Correcting the Calendar | The True Footprint of Monterey Car Week 2026
A common misconception floating around early event listings is that Monterey Car Week spans just a short five-day window from August 14 to August 19. In reality, the premier automotive gathering on the planet is a massive 11-day celebration running from Friday, August 7 through Sunday, August 17, 2026.
MONTEREY. While the high-profile anchor events, like The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering and the flagship Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, take place over the final weekend, the Monterey Peninsula fills up early with track races, coastal rallies, multi-million dollar auctions, and public street showcases starting the second week of August. For readers planning the full late-summer luxury calendar, our Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 75th edition guide covers the Sunday finale in detail.
Master Schedule Grid | Monterey Car Week 2026
The week is structured as a progressive rollout of events across Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Pacific Grove, and Pebble Beach. Below is the confirmed day-by-day timeline.
Opening Weekend | August 7 through 9
- Monterey Car Week Kick-Off — Official opening events across downtown Monterey and Cannery Row.
- Monterey Pre-Reunion — Historic race cars take to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for warm-up sessions ahead of the main reunion.
- Corkscrew Hillclimb — Vintage machines attack the iconic Corkscrew turn at Laguna Seca in a timed competition format.
Mid-Week Warmups | August 10 through 12
- Automobilia Collectors Expo — Rare automotive memorabilia, literature, and collectibles on display at the Embassy Suites in Seaside.
- The Little Car Show — A beloved community showcase of microcars and subcompact classics on Lighthouse Avenue in Pacific Grove.
- Motorlux at Monterey Jet Center — An exclusive evening of supercars, private aircraft, and culinary experiences at the Monterey Jet Center.
Thursday, August 13
- Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance — A free-to-watch coastal procession along Highway 1 and 17-Mile Drive featuring Concours entries proving their roadworthiness before Sunday's judging.
- Legends of the Autobahn — A concours event dedicated to German marques: Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche, and Audi, held at the Pacific Grove Links.
Friday, August 14
- The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering — Held at Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, this hyper-exclusive garden party hosts global hypercar debuts, luxury lifestyle displays, and gourmet culinary pavilions. Tickets are strictly limited and sell out months in advance.
- Werks Reunion — Porsche Club of America's annual gathering at Carmel Valley's Rancho Canada Golf Club, showcasing hundreds of Porsches across every era.
Saturday, August 15
- Concorso Italiano — A celebration of Italian automotive design at the Bayonet and Black Horse Golf Course, featuring Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, and more.
- Exotics on Broadway — A free public showcase in downtown Seaside with hundreds of exotic and supercar owners displaying their machines along Broadway Avenue.
- Concours d'LeMons — The irreverent counterpoint to Pebble Beach, celebrating the oddball, the unloved, and the gloriously terrible cars of automotive history.
Sunday, August 16 | Grand Finale
- 75th Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance — The crown jewel of Car Week. Over 200 rare, historic collector automobiles compete on the 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links for the coveted Best of Show title. The field opens at 5:30 AM. For full ticketing, hospitality, and judging details, see our complete Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance guide.
The Multi-Million Dollar Auction Circuit | August 12 through 16
Major international auction houses stage multi-day sales featuring ultra-rare classics, modern hypercars, and historical motorsport icons. The 2026 auction calendar is the densest in Car Week history.
- Broad Arrow Auction at The Quail — August 12 through 14, held on the grounds of Quail Lodge.
- RM Sotheby's Monterey Sale — August 12 through 15, the flagship auction of the week, consistently setting world records at the Monterey Conference Center.
- Gooding & Company Pebble Beach Auctions — August 12 through 15, staged at the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center with a curated selection of blue-chip collector cars.
- Mecum Monterey 2026 — August 13 through 15, the high-volume auction at the Hyatt Regency Monterey, offering everything from entry-level classics to seven-figure exotics.
- Bonhams at Laguna Seca — August 13 through 14, the auction held trackside at WeatherTech Raceway, blending motorsport heritage with collector car sales.
Track Action | Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
Running August 12 through 15, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca brings over 400 historic and period-correct race cars to the track for four intense days of competition. Unlike static concours events, the Reunion is a living museum where cars are driven at speed exactly as they were engineered to be. The Corkscrew remains the most photographed corner in American motorsport, and the Reunion is the only time each year the full historic grid tackles it in anger.
For readers tracking the broader luxury event calendar, our Monaco Yacht Show 2026 guide covers the next major gathering on the Mediterranean circuit, while our Travel section has Monterey Peninsula hotel guides for last-minute Car Week accommodations.
The Car Week Momentum Pipeline
Understanding the flow of the week is essential for planning. The events are not random, they follow a deliberate progression from track to lawn.
Laguna Seca Track Races (Aug 7 through 9)
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Rallies and Auctions (Aug 10 through 13)
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The Quail and Premier Sales (Aug 14 through 15)
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Pebble Beach Finale (Aug 16)
Each phase builds on the last. The track races establish provenance. The rallies and auctions convert that provenance into transaction. The Quail and Concorso Italiano celebrate the culture. And Pebble Beach crowns the winner.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Monterey Car Week 2026?Monterey Car Week 2026 runs from Friday, August 7 through Sunday, August 17, 2026. The anchor events, The Quail and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, take place August 14 and August 16 respectively.
What is the most exclusive event at Monterey Car Week? The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering on Friday, August 14 is widely considered the most exclusive ticket. Limited to roughly 5,000 attendees, tickets sell out within hours of release and are not available at the gate.
How much do Monterey Car Week auction cars sell for?Total auction sales across all houses routinely exceed $400 million during Car Week. Individual lots range from accessible classics under $50,000 at Mecum to eight-figure blue-chip Ferraris and pre-war masterpieces at RM Sotheby's and Gooding & Company.
Is Monterey Car Week open to the public?Many events are public and free, including Exotics on Broadway, the Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance (viewing along the route), and the Little Car Show. Ticketed events like The Quail, Concorso Italiano, and the Pebble Beach Concours require advance purchase.
Full event listings, ticket portals, and official schedules are available via See Monterey, the official Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance registry, and the comprehensive event directory at WhatsUpMonterey.