There’s no question that the global automotive celebration that is Northern California’s Monterey Car Week culminates with the iconic Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Yet the actual start of the festivities has long been more nebulous to pinpoint given the constantly growing number of events vying for attention in the days prior.
Of course, McCall’s Motorworks Revival had been the insider’s kick-off party for three decades, but it wasn’t until Hagerty, the classic-car insurer and motoring-lifestyle entity, acquired the latter in 2021 that it came into its own under the new moniker Motorlux. After last night’s fourth edition under that new identity, it’s clear that a new opening ceremony has been crowned.
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Amidst an atmosphere of refined revelry catering to glitterati and gearheads alike, this iteration at the Monterey Jet Center featured 275 automobiles and fourteen flying machines—from rotorcraft to private jets. Complementing the aeronautical and automotive artistry was an extensive menu from some of the region’s top chefs, winemakers, and purveyors of wine and spirits, along with a collection of supercars and classics falling under the auction hammer through Broad Arrow. Here are seven entries that made our evening.
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Porsche 963 RSP
The concept of a “race car for the road” has become as cliché as they come, but this one-off Porsche 963 RSP is the epitome of that ideal, in performance and aesthetics. After all, it’s not every day that a vehicle fashioned after Le Mans–prototype race car can legally be piloted along the roads leading up to the Monterey Jet Center. But then this is a one-of-a-kind car. It’s based off the hybrid 963, which is the marque’s current World Endurance Championship competitor. But it also pays homage to Porsche’s renowned 917, a motorsport model that won all but one race in the 1970 World Sportscar Championship season, including Le Mans.
A tribute to the 50th anniversary of the 917 that was driven from the factory in Germany to Paris on the same roads shared by the public, this 963 unicorn is fit with a 680 hp, 4.6-liter twin-turbo V-8 paired with an 800 volt electrical configuration. And it’s all dressed in a body comprised of carbon fiber and Kevlar. Fittingly, the car’s namesake and owner is motorsport-icon Roger Penske, whose team is synonymous with the 917’s success.
1956 T-28C Trojan
Produced from 1952 through 1984, the bygone-era T-28C Trojan shown here was on active duty in Vietnam, though it has now been conscripted as a trainer for fighter pilots, according to the National Naval Aviation Museum. Though relieved of official duty in 1978, this 1956 aircraft, currently owned by Oregon-based Dan and Kathy Brattain, is fit with a 1,425 hp Wright Cyclone engine that allows for a top speed of 390 mph and a cruising speed of 245 mph.
Other pertinent stats include a service ceiling of 31,000 feet and a range of 650 miles. The museum’s website also states that the 8,600-pound T-28C Trojan comprised a production run of only 299 examples.
Shelby Super Snake-R
The inimitable Carroll Shelby helped define both motoring athleticism and muscle during the middle of last century. That legacy lives on through his eponymous Shelby American and its continually boundary-breaking model line. Its latest salvo in the battle of automotive bravado is the Shelby Super Snake-R, which debuted at Motorlux with a starting price of $224,995. The beautiful brute makes more than 850 hp and can be paired with either a manual six-speed transmission or a 10-speed automatic configuration.
“This is a much more track-focused variant of what we have in our regular Super Snake,” says Aaron Shelby, grandson to the automotive visionary responsible for some of the most iconic models from the U.S. “We spent a lot of time on the suspension, the brakes, and the aero on this . . . I think Carroll would have love all of it.”
1991 Ferrari F40
It was a daunting task. Create a car that commemorated the 40th anniversary of what was largely considered the most illustrious marque in the world, and do so in a way that would both solidify its legacy and launch a new era. Ferrari’s F40 fit the bill across the board. As Broad Arrow Auctions points out, this is the last model conceived and built under the auspices of Enzo himself.
Of the 1,311 examples built from 1987 through 1992, the example crossing the Broad Arrow auction block at Motorlux was among the 213 initially sent stateside and had been under the same stewardship for 32 years. And since it left the gates of Marenallo, just 1,701 miles show on the odometer of this matching-numbers example. It’s no wonder the high-end estimate is set at $3.5 million.
Bell 505
The aeronautical aspect of Motorlux is what largely sets it apart from the seemingly ubiquitous displays of four-wheel exotica comprising Monterey Car Week. Yet despite the aesthetic allure of the private jets on hand, it’s the rotorcraft that get our senses reeling. Showcased in the main hangar, this Bell 505 helicopter commanded attention.
The five-seat model, debuted in 2018, takes off with a Safran Arrius 2R engine that delivers a max cruising speed of 143 mph. As for the whirlybird showcased at the Monterey Jet Center, its blue-patterned exterior was reportedly inspired by a specific pair of swim trunks worn by the owner. If true, the art of accessorizing has been elevated exponentially.
2005 Maserati MC12 Stradale
The poster car for the lots presented by Broad Arrow Auctions at Motorlux, this 2005 Maserati MC12 Stradale is nothing short of breathtaking when seen firsthand, especially in its gloriously elongated profile. Built from 2004 through 2005 and comprising a production run of only 50 examples, the supercar features a 630 hp engine—making 481 ft lbs of torque—developed from the Ferrari Enzo’s 6.0-liter V-12.
It’s arguably the marque’s seminal model, and one that laid the groundwork for the automaker’s MC20 today, the successor that earned the Robb Report editorial team’s vote for 2023 Car of the Year, though it ultimately finished third in that edition of our annual contest. The MC12 presented shows off an exterior adorned in a pearl-like Bianco Fuji color scheme. With 7,145 miles on it, the car is expected to fetch as much as $5.5 million.
Jaguar Type 00 Concept
Last December, it seemed that Jaguar was attempting to claw its legacy to pieces when it debuted its extremely polarizing Type 00 Concept. Admittedly, many of us thought the initial images released of the car made it look garish, rudimentary, and cartoonish—and this from a marque that has given us some of the most beautiful cars in history.
Viewed in person, though, the zero-emissions model is a vision to behold. With more refined gravitas yet still-questionable styling, it makes our list because it epitomizes the uncertainty of the automotive industry’s direction at the moment. An outlier that’s simultaneously divisive, and compelling, it’s a testament to our times.
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