What were the highlights of Monterey Car Week 2025? Monterey expert Jun Nishikawa explains

Monterey Car Week

20 years ago it was The Weeknd

Although there are many things to think about Monterey Car Week in 2025, there is no doubt that it will continue to be a paradise for car enthusiasts.

Although I’ve missed a few events, I’ve been heading to Monterey every third week of August since 1996. Back then, the event admission fee, hotel fee, and airfare (economy) all came to about 300,000 yen, but now it seems like a dream come true. Nowadays, even a cheap motel along the highway can cost nearly 100,000 yen if it’s in a good location.

The number of events has also increased. After all, about 20 years ago it was still called Monterey Car Weekend. Now it’s a week, so the number of events has increased. If you have the money and time, you can immerse yourself in your car for an entire week and have fun.

Events themselves have risen and fallen, with new events emerging and others falling into disuse. Some have adapted to change and become more popular, while others have remained completely unchanged (except for the admission fee).

Why Miura experts think it’s strange

It was introduced as a 1971 Miura P400S #3804, but in fact... — It was introduced as a 1971 Miura P400S #3804, but in fact…

In front of the hotel, there was a row of supercars and hypercars, likely the guests’ favorites.

For my Monterey 2025, I decided to learn from the past and focus on the most popular events, rather than being distracted by the numerous events on offer. I’ve changed since my younger days, when I was greedy and wanted to see everything.

The visit began on Thursday evening at Lamborghini’s special villa, a villa next to the Pebble Beach Golf Course that had been rented out. The purpose was to receive a lecture directly from CEO Stephan Winkelmann and the rest of Sant’Agata’s management about the “Phenomeno,” which would be unveiled the following day. The villa was decorated with a beautiful Miura, and it was also a rare example. The description said it was a “1971 Miura P400S #3804,” but any Miura connoisseur would think that was odd.

In fact, this particular car was originally delivered as a P400. At the time, it was green and tan. Two years later, it was returned to the factory and upgraded to a P400S (yellow and blue) without changing the chassis number or engine number (#1787), and delivered to a different owner. A year later, it was returned to the factory again, repainted in orange and black, and delivered to the same owner as the final S model. That’s why, even though it’s a 1971 model, it’s numbered #3804.

Well, each car I come across has an interesting story to tell, and it’s impossible to cover them all, but I think you’ll understand that a week in Monterey is heaven.

When I checked into the hotel, the valet service was already like a motor show, with a row of hypercars and supercars lined up.

A motorsports gathering that boasts overwhelming capacity to attract visitors

The Motorsports Gathering will be held at Quail Lodge.

Friday morning, I headed to Quail Lodge to watch the Motorsports Gathering, a famous event where expensive tickets sell out in a flash. Originally a gathering of classic racing and sports cars, the event had a strong motorsports flavor, with that year’s theme racing car driving down from Laguna Seca during the day.

The author talks with the CEO and other key people in front of the one-off model “Phenomeno,” which just had its world premiere.

In recent years, an increasing number of luxury brands from around the world have been holding premieres here, taking advantage of its overwhelming ability to draw large crowds and the perfect timing of Fridays. Lamborghini is one of them, and as previously reported , they unveiled the Phenomeno.

Other prestigious brands surrounding the venue include Bugatti, Koenig Gsegg, Pagani, RUF, Hennessey, Singer, and Lexus, and trendy luxury restomods such as Singer, Essenza Superleggera, and Gunter Works also attracted attention.

Advancing generational change through events that are adaptable to change

Seventeen “F50s” were gathered to commemorate the 30th anniversary. The best of show was the red “F50 GT.”

The main exhibit that was interesting was the 30th anniversary of the F50, with a total of 17 cars gathered. There were also a few cars that were once in Japan. What’s more, I was surprised that the Best of Show was the F50 GT. As the generational change progresses, this event is adaptable to change.

Koenigsegg boss Christian von Koenigsegg is in high spirits after driving the prototype.

Another highlight was meeting Christian von Koenigsegg, who was thrilled to drive the first prototype. JDM is slowly gaining popularity here too.

With the growing popularity of JDM, the Nissan GT-R 400R is also attracting attention.

During the event, many unusual cars arrive at the parking lot reserved for the event. I used to enjoy touring the parking lots, but I’m not so keen on that anymore.

Just browsing the parking lots is fun. That's Monterey.

Back in the city, I headed to the RM Auction. If I wanted to meet up with friends or find a familiar face, a trip to a famous auction site was the quickest way. The only drawback, however, was that I was too busy chatting with friends and acquaintances to take a proper look at the cars.

In the evening, I went to McLaren House. On weekend nights, each brand holds a party for their customers. It’s not uncommon for VIPs to attend multiple parties. The number of invitations is limited, and it’s becoming more and more difficult to get in every year. Late at night, exhausted, I returned to the hotel, where I found an interesting car. I’ve started seeing all kinds of high-rider Porsche 911s.

The world’s oldest and largest Lamborghini club

The Monterey Motorsports Reunion will be held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

On Saturday morning, we went to Laguna Seca. It’s a classic racing event held at the circuit famous for the Corkscrew, and features races from pre-war race cars to Group 5 and Group C cars. Last year, we were worried because there seemed to be a small number of entrants, but this year it was back in full swing. Perhaps the 75th anniversary of the F1 Grand Prix was a hit.

The restaurant parking lots in Big Sur are just as glamorous as the show venues.

In the afternoon, we took a stylish lunch drive to Big Sur in a Revuelto loaned by Lamborghini. When we arrived at the restaurant, we saw that they were also filled with event-level models. The red LFA was so cool.

We then hopped in the Revuelto and headed straight to a party at the Lamborghini Club America. As the world’s oldest and largest Lamborghini club, it was just as lively as any party hosted by a manufacturer, with Lamborghini executives taking to the stage and the food was fantastic.

This is what makes Monterey Car Week possible

The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance has long been a main event.

And finally, on the final Sunday, there was the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, an event that has remained unchanged for many years. The entrance fee seems to have increased by about five times (due to exchange rates), but other than that, the prestige remains unchanged, and I was reminded once again that it is precisely because of this event that Monterey Car Week exists. Of course, there has been a generational change here as well, with more supercars on display, and this year, perhaps for the first time, a Japanese-made engine (Honda F1) took to the runway.

How about you all join us next year? Incidentally, next year the Pebble Beach Competition is scheduled for the third Sunday, with the week before that becoming the event week. It seems that from 2027 onwards, it will be moved up by one week.

PHOTO/Jun NISHIKAWA, Automobili Lamborghini