Each year, Monterey Car Week culminates in the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance event, held on the Pacific-side greens of this ultra-exclusive northern Californian golf club. Alongside multiple new reveals and iconic classics, the event’s 75th edition saw the hammer fall on three-quarters of a billion dollars’ worth of historic metal, a new record.

The 2026 edition of Monterey Car Week wrapped up on August 16th after ten days of reveal events peppered across the picturesque Californian peninsula against a backdrop of the lavish and loving display of hundreds of classic cars. The week centres around the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the world’s largest automotive affair also turned heads with its record-breaking auction sales, courtesy of sales by RM Sotheby’s, Gooding Christie’s, Bonhams and Broad Arrow.

In all, sales totalled $755.6 million (£558.7 million), with modern cars occupying over half of the handshakes. Eleven cars saw buyers for $10 million (£7.4 million) or more while the highest price tag was a 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe which sold for $42.905 million (£31.758 million). Designed by Pete Brock, the vehicle was produced only in six editions, including this auctioned chassis CSX2300 which was once owned by Carroll Shelby himself.

There was also the remarkable sight of the first-ever Ferrari Luce selling for no less than $40m through RM Sotheby’s, a result notable for many reasons, not least for being the highest ever price realised for a brand-new car (let alone becoming the most expensive EV ever sold). The buyer is reputedly a serial offender at the art of transforming cars into big-ticket auction records; the Luce lucre was effectively handed, less commission, straight into the coffers of Ferrari’s charitable arm.

The concentration of the world’s top car designers, brands, collectors, and aficionados on this breezy, historic West Coast grounds lent itself – unsurprisingly - to a social affair centred around buzzing displays, test rides, and after-hours gatherings. Just like other niche industries such as art, watch, and furniture, luxury automotive sector also thrives on desire, innovation, and the oomph effect.

One of the premium events of the week is The Quail, a high-end car show with a big sticker ticket price and a host of niche and premium brands jostling to show their wares to their target demographic. Across the packed itinerary, standouts included Cadillac’s main event, Curated by Cadillac ESCALADE IQ, which celebrated the all-electric flagship SUV for a customised experience. The concierge-led program allows customers to craft their very own vehicles through a generous option palette which reaches up to a million permutations, including 106 colours.

According to the brand’s executive design director Dominic Najafi, ‘the real twist’ in their broad offering is the addition of a new Santorini Blue pipping. ‘You normally wouldn’t see such colouring in piping in combination with tan and grey interiors,’ he told Wallpaper*. Najafi sees this accent as part of their emphasis on ‘expressing American luxury,’ and added: ‘We are not just copying rituals from Europe – we are creating a distinctive American experience.’

The Detroit-born 124-year-old manufacturer’s other offering was V-One, a new medley concept of their signature V-series with a single-seat competitive spirit innate to race cars. The hardware specific to racing is alchemised with a human touch that focuses on driver comfort and confidence. ‘If it doesn’t make the car go faster, we don’t put it in,’ said Sean O’Shea, Propulsion Manager of Cadillac’s LMDh series, about the concentrated tight design vision.

O'Shea added that the interior team uses similar materials in such a specific vehicle but translates their understanding of ‘luxury into a pure performance environment.’ Najafi also noted that the main design challenge was to represent the impression of the night in the car’s outfit. Rather than simply choosing a black finish, the team created a nocturnal effect with paintwork which yields flakes of blue when the sun hits the grey surface.

Lamborghini, on the other hand, joined the spectacle with Revuelto SV, a lineage that the Bolognese luxury car maker started 55 years ago. In this upgrade, a lightweight body and optimised aerodynamics result in a vehicle that can speed up to 345 kilometres per hour, which makes this version of Super Veloce the fastest Lamborghini car produced in Sant’Agata Bolognese. Black accents and a redesigned fierce SV logo on both sides convey a sharp statement of luxury.

Among the world debuts was RUF’s new performance car, Ehra, named as a nod to Phil Hill’s victory at the Ehra-Lessien proving ground in 1987. Given the vehicle’s historic homage, a nostalgic form outfits a 650-horsepower engineering in a bold hue of grey; inside, titanium pedals and hand-stitched light brown flag pattern and matte carbon trim accompany lollipop seats in a light brown hue which provides a dramatic but comforting completeness.

The Audi Nuvolari made its US debut at The Quail after first appearing at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc during the Monaco Grand Prix in June. The first modern supercar to come out under the vision of the German car manufacturer’s chief creative officer Massimo Frascella, the hyper halo car will be produced in an edition of 499.

The hybrid vehicle speaks with its futuristic, almost mysterious, body dressed in a moody titanium skin. The ability to reach 349 kilometres per hour is matched with a design and experience-forward philosophy which is evident in a low mid-engine body and a seamless appearance. The car later went on to the prestigious Concept Lawn at Pebble Beach, where it was seen alongside other recent design studies like the Vision BMW Alpina, the Bugatti Destrier and the Aston Martin Valen.

The main event was soundtracked by growling engines and echoing conversations and perfumed by the unmistakable tang of oil, petrol and faded leather. The Concours d’Elegance competition is scattered across the ocean-side golf course, with 218 cars representing an impressive slice of automotive history.

This year, Best in Show went to a 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster originally owned by Clark Gable and presented by one Harry Yeaggy of Cincinnati, Ohio. A classic piece of inter-war design, it brought the event’s timeless sense of American luxury into sharp focus.

