but this year it felt seismic. Florian Flatau pulled the cover off the Gordon Murray S1LM - a car that doesn’t just follow the rules of hypercar design, it rewrites them. This is the same creative force behind the Tuthill GTONE and Singer ACS, but the S1LM? That was his thunderclap.

And then came the sight no one will forget: fourteen Ferrari F50s lined up nose-to-tail, celebrating thirty years of the icon. A rainbow of Maranello’s most outrageous 1990s statement, brought together in a once-in-a-lifetime assembly. For anyone who doubted the F50’s place among the greats, Monterey just gave the definitive answer.

Elsewhere, the Kamm 912c demanded attention once again - a machine that bridges Porsche heritage with cutting-edge craftsmanship. And it looks like one could soon be coming under our care. More on that to follow. Meanwhile, Auto Icons supported RUF at their stand again this year. We also supported Tuthill with the unveiling of their LF car in collaboration with Meyers Manx. They turned heads and proved, once again, that the frontier of independent engineering is alive and well. RUF and Tuthill continued to remind us why they’re more than names on badges.

Then the tone shifted. From polished lawns to the roar of Laguna Seca. The Rolex Reunion showcased history with cars from 1912 to 2005 tearing down the corkscrew, each one proof that it’s a living heartbeat.

The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is where history hits the track. Held at the legendary Laguna Seca circuit, it’s more than a race, it’s a living museum, where period-correct machines from nearly every era roar back to life. From pre-war sports cars to late-2000s prototypes, each car carries a story, and every lap is a chapter in motorsport’s ongoing saga.

Unlike a static show, the Reunion proves that cars are meant to move, and those who understand this appreciate the nuance between a display car and a car alive under full throttle. And just when the crowd thought they had seen it all, the Porsche 963 RSP rolled out - still hot from its Le Mans campaign. The past and future of endurance racing, side by side on one track.

Collectors often talk about Pebble, the Quail, or the auctions as separate high points. But the truth is, Monterey’s real power lies in the combination. The show fields crown provenance. The auctions test the market. The track keeps history alive. And the roads - those twisting veins through Big Sur and Santa Cruz - remind us why any of it matters.

For those who live and breathe this world, Monterey is where you see who’s serious, who’s holding the right cards, and which machines are about to step into legend status.

This was the middle act. The lawn, the paddock, the track - all speaking to the same truth: Monterey Car Week is still the heartbeat of car culture. The cars matter. The stories matter. But above all, the drive matters.

Stay close. This week is far from finished. Part 3 of our Monterey Car Week journey will bring more rare machines, exclusive previews, and moments that define why collectors keep returning year after year. For those who understand the thrill of truly driving an icon, the story is only accelerating.