Each year in August, automobile aficionados and manufacturers head to the coastal Californian city of Monterey for one of the premier highlights of the global motoring calendar. Monterey Car Week is an event that drips with prestige, concluding with the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance – the United States‘ oldest concours event – a particular favorite among fans. This year the occasion runs from August 9 through 18, with the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance closing proceedings.
Since 1950 motorists have been showcasing the finest vehicles at Pebble Beach Golf Links to be judged on authenticity, function, history and style. Judges select a first, second and third-place vehicle in each category, in addition to the coveted best in show selected from among the first-place winners.
In the last 74 years, other events have joined the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Monterey, now making that historic event the concluding act of an entire week of motoring-themed events. With so many fans and manufacturers gathering on the Californian coast for a week of petrol (and electric) powered activity, brands often take the opportunity to pull the sheet off something new. Is it really Monterey Car Week without a few big reveals?
This year’s Car Week looks set to be no different with several motoring giants dropping hints for fans to keep their eyes peeled as the week unfolds. So what are some key unveilings and first looks happening during this year’s Monterey Car Week?
Automobili Pininfarina
This year Italian luxury EV manufacturer and historic coach builder Automobili Pininfarina returns to Monterrey Car Week for what will be the brand’s fifth appearance at the festivities. Last year Automobili Pininfarina debuted the B95 Hyper Barchetta and the PURA Vision design concept. This year, the classic Italian marque is flexing its coachbuilding muscles with a one-of-one commission from a renowned North American client.
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Hand-crafted at its manufacturer’s workshop in Cambiano, Italy, this entirely unique vehicle was developed through a close collaboration between Automobili Pininfarina’s design team and the client. So far, only a single image of the vehicle has been released, leaving fans to speculate exactly what they may see unveiled.
”Delivering our first coach-built creation to a client is an exceptionally exciting milestone for the brand,” said Automobili Pininfarina CEO, Paolo Dellachà. “With it, we are delivering on the promise we made in Monterey exactly 12 months ago as we unveiled the B95 Hyper Barchetta – that we have the design, engineering and artisan production skills in Cambiano, Italy to create bespoke, coach-built ‘one-of-one’ masterpieces for our clients. One year later, this amazing car gives us another chance to celebrate our ability to make their dreams come true.”
In addition to this big reveal, Automobili Pininfarina is also hosting a Battista Owners’ Parade for the first time, where it is expected up to 10 vehicles will take part in the display.
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Maserati
Heritage brand Maserati is having quite the 2024 and it has something up its sleeve for Monterey Car Week. On Friday, August 16 as part of The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering – one of the most important events of the week – Maserati is preparing to reveal ‘its newest creation to the world.’
Positioned as the new leading light in Maserati’s range, this new vehicle will blend the performance drivers expect on the track – thanks to ‘innovative technological solutions and impressive aerodynamic performance’ – with the usability and finesse of a road vehicle.
This all-new vehicle from the Trident, has been entirely developed, designed and produced in Italy, supposedly taking on the racing spirit of the marque Maserati GT2 while also being an evolution of the MC20.
This new release is set to be offered with a wide range of customization options, featuring the detailing one would expect from a race car without losing the comfort of a road model.
Maserati’s stand at The Quail will also be home to an MC20 Icona – the first time it has been shown in North America – and an MCXtrema, which was revealed at 2023’s iteration of The Quail and is one of only 62 MCXtremas produced.
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Lamborghini
Each new release from Lamborghini is heralded as a special moment in the motoring world. The iconic Italian tractor manufacturer – which also happens to build some of the most desired supercars on the planet – will be making this year’s Monterey Car Week a special one.
Currently, the Italian marque has three mainline cars in its lineup, Revuelto, Huracan and the Urus. This new release is expected to replace the Huracan. Although not officially named yet, you can expect that at Monterey Car Week, it is believed this new model will be known as Temerario.
A plug-in hybrid featuring Lamborghini’s brand-new custom-built twin-turbocharged V8, it is also rumored that this model will be the first from the manufacturer to come equipped with a drift mode. That being said, perhaps the most surprising thing about this new vehicle is the rev limit, at 10,000 rpm far higher than many supercars in this bracket, which is exactly why Lamborghini decided to produce its own engine.
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Pagani
Somewhat of a darling of Monterey Car Week, Pagani has selected the event, the Pebble Beach Concours in particular, to reveal its new Utopia Roadster in person for the first time. When the Utopia Coupe was first revealed in September 2022, it wowed onlookers with both its looks and capabilities. The new Utopia Roadster is essentially the same car, this time giving the driver the choice between open and closed driving experience.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Utopia Roadster is the fact that it weighs the same as the Coupe, usually adding a retractable roof adds considerable weight. However, the wizards over at Pagani, aided by ‘composite materials and state-of-the-art technology’, have managed to add a retractable hard top without a major mass increase.
Pagani has chosen Monterey as the launch destination due to California’s strict safety and emission standards. Essentially the Italian marque is saying it wants its cars to be driven all over the world, so it’s flexing its ability to comply with international homologation criteria by showing it off on America’s West Coast.
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BMW
Although perhaps slightly less flamboyant than many of the other manufacturers appearing at Monterey Car Week, BMW is set to arrive in California with a few things to show. This year the German marque plans to debut the brand new M5 Touring.
BMW has not released a station wagon-esque version of the M5 for nearly 14 years. It is expected that a 716 hp plug-in hybrid system is set to power this new larger M5 which could be ideally suited to vast highways of the United States.
Not wanting to be outdone by the other manufacturers, BMW will also be auctioning an entirely one-off M5 that the company is calling the 2025 BMW M5 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance #1/1. Featuring bespoke interior details and a unique Frozen Orange metallic finish, this one-off will be the first BMW M5 delivered in the United States.
In honor of the charitable history that surrounds the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, this unique vehicle is set to be auctioned, with proceeds heading to the Pebble Beach Company Foundation, an organization supporting literacy and education programs for disadvantaged young people.