WhatsUpMonterey.com, Cadillac.com, @Cadillac / RUF-Automobile.de, @RUFsince1939 / Audi.com, @AudiUSA

A living artwork

Gabriel Annouka, Senior Designer

After sending our latest issue to press this week, I was rewarded with a skinny drink at the opening of Sincerely: Part 2 – the summer group show of the artists that make up this year's Sarabande (Alexander McQueen’s charitable foundation) residents. I found myself glued to Beverley Duckworth’s work Anthesis III (2025). At first glance, it’s a neat and precise patterned textile, but there are chia seeds embedded in the fabric, irrigated by a built-in water system that triggers germination over time. Nature hijacks the design, turning textile art into a slow choreography of growth and erasure. The pattern will eventually dissolve under the weight of its own symbiosis, the living matter overrunning human intention. Duckworth calls it a ‘meditation on our lack of control over the natural world’.

A brilliant brasserie

Tianna Williams, Staff Writer

On Wednesday I had a lovely evening catching up with an old friend who I used to work with in the scuba diving industry in Greece. We went to Brasserie Constance, a new restaurant on Fulham Pier, to watch the sun set over the Thames and catch up on the past six years. After some introductory cocktails we were escorted inside to tuck into the restaurant’s signature coronation chicken pâté en croûte, followed by the summer vegetable tart with hazelnut cream, which was fragrant and light. The dinner was finished with a divine chocolate ale cake with malted milk ice cream.

A soulful set

Charlotte Gunn, Director of Digital Content

At Crouch Hill's Church Studios, I was invited to a preview of Celeste's new album, Woman of Faces, out in October. Celeste was in attendance, performing a selection of songs from the record with just synth and piano. In close quarters, her divine voice is even more impressive – rivalling Winehouse, Fitzgerald and James – and somehow at odds with her nervous demeanour (though I often think there’s little more excruciating for a musician than an industry playback).

The new record was made during emotionally tough times for Celeste, who won the Brits Rising Star award in 2022. She’s in a sunnier place now – and reportedly her latest work is quite different to what we’ll hear on this album – but for those in awe of her slow-moving, modern jazz, it’s an impeccable nine tracks.

A freshening facial

Sofia de la Cruz, Travel Editor

I’m a big fan of the spa at 45 Park Lane: it’s relaxing, beautifully designed, and feels like a peaceful oasis in the heart of London. The hotel has recently partnered with Spanish skincare brand Natura Bissé, so I had to give one of the new treatments a go. I chose a skin-energising, glow-boosting facial that included a myofascial massage. It was the perfect two-in-one: deeply relaxing yet instantly revitalising. In fact, it’s one of the rare times I’ve had people look at me afterwards and say, ‘You look different!’ I’ll happily take that as a compliment.

Classic cars in California

Jonathan Bell, Transport and Technology Editor

A weekend in California, courtesy of Infiniti, which was showing a brace of concept cars at The Quail and Pebble Beach. Long considered the most important week in the classic car calendar, Monterey Car Week has now evolved into a tentpole event for contemporary luxury brands, with big names fielding big pavilions and product launches at The Quail and at Pebble Beach's Concept Lawn. As well as time with the brand, I caught up with Cadillac, Bentley, Aston Martin, Morgan and more, and explored the spectacular Pacific Coast Highway in the Infiniti QX80.

Mercedes has a sizeable stake in the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the prestige event of Monterey Car Week. Not only does the German brand host a vast pavilion, the Star Lounge, on the site, but the company also takes over one of the grandest rooms in the Pebble Beach Golf Club to serve as its hospitality lounge throughout the weekend. And to cap it off, it flies in some of the most impressive cars from its extensive collection of classics, to drive and exhibit.

As a guest of Mercedes’ Maybach brand, we got to experience this largesse at first hand. Not only did the company unveil a new model, the Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series, it also laid on a fleet of other Maybachs with which to experience one of the world’s greatest roads, the coastal Highway One, and offered up driving experiences in a pair of iconic vintage cars.

Many of the world’s greatest car collections are kept in the US, and many of those live on the West Coast, so Pebble Beach functions as both a crucial social event, a high-profile salesroom for some important auction houses, and a place for manufacturers and collectors alike to establish bragging rights over who owns the best kept and best presented historic automobile. Each year sees a cavalcade of unique machinery, from one-off concept cars to vintage racing machines from every era, and the occasional show-stopper in the form of a reclusive or rediscovered icon making its reappearance on this most glamourous of world stages.

On top of all this, Monterey Car Week is increasingly a place for launches and events, as the mainstream luxury manufacturers and the growing coterie of specialist coachbuilders flock to Northern California to pitch new product to the people most likely to buy it. As well as Mercedes, there was also a sizeable presence from JLR, Rolls-Royce, Cadillac, Maserati, Bugatti, Rivian, Rimac, Lamborghini, and more. All of whom had new things to say and judged that the moneyed atmosphere, amenable climate and rarefied company to be the very best place to present it.

Away from the ticketed events, most of which take place at the exclusive Pebble Beach Golf Course, the narrow tourist-infested streets of Carmel and Monterey echo with the sound of revving engines and crackling exhausts as every supercar, classic and hotrod owner within several hundred miles descends on the coast to show off their wheels. Parking lots are stacked with low-slung rows of polychromatic be-winged ego fluffers. There’s a class element to all this, of course, for Pebble and Quail are exclusive and aloof, expensive to access and with a demographic that skews unashamedly and almost exclusively white. With a few notable exceptions, it's also very, very male.

Much of the on-street action is provided by those who live a world away from the meticulously manicured lawns of Pebble. It’s a distinctly town versus gown situation, with beautifully kept examples of working-class car culture, from low-riders to bikers, extreme hotrods, highly tuned Japanese sports cars and the occasional Cybertruck, providing a counterpoint to the polished precision, timeworn patina and storied histories of Pebble’s old-money exclusivity. Much was made of the fact that Honda's HP-X concept was the Japanese brand's debut appearance on the hallowed Concours greens.

