2026 Pebble Beach and Monterey Car Week Live Blog
For one long weekend in August, the Monterey Peninsula is home to the most interesting cars in the world. Come check it out with us.
Have you ever watched grown adults fight over a baseball hat? That’s just one of many fascinating vignettes of the human condition that surrounds the glitz and glamor of Monterey Car Week, and we here at Car and Driver are ready to bring you all the hits as they happen.
Car Week is a long weekend of automotive bacchanalia, tucked away in the Monterey Peninsula, where some of the rarest and most interesting cars come to strut their stuff. The weekend culminates in the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where the cream of the automotive crop vie for best-in-show honors. This year, we’ve got K.C. Colwell, Ezra Dyer, Jack Fitzgerald, Andrew Krok, Joe Lorio, and editor-in-chief Tony Quiroga surveying the landscape.
Anything you want us to check out in particular? Sound off in the comments below. And don’t forget to check out our posts and stories on the Car and Driver social channels linked below.–Andrew Krok
Thursday, August 13
There’s no taking the long way to Carmel in the BMW M5, because it’s just too dang quick. (It’s also too dang thicc, but that’s a gripe for a different page.) Am I in love with the matte purple paint job? You betcha.
I have already seen three Ferrari F40s and, somehow, one Lamborghini Sesto Elemento.–Andrew Krok
Mercedes-Benz Classic let me deliver its freshly restored 1961 300SL from Los Angeles to Monterey. The Fantasy Yellow Roadster was shown at the Paris Auto Salon and then sold in Europe before being imported to the U.S. Oh, and it’s for sale. The first $1.9 million drives it home.–K.C. Colwell
During Car Week, the quaint, tiny streets of Carmel are a car show unto themselves with all kinds of street-parked cool stuff within a three-block radius of my hotel. Never mind the misty rain.–Joe Lorio
I am Super Crusing in an emerald green Cadillac CT5- V Blackwing, and it will take three hours to get to Monterey. Traffic must be bad because that’s an hour more than normal.–Ezra Dyer
Legends of the Autobahn takes place toward the edge of the peninsula, where stock and modified Audis, BMWs, and Mercs aplenty bring a distinctly unique vibe to an otherwise slightly stodgy weekend. Here are a few of my favorite things that I saw when I was out there. If you know the owner of that wagon, give him my contact info. –Andrew Krok
Someone tell the Audi owners at Legends that they can be a bit more… creative with their vanity plates.–AK
When the drive to Monterey from San Francisco runs to 3.5 hours instead of the customary two, you may as well take a Blackwing-worthy detour and earn a respite. I have no idea where this was, but it was a great road.–Ezra Dyer
Friday, August 14
Last night I got a short drive in this 1990 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 EVO II. It is one of 502 examples produced for DTM homologation. This one has since been converted into a race car with a cage and even includes an on/off switch for the ABS. I’m thinking we should ask Mercedes to bring it to VIR in the fall.–K.C. Colwell
Immediately after arriving at The Quail, and after making your way through the parking lot filled with exotics and ultra-rare toys, you’re met with a veritable celebrity in Sally Carrera. Neither new nor particularly exotic (at least in terms of Monterey Car Week), Sally Carrera might be the most universally recognizable car at the Quail.–Jack Fitzgerald
Don Sherman, your car is at The Quail.–K.C. Colwell
This guy who crashed his F40 on the Nurburgring and rebuilt it is driving around with one of the crashed wheels on the roof.–Ezra Dyer
The Quail’s abundance of supercars is a dizzying smorgasbord of opulence. One minute you’re surrounded by more than a dozen Ferrari F40s, the next you’re being handed champagne in a field of Lamborghini Diablos. If those are too mundane, you can always check out the new kids on the block at the Czinger booth, or meander past the Koenigsegg booth for a chance to see the CCGT1. And, of course, you’ll walk by several Paganis and Bugattis and Sonderwunsch Porsches, and on and on until you realize that you just passed a McLaren Senna without your pulse going up by even a little. That’s when you know it’s about time to leave.–Jack Fitzgerald
