Nearly 30 years later I’ve somehow found myself in a position to do exactly that. Automotive companies regularly drop off new vehicles at my residence for me to enjoy at my leisure, and in return all I have to do is write about them. Through this line of work I’ve met a wide range of people who own classic cars that for reasons beyond my comprehension are interested in having me drive them. More than a few times I’ve gone an entire month without driving my own car, the only constants being my sunglasses, driving gloves, and iPhone charger as I jump from one vehicle to the next.
You might think that after a few years of this I’d become at least a little jaded, and you’d be right. This past summer I found myself becoming disenchanted with it all, in need of something to restore my passion not just for cars, but for the enthusiast community as well. So I decided this was the year I’d attend Monterey Car Week, something long overdue.
My colleagues could hardly believe that in nearly a decade of residing in California I’d never made it to the legendary gathering that started in 1950 with the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance and Pebble Beach Road Race. In hindsight, I suppose their surprise was justified, because I enjoyed the hell out running around Carmel, Monterey and Pebble Beach for five days. However, like most of the things I’ve done in life, I figure it was simply a matter of the timing being right, and have absolutely no regrets about not going years prior. One thing is certain, I’ll be back next year, because I’m well aware that I only scratched the surface of what this week long celebration of automotive culture has to offer.