Mercedes was able to march straight into this class-war minefield with nary a thought. That’s because, with well over a century of history and a broad sweep of products that takes in every conceivable demographic and desire, the company can be all things to all people.

There’s the racing pedigree, ably demonstrated by the 1924 Mercedes two-litre Targa Florio race car, making its debut following a complete restoration by Mercedes-Benz Classic. There’s also the stunning C111-II experimental vehicle on hand, a 1970 supercar fitted with a four-rotor Wankel engine.

SL 680 Monogram Series and more from Maybach at Pebble Beach

But we’re here for Maybach, represented not just by the SL 680 – the sub-brand’s first dedicated sports car – but also by the mighty 1932 Maybach Zeppelin DS 8, a titanic Teutonic conveyance that dates from a troublesome era, to put it mildly. Still, nothing could detract from Mercedes-Benz Classic’s meticulous mechanical and physical restoration, the kind of attention to detail that the company is putting into the contemporary Maybach line of enhanced Mercedes passenger cars.

The new SL 680 joins a line up that includes the Mercedes-Maybach GLS, the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, and the first all-electric Maybach, the Mercedes‑Maybach EQS SUV. We sampled all these cars over the course of our stay in Monterey, either behind the wheel or ensconced within the cocoon-like passenger compartment. They certainly rival their peers for quality and refinement, and there’s a stealthy quality in the way the high-luxury Maybach ethos can be subsumed within a more familiar Mercedes silhouette.

However, Maybach also has a more outrageous conceptual side that hasn’t yet impacted on its production cars. At the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the company revealed the 5.7m long Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6, returning the following year with the dramatic droptop Vision Mercedes Maybach 6 Cabriolet. In our opinion, it’s cars like this, along with even more dramatic Project Maybach, a collaboration with the late Virgil Abloh, that attain and exceed the ethos of the brand.

The latter spawned the Maybach by Virgil Abloh, a limited-edition version of the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. The SL 680 shares a similar ethos, taking a Mercedes ‘base’ model and upgrading every element of it far above what would otherwise be possible. In this case, the headline changes are relatively superficial, chief amongst them the deletion of the (already vestigial) rear seats in favour of a lavishly trimmed white Nappa leather cabin for two, with a surfeit of ‘M’ monograph branding applied, most noticeably to the bonnet. Here is a classic example of the great Venn diagram of craftsmanship, design, wealth and taste at work; where would you place this expertly and carefully monogrammed bonnet within it?

The SL 680 also gets a tweaked 4.0-litre biturbo V8 offering 585hp, smoothly delivered through a 9-speed automatic transmission. Variable all-wheel drive helps traction and dynamic performance. The exhaust note is toned down from its shoutier Mercedes-AMG sibling, but even though the SL 680 is pitched at Monegasque boulevards and the broad highways of the Middle East and not the race track, it’s still a very credible performer. The car's presence is bolstered by big multi-spoke wheels, although it doesn’t quite have the scale and impact of a Maybach SUV or limousine.

The SL 680’s reveal party (but not these desert-retreat press pics) took place on a long LED-screen catwalk set up in the garden of a modernist village on the slopes above Pebble Beach. Designed by San Francisco architect Jim Jennings for a couple of noted contemporary collectors, the 6,700 sq ft house is a symphony of sharp edges in aluminium, stone and glass, albeit rather a sterile exercise. It’s a very different proposition from some of the more vernacular compositions that flank it, even if they’re no less ostentatious in scale and accommodation.

Was it a good fit for Maybach, a company that seems to foreground a very conservative classicism? Sitting in the house’s upstairs sitting, Michael Schiebe, chairman of the board of management of Mercedes, stressed that ‘we’re not just putting a name on a Mercedes. [A Maybach] requires more craftsmanship and technology… customers want a car that’s a statement. It has to differentiate.’ Asked whether there’s a conflict between Maybach’s own highly bespoke editions, like the Monogram Series (and the Virgil Abloh S-Class), and customers’ desire for their own individual specifications, Daniel Lescow, head of Mercedes-Maybach, explained that ‘a lot of customers trust the curated options we offer to them’. ‘We have cooked the perfect dish,’ Schiebe adds.

As the first open two-seater Maybach in the modern era, the Mercedes-Maybach SL680 Monogram Series doesn’t share much design DNA with the mighty Zeppelin parked out front at the villa. Yet there’s a shared ethos of wealth and status, one that a casual observer might struggle to understand.

Pebble Beach sees America tipped on edge so that the finest and wealthiest aspects of its elaborate car culture roll west for the weekend. From the ritual ‘Dawn Patrol’ experience of watching the various concours classes driving themselves onto the Pacific-front greens of the Pebble Beach Golf Club on the Sunday morning, to the glamorous branded villas and pavilions, it’s a place where money meets, old and new.

Everyone's an expert at Pebble, ready with a little bit of trivia to hand or a personal connection or name drop they can trot out to impress or ingratiate. As a result, it's a mansplainer’s paradise, and men exchange muttered half-remembered stats and facts and model names to each other and anyone within earshot. Drones buzz overhead as snippets of outlandish conversational oneupmanship drift past. 'I have a lot of friends who are precision stunt drivers.’ 'Have you driven the new Corvette. It's over a 1,000 horsepower without turbochargers... such amazing value compared to a Ferrari.’

The traditionalists have their rituals and uniform, with picnic blankets spread out at 5.30am, a sea of Panama hats and 'dawn patrol' caps, doled out for free by golf course lackies who are instantly swarmed when they start handing them out. Here you’ll find the upper echelons of America's incredibly skewed social strata, showing cars that are family heirlooms, passed down through generations. Yet there are also cars that are precious investments, cars that form a priceless part of a company's heritage and identity, one-offs, both famed and infamous, and lost icons rediscovered.