Could this be the only Fox-body Mustang ever displayed at The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering? The owner suspects as much, but this is no ordinary Fox Mustang; it's the fruit of a collaboration between McLaren engines. The M81 McLaren Mustang is one of 10 ever made and includes a mean-looking body kit to accommodate the wide wheels—the rears are 15x11! Originally, a turbocharged 2.3-liter four making somewhere upwards of 175 horsepower led the charge. If that sounds a lot like the 1984 Mustang SVO, it's said that the M81 paved the way for the SVO. This M81's owner has done numerous modifications, from larger diameter wheels to swapping in a V-8. While few were made, it set the blueprint for the SVO and the many turbocharged four-cylinder performance cars we have today.–Tony Quiroga
There are lots of exotics and rare hypercars at The Quail, but what jumped out at me was a Lotus Europa with a 289 Ford V-8. This overpowered mid-engine two-seater struck me as a sort of poor man's Ford GT40. It turns out that it's a Lotus 47 prototype (the regular Europa is a Lotus 46). After a bad racing accident, the 47 had its rear structure replaced with Formula 5000 components. In went a 289 V-8 fed by four two-barrel Weber carburetors. Driving this powerful Europa must be as thrilling as it is terrifying.–Tony Quiroga
Range Rover unveiled its latest Monterey-inspired one-off, the Range Rover SV Pearl Luster. Based on the long-wheelbase SV and fitted with the Signature Suite four-seat configuration, this top-of-the-line SV has been customized by the brand's Bespoke division. The White Abalone Pearl, a native to this part of the California coast, sets the theme, with White Pearl Gloss paint, Mother of Pearl inlays, and orchid leather. Only one will be sold, with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. –Joe Lorio
Saturday, August 15
A classic Jaguar E-Type and the new Type 01 on the lawn at Pebble Beach on the eve of the Concours.–Joe Lorio
The Cadillac Celestiq Night Test looks like it’s painted black, but when it catches sunlight you can see it’s the deepest of dark blues. The Night Test is a nod to Cadillac endurance racing’s night stints, but it’s also just a sinister way to present the Celestiq. Every Celestiq is one-of-one, so it’s not like the Night Test is a special edition you can find on your local dealer lot. But if you like it, you can buy this one.–Ezra Dyer
Rolex Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca, perhaps the only event in the world where you can see a Formula 1 car on track at the same time as a Mazda 787, a Super GT race car, and an NA Miata. –Jack Fitzgerald
The oldest car I've driven dates to 1886. The Benz Patent Motorwagen is shockingly easy to drive. Push a lever forward to engage the drive belt, pull it back for the brake, turn the tiller to steer. It's that easy, and 10 mph feels absolutely thrilling.–Tony Quiroga
Sunday, August 16
Hood ornaments are a lost art. Here are some stunners from the past that we found while wandering the Concours.–Andrew Krok
This year featured a class of four cars from the 1933 Century of Progress World's Fair. This 1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow sedan is arguably the most striking of the bunch. Five of the futuristic sedans were built, powered by a V-12 engine and good for 115 mph.–Joe Lorio
This 1930 Jordan Model Z Speedway Ace (pictured below) had one of the best names.–Joe Lorio
At Pebble Beach, you're guaranteed to see cars you've never heard of before. For me this year, one of those is this Paxton Phoenix prototype Brooks Stevens retractable hardtop. It's powered by a rear-mounted Porsche 356 powertrain.–Joe Lorio
This round-door Rolls-Royce is also a stunner.–Tony Quiroga
As we wait for the judges to name the 2026 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Best of Show this evening, each of our editors went ahead and made their picks for Car and Driver’s totally unofficial Best of Show away. Who knows? Maybe one of these selections will preview the actual winner, which will be announced around 5 p.m. PT.
K.C. Colwell’s Best of Show
My pick is the 1959 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Competizione. Cool color. Would have been a wild thing to race. It has a 4.1-liter V-12 from a later racer. I saw it on the Tour d’Elegance, and it sounds amazing.–K.C.
