Guide to Monterey Car Week

Whether you're a die-hard gearhead or simply have an interest in automotive arts, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is a can't-miss experience. Referred to as the "premier celebration of the automobile," the Concours brings out a who's who of automotive enthusiasts and lets attendees get up close and personal with some of the most beautiful and rarest automobiles in the world, which compete for the title of best of the best. Held on the famed 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Club, often called one of the best finishing holes on the PGA tour, the Concours is not a contest of speed, but of excellence. Automobiles are judged for their historical accuracy, technical merit and style.

Read:  Best of Show

View Pictures:  Best of Show

At around 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, a crowd gathered on the 18th green at Pebble Beach for this beloved event. As the sun began to rise over Monterey Bay, the cars competing in the Concours d'Elegance took their places on the field of battle and waited for the judging to start. Nothing compares to the camaraderie of the car junkies dining on donuts and downing cup after cup of coffee while they cheer on the cars driving through the dew-covered grass. It's breathtaking.

Read:  Dawn Patrol

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The Pebble Beach Motoring Classic is the ultimate road trip for high-end auto enthusiasts — or at least those who own big-buck, classic automobiles. It begins near Seattle and covers approximately 1,500 miles as it winds down through the mountains and along the coast of the Pacific Northwest and Northern California, culminating at the Pebble Beach Golf Course on the Monterey Peninsula. This year, 27 cars participated, ranging from a big 1929 Bentley to a sexy 1972 Maserati.

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View Pictures:  Motoring Classic

This annual road rally showcases "the elegance of the automobile in motion," and features many of the cars that are competing at the Concours d'Elegance on Sunday. It traces one of America's most scenic drives. The 70-mile journey winds through pine and cypress forests, dances alongside dramatic cliffs on the Pacific Coast Highway and comes to a conclusion in beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea. The 2009 Tour also includes a special route for Morgan Motor cars that traces Monterey's Scenic Road to the historic Carmel Mission.

Read:  Tour d'Elegance

View Pictures:  Tour d'Elegance

This year marks the 36th annual running of this world-famous racing and auto exposition, which showcases the cars and people of motor racing history from the beginning of the sport to the present day. Held at the legendary Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, the Rolex Monterey Historics are often called an "automotive museum brought to life." Event organizers saw more than 450 entries participating in the vintage motorsport spectacular. Of those, 150 or so were Porsches, the event's featured marque.

Slideshow: Porsche Takes to the Track

View Pictures:  Rolex Historic Races

One of the most exclusive events of the long weekend takes place at the Quail Lodge. Tickets for A Motorsports Gathering run $400 and go quickly. But lucky attendees enjoyed gourmet food, fine wines and champagne, and could even test drive cars like the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG or Land Rover Range Rover. Of course, there's also an impressive collection of rare and beautiful automobiles on display. This year's highlights included a 1967 Ferrari Yellow Dino 206 Competizione, one of only 12 ever produced, as well as two BMW M1 supercars.

Slideshow: The Quail

This is one of the largest annual gatherings of all things Italian — music, cuisine, fashion and, of course, cars. We are talking about rows and rows of incredibly powerful, stunningly beautiful supercars that are designed with passion and intended to be driven hard. Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Maseratis and other exciting automobiles lined up as far as the eye can see at the Laguna Seca Golf Ranch.

Slideshow: Concorso Italiano

La Dolce Vita Automobili is dedicated to showcasing high-ticket Italian supercars, like the Concorso, but features only a few hundred cars. The more intimate setting allows the cars to be displayed more as art than machine. In addition to featuring Italian sports cars, exotics and classic race cars, the 2009 La Dolce Vita featured a European import showcase that included several classics from Bugatti and Porsche. There was a strong showing from the Alfa Romeo and Lamborghini communities, and Maserati owners celebrated "Maserati Days" during the event.

Slideshow: La Dolce Vita

This is definitely one of the most anticipated events of the long weekend. The official auction house for the Pebble Beach Concours, Gooding & Co., brought a number of special cars to this year's auction, and the vintage rides are said to carry not only the requisite pedigree, but are barometers of the classic car market at a time when values are, at best, variable. Included were a 1927 Packard 343 convertible sedan owned and restored by the late, great racer Phil Hill, a 1935 Duesenberg SJ roadster, and a rare 1938 Bugatti that is in the same condition as it was when presented as a gift to the company's founder, Ettore Bugatti.

Slideshow: Top 10 Cars From Gooding & Company

Automakers, particularly luxury and high-performance brands, use Pebble Beach to unveil new vehicles aimed at the well-heeled attending the various classic-car events. Among the new machines vying for classic status at this year's Pebble Beach weekend were the elegant Jaguar XJ, the ultraluxurious Bentley Mulsanne, the high-performance Devon GTX and the 2011 Infiniti M.

Read:  Bentley Mulsanne

Read:  Jaguar XJ

Read:  Devon GTX

Read:  Infiniti M56