Among the grand old American families, you’ll find car bros, classic car bros, tech bros and finance bros, alongside Hollywood A-listers, influencers, investors and collectors, and the lucky scrum of media in possession of the correct set of wristbands. Perhaps this is where new money comes to be converted into old, filtered through the 140-year-old cult of the automobile, shoring up the gates and walls of the establishment in the process. In order for the SL 680 to grace the lawns of Pebble 2124, the established order will inevitably have to change.

Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series, available from spring 2025, Mercedes-Benz.com

PebbleBeachConcours.net

Lamborghini chose Monterey Car Week to reveal the successor to its crucial Huracán model – ‘the greatest-selling super sports car’ in the brand’s history. Introduced in 2014, the mid-engined Huracán was ripe for replacement, and given how much the world has moved on in the past decade, its replacement looked likely to incorporate new technologies and approaches.

The new Lamborghini Temerario continues what the company calls its High Performance Electrified Vehicle strategy (HPEV), following the flagship Revuelto plug-in hybrid model. The company now has a fully hybridised line-up, if you take into account the new Urus SE as well, putting it a step ahead of many of its close competitors.

The new car retains the mid-engined layout that has defined every sporting Lamborghini since the Miura. In addition to a twin turbo-charged V8, there’s also a powerful hybrid system which creates enough power for a 0-62mph time of 2.7 seconds and a class-leading top speed of 210mph. As noted by Lamborghini’s Chairman and CEO Stephan Winkelmann, ‘every new Lamborghini must surpass its forerunners in performance terms,’ a formidable engineering and technical challenge.

As part of this relentless quest for more power, Lamborghini claims the Temerario is the ‘first and only production super sports car engine able to reach 10,000 rpm’. If the residents of Monterey found Lamborghini’s fleet of corporate Uruses (Uruii?) to be a little on the shouty side, expect the Temerario to cause even more of a ruckus.

We spoke to Lamborghini’s Design Director, Mitja Borkert, about the genesis of the new model.

Wallpaper*: Describe the design approach behind the new Temerario

Mitja Borkert: It was a personal mission to create something that was agile, yet with a compact volume. The Temerario continues the new design language started by Revuelto – it’s about giving adrenaline a shape.

W*: What are the distinctive design elements of a modern Lamborghini?

MB: We’re very recognisable – especially our silhouette. You can see this in the Gallardo in 2003, through to the Huracán in 2014 and now its successor, the Temerario from 2025. The new car is 40mm longer than its predecessor and has a bigger cabin as a result, although it’s still 273mm shorter than the Revuelto. The shapes and ‘muscles’ of this car are very sensuous, almost human.

W*: What’s your typical design process to shape such a distinctive sports car?

MB: We always start with sketches. For this car, the hexagon was the design element we start with. You can see it in the side air intake, the hexagonal daylight running lights, the exhaust, the taillights. The car is divided into two, with very clean lines on the upper surfaces, and a lower level that catches shadow for more drama. We now have a very distinctive lighting strategy for all three of our models, Urus, Revuelto and Temerario. It’s very important that our cars each have their own distinctive character.

W*: Are there are notable details that set this car apart?

MB: The way the rear tyres are exposed, for example, or the deep side intakes. Also, we don’t want to follow the trend of having light bars across the entire rear of the car. You’ll also see that the hexagonal DRL at the front of the car are also aero ducts, channelling air to an exit just below the main lights.

The rear of the car is almost like a spaceship – the V8 engine is at the heart of the design. We have a lot of personalisation choices as well, with 20” wheels at the front and 21” at the rear and three different wheel choices, including the first full carbon fibre wheel and a hexagon-based design as well.

W*: Will there be other options?

MB: Yes, we’re going to launch two versions of the car right from the start, with a track-focused lightweight package that includes different design elements, a new splitter and rocker panel, carbon rims, bonnet and rear wing.

W*: What will the interior be like – it’s yet to be revealed?

MB: Yes, it’s designed to feel like a cockpit, with a start-stop button, switches and rotary controls that feel like a jet. We’ve always believed in creating very mechanical elements in our interiors. It’ll be a spaceship on the outside, alien on the inside. There’ll be three screens, including one for a passenger, with very distinctive and different graphics. Also, there’ll be many colour options, perhaps around 400.

W*: How did the hybrid system inform your design approach?

MB: It had no impact in terms of design. We’re opening the door to the next chapter of Lamborghini. This car is very compact and agile, as short as possible. It’s also the first super sports Lamborghini to have the mandated ADAS (Advanced driver-assistance system) technology.

W*: Is it tough to integrate new technologies like this?

MB: Yes, it’s a real challenge for designers. But ultimately you need boundaries, or else it would be boring.

Lamborghini Temerario, available from 2025, Lamborghini.com, @Lamborghini.com

The Pebble Beach Concours might be the centrepiece event of Monterey Car Week, but as this rarefied bubble of auto-erotic fascination garners more and more media attention, it’s become a top spot to launch a new luxury or sports car to the world – right under the noses of those most likely to open their wallets and buy one. Pebble Beach is a place where the cars on show have more affinity with yachts and houses, or Picassos and Warhols, rather than just mere modes of transportation.

With lawns and greens awash with expensive metal from all eras, and linen-clad billionaires strolling in amongst the shiny bodywork, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this was simply a playground for the ultra-elite. On one level, you’d be right, but with the traditional motor show deemed practically DOA, everyone from BMW to JLR to Cadillac, Maserati, Mercedes-Maybach and more, chose the most prestigious date in Californian car culture to make some global debuts.

Appropriately, much of what was revealed here sat in the hypercar category, an eco-system driven by highly inflated power outputs and price tags. There were other gems on show as well. Here's our round-up of what was revealed at Monterey in 2024.

