The Quail is celebrated every August alongside the rest of the Car Week activities and shenanigans. Like every event in Monterey over the weekend, there’s a theme. The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, as it is officially referred to, is a collection of the most desirable, hotly-anticipated, and exclusive vehicles from today, yesterday, and the future. Here are the highlights – and what you might have missed. From the supercars of tomorrow to classic picks like the CLK GTR, you don’t want to skip this photo coverage.
Gunther Werks 993 GWR, Sonderwunsch, and More
You don’t have to look far to find Porsche stuff at these kind of events. 918 Spyders, Carrera GTs, 993 Turbos, and more show up in our images. You’ll also notice the bright blue Gunther Werks 993 GWR, an imagination of the 993 generation as a GT car (a la road-going GT3 cars, not actual race cars). The yellow thing that says “Sunderwunsch” is actually a factory Porsche restomod; it’s a 993 Speedster. Sunderwunsch is German for “special request.”
CLK GTR Roadster
We may be called BMWBLOG, but we love a super-rare Benz as much as the next bloke. This is one of just six CLK GTR Roadsters ever built. It’s here via the Show and Display Law. Fun fact: this exotic AMG was the most expensive car in the world ($1.5 million) until the Ferrari FXX-K debuted in 2015. The CLK GTR is a true homologation special; seeing one on the road is a true treat.
Goodbye Zonda, Hello Other Italians
The final Pagani Zonda entered customer hands at the Quail. Dubbed the Zonda Arrivederci, it wears body panels of carbon fiber and sports red and blue striping. The Pagani Zonda debuted in – get this – 1999 and has been in production since. Pagani has said before that Zonda production ended, but, here we are. No complaints here; the V12-powered Italian beauty is almost as nice to look at as it is to listen to. The Pagani Imola Roadster also shows up – one of very few in the world – as well as the newest Pagani model, the Utopia Roadster.
Also hailing from Italy was the new Lamborghini Temerario, making its debut at Monterey and shocking everyone with a hybrid powertrain that still boasts a 10,000-rpm redline. Other highlights hailing from Italia include a purple Dino, Touring Superleggera Veloce12, and a restomod Lamborghini Diablo dubbed the Eccentrica V12.
A Crazier GMA T.50
If the standalone street car from McLaren F1 creator Gordon Murray isn’t rich enough for your blood – or hair-raisingly adrenaline-pumping – the company is willing to sell you an even more dedicated version. Dubbed the T.50s Niki Lauda, it sports the aforementioned racer’s name on the one-of-a-kind aerodynamic central fin that runs from the cockpit to the wing. It makes more power, obviously, using a paddle-shifter gearbox in lieu of the regular car’s traditional H-pattern manual. The intent is a track-focused version of the T.50 that’s still quite usable on the street.
Pre-War & American
A pre-war vehicle actually took home best in show – it was a 1937 Delahaye Type 145 (not pictured). There were a handful of other pre-war cars in attendance as well, like this Bugatti Type 57C Atalante pictured. The fastest American car on display was almost certainly the Venom F5 models that American tuner shop Hennessey brought out.
You’ll also spot some shots of the newest Czinger, the baby GMA (T.33), and others. Take a look and let us know which ones are your favorite – it’ll help us get pictures next year. [Photos: Dan Levins @klapped.media]