Tony Quiroga’s Best of Show
Built on a front-drive 1936 Cord chassis, the Phantom Corsair Experimental is a one-of-one concept car before the idea of a concept car existed. Nicknamed the Flying Wombat, it's wide, mean-looking, and is competing in the streamliner category, where I predict it will win, which will allow it to go on to win the Best of Show prize.–Tony Quiroga
Jack Fitzgerald’s Best of Show
My Best of Show is easy. It’s the 1957 Ferrari Transporter. Well, technically, it’s a Fiat 642/RN-2, but look at it; it’s a Ferrari Transporter. There’s a 10.7-liter six-cylinder under the hood that can reportedly motivate the Transporter up to nearly 60 mph. It may not be the prettiest car here, but it spent years transporting some of the most iconic race cars in the world to various racetracks, which I think is worth celebrating.–JF
Joe Lorio’s Best of Show
These Lancia Nardi Blue Ray Coupes, I and II, are a compelling duo. My pick is I, from 1955. Built on a Lancia Aurelia chassis, it has a blue-tinted Perspec roof. The styling, by Giovanni Michelotti, embodies post-War exuberance.–JL
Andrew Krok’s Best of Show
My unofficial Best of Show is this 1924 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8 LeBaron Tourer. It’s painted in this stunning lilac and purple two-tone, with some breathtaking interior woodwork. The straight-eight under the hood is ace, but the hood ornament is the literal cherry on top.–AK
Ezra Dyer’s Best of Show
My Best of Show is the Sunbeam land-speed record car (the “1000-hp Sunbeam,” a.k.a. the Slug) that did more than 203 mph in 1927 on… Daytona Beach, because at that point nobody’d thought about dry lake beds or salt flats for that sort of thing. So anyway, Spring Break ‘27 was lit when the Sunbeam and its twin V-12 fighter-plane engines (about 450 horsepower each, but close enough to earn the moniker) became the first car to break 200 mph with Henry Seagrave behind the wheel. The 1918 engines were originally used in a racing boat that sank in Michigan, but they were eventually repurposed for the land-speed attempt. Fun fact: the rear engine was started with compressed air, and then that engine was used to start the front one. I don’t know much about Henry Seagrave except this: he was brave. Not only was he the first to drive 200 mph, but he did in a convertible.–ED
And the Winner Is...
This 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster owned by Harry Yeaggy of Cincinnati, Ohio. The 2026 Pebble Beach Best of Show winner is one of just two hotted-up, short-wheelbase supercharged Duesenberg SSJs.
“Duesenberg’s slogan was ‘The Mightiest Motorcar.’ This is the mightiest Duesenberg,” says Ken Gross, a venerable author, curator, and concours judge who has worked for decades in the world of classic cars. “It has all the elements needed to win at Pebble Beach. It’s just a marvelous car.”–Brett Berk
K.C. Colwell, the executive editor at Car and Driver, is a seasoned professional with a deep-rooted passion for new cars and technology. His journey into the world of automotive journalism began at an early age when his grandmother gifted him a subscription to Car and Driver for his 10th birthday. This gift sparked a lifelong love for the industry, and he read every issue between then and his first day of employment. He started his Car and Driver career as a technical assistant in the fall of 2004. In 2007, he was promoted to assistant technical editor. In addition to testing, evaluating, and writing about cars, technology, and tires, K.C. also set the production-car lap record at Virginia International Raceway for C/D's annual Lightning Lap track test and was just the sixth person to drive the Hendrick Motorsport Garage 56 Camaro. In 2017, he took over as testing director until 2022, when was promoted to executive editor and has led the brand to be one of the top automotive magazines in the country. When he’s not thinking about cars, he likes playing hockey in the winter and golf in the summer and doing his best to pass his good car sense and love of '90s German sedans to his daughter. He might be the only Car and Driver editor to own a Bobcat: the skidsteer, not the feline. Though, if you have a bobcat guy, reach out. K.C. resides in Chelsea, Michigan, with his family.
Cars are Andrew Krok’s jam, along with boysenberry. After graduating with a degree in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2009, Andrew cut his teeth writing freelance magazine features, and now he has a decade of full-time review experience under his belt. A Chicagoan by birth, he has been a Detroit resident since 2015. Maybe one day he’ll do something about that half-finished engineering degree.
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