Range Rover SV Carmel Edition

Range Rover cut straight to the quick with their Carmel Edition of the Range Rover SV. With an interior colour scheme taken straight from the landscape and seascape of the West Coast, the car has been fitted out by the company’s SV Bespoke division. The interior features Sequoia Green and Perlino Leather, while the bodywork is resplendent in a special Satin Green finish.

There’s 24-carat gold details on the badging, as well as vast 23” Dark Grey wheels. Range Rover hopes to sell just 17 examples of this addition, and each will include a donation to the local Del Monte Forest Conservancy organisation.

Range Rover SV Carmel Edition, $370,000, LandRoverUSA.com

Cadillac Opulent Velocity Concept

Cadillac’s newest EV concept is the Opulent Velocity, an elaborate name for a what the company is calling the ‘future of all-electric luxury performance’. A 2+2 coupe with dramatic butterfly doors, the design is a preview of future sporting Cadillac V-Series cars. In recent years the American luxury manufacturer has gone all-out on catering to a high-end, demanding clientele, offering bespoke experiences and one-on-one customer interaction.

Opulent Velocity certainly evokes the sheer scale of the glory days of the 50s and 60s, with a vast interior that includes a rear banquette and smooth, uncluttered surfaces inside and out. In addition to its sporting pretensions, this is a concept study that prioritises the autonomous driving experience, with augmented reality head-up displays, and immersive sound and light experiences for the passengers.

Cadillac.com, @Cadillac.com

Rimac Nevera R

Croatian supercar maker Rimac had a big presence at Pebble Beach, off the back of their introduction of the newest version of their Nevera family, the Nevera R. This is the third iteration of an all-electric hypercar that revolutionised the idea of zero emission performance when it first surfaced back in 2013 as the Rimac Concept One.

The Nevera, which shares a platform with Automobili Pininfarina’s Battista, has proved to be one of the most enduring and credible of all electric sports cars and the new R variant turns up the style and performance. The former includes a new aero package and wheels, as well as a power bump to over 2,100 horsepower. That’s enough to catapult this carbon fibre machine to 300km/h (186mph) in just over 8.6 seconds, on to a top speed of 412km/h (256mph), as long as you have, according to the small print, ‘manufacturer oversight’.

You’d have though that this set of headline figures would be enough to bury the tedious rounds of hypercar bragging rights and parked up Neveras certainly garnered a lot of attention during the weekend. However, the relentless sound of revving engines that echoes around Monterey during the Car Week implies that EVs still have a long way to go before they usurp traditional power sources as a means of showing off.

Rimac-Automobili.com, @Rimac_Automobili

355 by Evoluto Automobili

Touring Superleggera’s Veloce12 wasn’t the only Ferrari restomod to make its debut at Monterey Car Week. Evoluto Automobili showcased its 355 by Evoluto, which, as the name suggests, is a re-engineered and overhauled Ferrari 355, the company’s mid-engine flagship from 1995 to 1999.

This particular ‘remastering’ effort remains faithful to the original Pininfarina bodywork and focuses instead on power output, reliability and drivability. Describing the car as representation of ‘peak analogue’ automotive design, the V8 powered 355 gets a power hike, carbon fibre panels for weight saving with interior and exterior fettling by the UK's Callum design consultancy.

EvolutoAutomobili.com, @Evoluto_Automobili

Kalmar Automotive 9X9

Tweaked and revisited Ferraris were almost as common as Porsche-style revivals. One of the most successful was the 9X9 by Danish builder Kalmar Automotive. The catalyst here is Porsche’s iconic 959 supercar, one of the first and greatest of the 80s-era high-tech homologation specials.

Shown at The Quail, the slightly edgier, motorsports-themed event that runs alongside the Pebble Beach proper, the 9X9 evokes the original’s flattened, elongated 911 vibe, complete with all-wheel drive and 930 horsepower (substantially more than was available back in the mid-80s). The interior is analogue and deliberately lo-fi, and there are set to be three versions, the 9X9, 9X9 Sport and 9X9 Leichtbau, the latter being the most pared-back and driver focused of the three.

KalmarAutomotive.com, @KalmarAutomotive

Rolls-Royce Phantom Scintilla Collection

Rolls-Royce chose Monterey Car Week to unveil the Phantom Scintilla Private Collection, a set of ten (pre-sold) cars based on the Phantom Extended Wheelbase. Bespoke elements include a light, ceramic-inspired finish inside and out, as well as ribbon-like detailing on the upholstery and dashboard Gallery feature and an animated Starlight Headliner up above.

It was instructive comparing this modern-day iteration of the completely customised car with Rolls-Royces of the past, many of which found their way onto the greens of the Pebble Beach Golf Club for the concours event. Our favourite, in terms of scale and ambition if not in grace, was the titanic 1971 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI Four-Door Cabriolet, a 6.45m long behemoth only completed in 1993.

Rolls-Royce also unveiled another one-off commission, the Spectre Semaphore, a lemon yellow example of its first and only EV. Key feature was the alarmingly trippy bonnet design, something that was more Haight-Ashbury than Pebble Beach.

Rolls-Royce Bespoke, Rolls-RoyceMotorsCars.com

Nilu27 hypercar

Designer and entrepreneur Sasha and Inna Selipanov have conjured up the funds to create this, the extremely bespoke and very powerful Nilu27 hypercar. With a V12 at its heart, the two-seater is the culmination of Sasha Selipanov’s design career that includes work for Lamborghini and Koenigsegg.

Deliberately provocative, but also self-consciously acknowledging the influence of a number of significant predecessors, the gull-winged creation was resplendent in white bodywork with accents and details in black and red, giving it more than a hint of video game aesthetic. A gated gearshift and array of analogue dials caps a retro-futuristic interior.

