RMMR 50th Anniversary Photo — Photo by t.m.hill https://tmhill.smugmug.com/2024-Monterey-Motorsports-Reunion/Reunion-Galleries/Poster-Shoot

Another Car Week in Monterey has come and gone. I’m not sure there’s any car-related event in the world that is so all encompassing - it has racing, auctions, shows, cruises, tours, parties, and - of course - the Concours. The marquee events are quite expensive, but there are plenty of opportunities for the public to see many of the amazing cars for free. Car Week now encompasses 10 days, starting with the “Pre-Historics” vintage races, and ending with the Pebble Beach Concours de’Elegance. Unfortunately, prior commitments (work) meant that for me Car Week didn’t start until Thursday morning.

The highlight of Thursday is the Pebble Beach Concours Tour ‘elegance that allows the public to see the Concours cars for free on public roads. The tour takes the cars out around the hills around Carmel, and then out on scenic Highway 1 for a 60-mile drive that can be quite challenging for these classics. My dad and I drove out and found a nice turnout after Bixby Bridge to watch the cars go by. I didn’t take any pictures or videos, we just enjoyed watching the priceless cars drive by.

Next up, we stopped by the RM Auction to check out two K3’s and one K2 that were on offer. First up was the red K3 #3277. Externally the car looked great. It was mostly original, but the chassis paint was peeling, and the suspension straps had broken. It sold for $75,000 plus premium and it’s likely going to Australia. Next on the list was the red K2 #1846 whose whereabouts were unknown to us until now. The car looked much better in person than the catalog photos presented, and it sold for $70,000 plus premium. Finally, we checked out the navy blue K3 #3175 that set the high bar for K3 pricing back in 2007 when it sold for $181,000. The exterior of the car had gathered some blemishes including a shallow dent on the bonnet and some light rust on the undercarriage. The Chrysler-powered K3 sold for $80,000 plus premium, and it too will likely be going to Australia with the red K3. The Allard prices were weak, but hopefully these cars will be going to new owners that will become active Allard enthusiasts.

K3 #3277

K3 #3175

K2 #1846

Looking for an Allard manual? https://www.liverpoolmotorworks.com/

With RM checked off the list, we headed out to Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca to catch qualifying for Cunningham Trophy race group. There was no featured marque this year as the event celebrated its 50th Anniversary. The celebration included a display showing one car from every marque that had been featured previously. In 1990, Allard was the featured marque which meant they needed an Allard to put on display. The organizers reached out to me a few months ago asking if I could find a suitable car. I knew right away that Bill Harlan’s J2X #3068 would be perfect. It was an original, unrestored veteran of the first Monterey Historics, and fortunately Mr. Harlan agreed to bring his car down for the week. It was a delight to see that Allard on display between Miles Colliers’ Cunningham and a Le Mans winning Jaguar D-Type.

The only Allard racing in the Cunningham group was John Mote’s K2 #1546, the first K2 exported to America. Al Moss (Allard’s West Coast distributor and founder of Moss Motors) bought it off the stand at the New York Motor Show from Sydney Allard himself, and drove it across the country. The car is now powered by a very healthy Buick ‘nailhead’. This year, John’s son, John Jr. drove the car while John Sr. drove his Sorrel-bodied Kurtis. John Jr. did a great job learning the track and had some great dices on Saturday & Sunday.

A highlight for me was getting to meet Jenson Button who was racing in the Cunningham Trophy race group in his ex-Fangio owned drum brake Jaguar C-Type. It was Jenson’s first-time racing at Laguna Seca, and his only misstep was an off at Turn 11 on his first lap around the track. He recovered nicely and was unsurprisingly the top drum-brake car/driver in the race group throughout the weekend.

Friday and Saturday saw lots of great racing action (see photos). Congratulations go out to Michael Kaleel who won the prestigious Ken Miles award. Michael (owner of J2X #2223) was presented the award for his exceptional driving of his 1962 Lola Mk 1 in the Briggs Cunningham Trophy race. The award recognizes the outstanding performance of a car under 1500cc that is well-prepared, driven expertly, and holds historical significance. Additionally, the Pebble Beach Racing Group gives out the Del Monte Trophy to 1949-1955 front engine drum brake race cars. The under 2L trophy was given to Lee Osborn #72 in his 1955 Shannon Crosley Special and the over 2L trophy went to Lars Mapstead in his black 1952 Jaguar XK120. Well done!

Sunday is all about the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Normally I don’t like car shows, but Pebble Beach is an exception. The organizers always do a great job of gathering the best cars in the world, along with showcasing a number of unique genres. This year the Concours had two classes of wedge cars, a class for the Queen’s Land Rover’s, and a class of homologation road cars and their racing counterparts. My oldest son Jacob and I like to get there early (5:30am) for Dawn Patrol to see the cars drive onto the field. From there we like to walk the field before it gets too crowded, and eavesdrop on judging, and talk with the owners about their unique cars. Sadly, no Allards showed this year.

The highlight for us this year was the wedge cars. Each car was unique and represented a unique take on the wind cutting wedge design that was, ironically, not the best aerodynamic shape…but they looked fast.

It’s also fun to guess which car will win Best of Show. Usually, it’s some shiny pre-war better- than-new Duesenberg or Mercedes beast with an amazing paint job and unique interior - but this year the trophy went to an unrestored 1934 Bugatti Type 59. We were fortunate to spend some time looking at that car. We were drawn by its uniqueness and originality, but at no time did we think it would be considered for Best of Show. This win could signal a sea change in the world of automobile restoration, as we imagine some owners who had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars restoring their cars were upset that they were beaten by an original well-preserved racing car. I imagine some car restoration shop owners were getting nervous as well.