NILU27.com, @NILU27_official

BMW M5 Touring

Superficially rather ordinary in such exalted and exotic company, the BMW M5 Touring is actually a stealthy supercar wrapped up in a very practical skin. The M5 has always been the performance flagship of the Bavarian manufacturer’s ‘M’-division line-up, but this is only the third time in the M5’s long history that the dynamics and horsepower have been cloaked with the ultra-practical Touring estate car body.

Under the skin is a hybrid system that’ll do 42 miles in pure electric mode and offers a combined 727 horsepower when paired with a twin turbo V8, making good for a 3.6-second 0-62mph sprint. All this with a huge boot and therefore more space for luggage than all the hypercars on this page combined.

BMW M5 Touring, £112,500, BMW.co.uk

Hennessey Venom F5 'Stealth Series'

Texas-based hypercar builder Hennessey Special Vehicles displayed a triumvirate of its Venom F5, a model that’s occasionally in the running for the title of world’s fastest car. Apart from tapping in to the apparently perennially fascinating association between fast cars and jet aircraft, the Stealth Series cars have a $3m price tag to accommodate a substantial amount of personalisation, including lashings of exposed carbon fibre and hand-applied paint. The engine is a bespoke V8 capable of putting out 1,817hp without a battery in sight.

HennesseySpecialVehicles.com, @HennesseySpecialVehicles

Automobili Pininfarina B95 Gotham

Owners of high performance cars sometimes bristle at the suggestion that their vehicle is a way of overcompensating for something missing in their life, or even a throwback to the simple delights and desires of childhood. Buyers of Automobili Pininfarina’s current Gotham series of electric hypercars clearly aren’t bothered by these charges, as evinced by the one-off B95 Gotham, ‘inspired by the luxury lifestyle of billionaire Bruce Wayne, the civilian persona of DC superhero Batman.’

This is a properly licensed piece of IP, all cleared with Warner Bros, even though there’s no imminent word of any product placement on celluloid. The B95 is an open Barchetta, a sister car to Automobili Pininfarina’s Battista model. In this crime-fighting guise, it’s part of a quartet of unique Batman models, alongside the Battista Gotham, B95 Dark Knight and Battista Dark Knight. All this is in keeping with the idea that multi-million dollar cars need high levels of exclusivity and an interesting backstory if they’re to function as investment pieces as well as automobiles.

Automobili-Pininfarina.com, @AutomobiliPininfarinaOfficial

Maserati GT2 Stradale

The new Maserati GT2 Stradale took pride of place at Pebble Beach’s Concept Lawn, after being unveiled at The Quail. Essentially an uprated and over-egged Maserati MC20 to celebrate the company’s return to GT competition racing, the Stradale (‘road’ as opposed to ‘race’) is a little bit louder, faster, lighter and more powerful than the base car, serving as a springboard for Maserati’s Fuoriserie custom service to go to town with colour and trim.

Maserati.com, @Maserati

Tuthill GT ONE

Another company intent on bringing the glory days of Porsche racing back into the present, Tuthill Racing announced this elaborate machine inspired by the 90s-era GT1 Le Mans racer. The low streamlined carbon fibre bodied form of the GT ONE shown at The Quail exhibits an unmistakable Porsche heritage. With a weight of just 1,200kg and a 6-cylinder engine (turbo-charged if you so desire), it should deliver the required performance.

The car was styled by Florian Flatau, a Californian-based designer who has also worked for famed Porsche specialists Singer. Just 22 examples of the GT ONE will be built.

Tuthill GT ONE, price on application, TuthillPorsche.com, @TuthillPorsche

RUF Rodeo

The long arm of Porsche’s influence was also in evidence in the Ruf Rodeo, the latest bespoke model from long-running Porsche tuning specialist RUF. The Rodeo, which was out and about in the twisting valleys around Pebble Beach, is another take on the idea of a 911 as an all-out, off-road sports car.

Porsche has done this itself with its own recent 911 Dakar, but it hasn’t gone as far as the Rodeo. Inspiration here comes from the American West, or rather the ersatz version of cowboy style found on the Ralph Lauren Ranch. The bright orange bodywork contrasts with brown saddle leather trim and embroidered patterns inside on dash, doors and seat.

RUF-Automobile.de, @RUFsince1939

Honda HP-X Concept

Finally, the welcome return of a past icon. Honda’s HP-X concept was designed by Pininfarina and originally revealed at the Turin Auto Show in 1984. Now fully restored by Pininfarina’s team at its workshop in Italy, the HP-X took pride of place alongside other conceptual machines from the age of the wedge. At the time, Honda wasn’t known for its sports car design, and the HP-X was the start of a journey that was eventually lead to the 1990 NSX.

Pininfarina’s exploration of what a modern sports car should look like did away with a lot of cultural baggage. The HP-X (Honda Pininfarina eXperimental) was shaped by aerodynamics, not heritage, with a mid-mounted V6 based on a Honda racing engine. There was also a jet-plane style opening canopy instead of doors, very early use of carbon fibre body panels, and a dashboard that predicted elements like GPS and road-reading sonar sensors.

Pininfarina.it, Honda.com

As seen at Monterey Car Week 2023 this August, the annual event doesn't just include the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Presenting the ultra-high-end of California’s car culture, there are shows, reunions, motorsports, rallies, drives, sales, auctions and, of course, parties. It’s also become a prime spot for the premium brands to unveil new products, which bask in the reflected glory of well-cared-for classics to catch the eye of moneyed enthusiasts and collectors. 

Here are five new supercars that made their debut during this high point of the automotive calendar.

Monterey Car Week 2023 supercar highlights

BAC Mono

Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) revealed the latest version of the Mono, a single-seater supercar that is a close competitor for the most race car-like road machine on the market. The very first Mono debuted in 2011, and since then the Liverpool-based company has constantly refined the car, boosting the power and shedding mass through intensive research into new materials. 

The Mono R, first shown in 2019, was a track-focused iteration, and this new model blends the original and the R together to create the best of both worlds. The Mono weighs just 570kg, barely a fifth more than the tiny Citroen Ami. The suspension and steering are adjustable to suit the driver’s taste, 

BAC Mono, price tbc, BAC-Mono.com

Automobili Pininfarina B95

Automobili Pininfarina is on a roll. Not content with delivering increasing numbers of its Battista hypercar, the Italian brand also recently unveiled the extravagant Pura Vision ‘Luxury Utility Vehicle’ concept. Now the company has released its second production model, the B95. 

Continuing its EV-only journey, the B95 is billed as the world's first electric ‘Hyper Barchetta’. It’s also strictly limited to just ten units, each of which will enjoy ‘unlimited’ personalisation options. With a massive 120kWh battery at its core, the open-topped two-seater is a concept car made real. 

Automobili Pininfarina B95 Barchetta, from €4.4m, B95.Automobili-Pininfarina.com

Fisker Ronin

With the Fisker Ocean starting delivery soon, Henrik Fisker’s company is looking to diversify its offering. As well as the Ocean SUV, the company also recently unveiled two more EVs, the PEAR city car and Alaska pick-up truck. The latter is being promoted as the ‘world’s most sustainable pick-up truck’ and will be made in the USA, starting from around $45,400. That price point is decidedly different to the other new car in the Fisker portfolio. 

This is the Ronin, a grand tourer set to be made in an edition of 999 cars. What’ll set this ambitious machine apart from its peers is the range – around 600 miles is promised – and the fact that the five-seater is also a convertible, complete with a sophisticated folding hard-top system. The company hopes to have it on sale by 2025. 

Fisker Ronin, from $385,000, FiskerInc.com

Zenvo Aurora

Danish supercar builder Zenvo keeps a low-profile for a builder of such extravagant cars. The company’s newest model is the Aurora, an out-and-out hypercar that will be made available in two variants, Agil (‘Agile’) and Tur (‘Touring’). Fifty examples of each will be built, with a V12 engine spliced with an electric motor to generate the extraordinary power output demanded in this rarefied and unbelievably competitive sector. The Aurora’s ability to travel 21 miles on electric power alone is somewhat offset by the 280mph top speed of the stripped down, low-weight Agil model.

Aerodynamics and components are inspired by F1, with a fashionable through-body approach to channelling air. The Tur model is less outlandish than the Agil’s extreme collection of forms, with more creature comforts on hand. Hand-built at the company’s facility in Præstø, about 60 miles south of Copenhagen, Zenvo hopes to start deliveries in 2025. 

Zenvo Aurora Agil and Tur, price tbc, ZenvoAutomotive.com

Aston Martin DB12 Volante

Aston Martin has taken the top off the new DB12 to create this impressive Volante convertible. The company has worked hard to engineer in the requisite stiffness and strengthening, ensuring that the V8-powered droptop can match the impressive performance of its coupe sibling. The folding fabric roof can be operated at speeds of up to 31mph and takes just 14 seconds to open.

You can also pop the top using the remote keyfob, while the lack of a roof lays bare the DB12’s impressive new HMI system, dashboard layout and highly crafted surfaces. This Aston Martin will be a big car in the Californian market, which makes its debut at Monterey all the more significant. 

Aston Martin DB12 Volante, price tbc, AstonMartin.com

Monterey Car Week is the enthusiast’s number-one destination to find the most exclusive classic cars. As conventional car shows fall out of favour, modern automakers are increasingly flocking to the Californian coastline to showcase special editions, coachbuilt cars and all-new electric concepts. As a result, the meeting is fast becoming the most prestigious motor show in the calendar. 

With more special-edition supercars and all-electric hypercars on offer each year, manufacturers are upping their game with limited runs of wacky performance-focused creations, and extravagant concepts. As seen at the recent, 2022 event, from the Bentley Mulliner Batur and Lincoln’s immense L100 concept, to McLaren’s Solus GT track-only single-seater and the revival of DeLorean, the competition to craft the ‘pinnacle of motoring luxury’ continues to evolve.

Seven key machines from Monterey Car Week 2022

1. Bentley Mulliner Batur

Following on from the Barchetta-style Bentley Bacalar launched in 2021, the Batur is the second act from Bentley’s Mulliner coachbuilding division. More than just a styling exercise, the car is the first created under the stewardship of Bentley’s new design chief Andreas Mindt and showcases the marque’s new design direction as it embarks on its all-electric era from 2025.

‘It's not apologetic,’ said Mindt at the car’s launch. ‘It's not leaning backwards. No – it's upright but at the same time, it is very aerodynamic.

‘We’re not setting out to make it look like an electric car,’ Mindt continues. ‘We have to make it look like a Bentley – that comes first and everything else comes second.’ With what Mindt labels its ‘endless bonnet’ and ‘resting beast stance’, the Batur will be the most powerful Bentley in production when Mulliner starts crafting all 18 examples of the £1.65m-plus car later this year.

Despite revealing the look of Bentley's future, the Batur keeps one foot in the past under the bonnet, taking the marque’s outgoing 6.0-litre W12 engine for one last blast before Bentley starts switching out its fabled engine for batteries. 

bentleymotors.com

2. Aston Martin DBR22

Built in the image of Aston Martin's iconic Le Mans-winning DBR1, from 1956, and DB3S, from 1953, the DBR22 is technically a concept that the carmaker says will be a ‘production reality for select Q by Aston Martin customers’.

Equipped with a 5.2-litre, twin-turbo V12 that produces 705bhp, the DBR22 was built to celebrate ten years of Aston Martin's bespoke Q division.

‘DBR22 is a hot-blooded, pure-bred Aston Martin sports car full of speed, agility and spirit, and a machine that we think will be the basis of many of tomorrow's icons,’ said chief creative officer Marek Reichman at the car's Monterey Car Week unveiling.

With projects like the mighty one-off Victor and Vulcan under its belt, Aston's Q division has created some of the marque's most expensive and exclusive cars over the years. Following the same coachbuilt path as Bentley, the British marque best-known for its James Bond affiliation looks set to produce a handful of the speedster-style two-seaters, reserved for its most discerning customers and collectors.  

astonmartin.com

3. McLaren Solus GT

In sharp contrast to the tailored and crafted bodies of the Aston Martin and Bentley, racing and road car company McLaren pulled the covers off its track-only racer, the Solus GT, during Monterey Car Week.

Until now, the Solus GT only existed in the virtual world – originally created as a special for Grand Turismo video game series in 2017 – but, five years on, McLaren has made it a reality.

‘The McLaren Solus GT is the realisation of a radical McLaren concept vehicle originally created for the world of virtual racing,’ said Michael Leiters, chief executive officer, McLaren Automotive. ‘Engineered free of any restrictions from road or race regulations, but with the full spectrum of McLaren's expertise to bring it to reality, it epitomises our pioneering spirit.’ Extolling the marque's sporting pedigree, the McLaren Solus GT is aimed squarely at affluent racing enthusiasts with all 25 of the V10-powered cars priced at over £2.5 million each. 

cars.mclaren.com

4. Bugatti W16 Mistral

An all-new convertible, the Bugatti Mistral is the first new car to appear from the French automaker since it came under the control of Croatian hypercar manufacturer Rimac in 2021.

Just 99 examples of the Mistral – named after the cold, north-westerly wind that blows through the Rhône valley and southern France – will be made, all of which are already claimed, says Bugatti.

‘For the final roadgoing appearance of Bugatti's legendary W16 engine, we knew we had to create a roadster,’ said Bugatti Rimac CEO Mate Rimac. ‘Well over 40 per cent of all Bugatti vehicles ever created have been open-top in design, establishing a long lineage of performance icons that – to this day – are revered the world over.’

Despite its new electric connections, the Mistral takes the legendary 8.0-litre W16 engine for a final spin before Bugatti goes increasingly electric. 

bugatti.com

5. Lucid Air Sapphire Edition

California-based Lucid brought its first car to market – the Air – last year and already, it’s launched its more upmarket performance division, named Sapphire and seen at Monterey Car Week.

Lucid's 'pedestrian' version of the Air wasn't exactly lacking in pace, with up to 1111hp; however, the new sportier version has 1200hp at its disposal.

‘Sapphire is the embodiment of what ultra-high-performance luxury means to Lucid,’ said Derek Jenkins, Lucid's design chief at the car's launch. ‘What we see today with Lucid Air Sapphire is just the beginning for the Sapphire brand.’

Promising more models and even more performance, Lucid is one of the youngest car companies to make it to market. Bucking the trend by surviving the crippling levels of investment and engineering needed to compete with the automotive establishment since it started in 2007, the future looks bright for the Californian carmaker, which is aiming for Tesla’s crown. 

lucidmotors.com

6. Lincoln Model L100 Concept

Harking back to the days when American cars cruised along like chrome-embroidered barges, the Lincoln L100 concept was made to celebrate the marque's centenary this year (which we marked with a look back at 1970s Lincoln Designer Series). 

Complete with recycled suede fabric interior, huge, reversed hinged doors and sleek exterior styling, the L100 is a future-thinking concept for an age of autonomous driving. 

‘We are at a special moment in our history,’ said Lincoln president Joy Falotico. ‘With the Model L100 Concept, we reimagine what the Lincoln sanctuary might look like for our clients of tomorrow, moving us forward to define the next chapter of the Lincoln story.’

lincoln.com

7. DeLorean Alpha5

Some cars seem destined to make a comeback and, despite the demise of DeLorean in 1982, the brand has been revived with the new Alpha5 leading the charge. Penned by Italdesign – the same firm, led by Giorgetto Giugiaro, that designed the original car – the new, electric DeLorean.

With its gullwing doors and rear louvre, you don't have to look too hard to find design cues from the original car.

Equipped with a 100KWh battery, the car will cover over 300 miles on one charge and have a top speed of 155mph, according to DeLorean – now owned by Texas-based company that supplies replacement parts to original DeLorean cars.

delorean.com

Simply put, Monterey Car Week 2013 in California, is the biggest and best collective event in the world if you want to see the globe's most exclusive classic cars gathered in one region for seven days straight.

Headlined by the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance - now in its 63rd year and held on a Sunday in mid-August - fans arrive from all over the world to mull over the finest specimens of classic automotive exotica at Pebble and the many satellite events that have sprung up around it over the years.

Among those events are three big auctions, and at Monterey in 2013 the world record price for a classic car sold at auction was broken by a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S NART Spyder which sold at RM Auctions for $27.5m, while down the road a 1997 McLaren F1 roadster made $8.5m at a Gooding & Co event.

But despite that drama, the main event is still early on the Sunday morning, when hundreds of classic cars drive down the gentle slopes of Pebble Beach golf course at the sea's edge on the southern edge of the Monterey Peninsula, and await to be judged in various categories, as well as aiming for the coveted 'Best in Show' prize.

Alongside the classics, over the years there have been a small number of new cars and concepts revealed too, usually one-offs or limited runs, in keeping with the event's exclusive nature, and some even global exclusives too. This year that list included Aston Martin, Lamborghini, BMW and Spyker while Bentley even launched a new handbag collection here, in the hope of winning some well-heeled female customers. Here are Wallpaper* online's potted highlights...