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First timer here as well. Registered for the Monday Aug 9 and Friday Aug 13 events. Bringing my black 996 C4S, any insight from the vets would be awesome.
I signed up for Friday. Debating about Monday night but honestly not sure its worth driving down twice. Also a newbie so would love to get some pointers on what happens.
Werks is fun, we usually spend about 4 hours there. Traffic getting in was the biggest issue but with the new venue that will hopefully be better. The auctions are fun to watch, Concours on the Avenue is always awesome and the Porsche Monterey Classic should be good.
I missed out on the Werks Reunion corral! I need to stop leaving things to the last minute. If you guys hear of anyone who isn't going anymore please let me know!
-Best to get there early because of traffic. As noted, that may not be as much of an issue with the new venue. Early also means beating the crowds.
-Take your time. Of course, that depends on how much time you have. My group of friends usually get there early, spend the morning strolling through the cars, have lunch, then make a quick pass leaving about 2.
-Try to make some of the speaker events. Check out the schedule to see if you might be interested in anyone being interviewed.
-Lots of vendors. If you're thinking of any mod (functional or cosmetic), probably someone there to discuss with.
-Wear layered clothes. Could be cold or warm.
I've been there twice as a spectator, this will be my first time with a car (I've done at least some Car Week event probably ten of the last 30 years). It's big, probably a few hundred cars. Monterey Car Week is insane - if you haven't been, you simply can't believe it. It's like 1/3 of the entire planet's car world drops in for the week (that's a massive exaggeration, but if you spend the week there you'll think it's true). I closed my eyes once and pointed in every direction, each time I pointed my brother said "Ferrari, classic Alfa, muscle car, some ancient British thing...)
We were at a stop light, trying to turn into the Safeway south of Carmel. A Koenigsegg turned left, wow. Then another, then another - I think there were close to a dozen. Another time, on the road going to Laguna Seca we had the same thing, but with pre-war Bentley race cars - about a dozen couples going to a nice restaurant, parking these cars with Le Mans history in the parking lot out front. At least it seems they had reservations.
Massive traffic as others mentioned, but you owe it to yourself to get into Monterey anyway - so many auctions, cars on the street, people (I had a few rounds with Rob Dickinson of Singer fame in a local pub).
Final thought - if you want to do Pebble, don't - Dawn Patrol is far better, and it's free. In fact, all the free events are awesome - Concours on the Ave, Tour Auto etc.
Werks is free admission (you just have to pay parking but if you come in a minivan stuffed with 7 of your best friends you still pay the same parking fee). Some make a day of Werks (either bring their own picnic or buy from food trucks on premises). and others stay a few hours. Depends on how you do car shows and who you're with. Saturday morning is fun for the Concours d' LeMons. Granted, it isn't as organic as it used to be. Lately, it seems entrants try too hard to be weird. Before, you'd have people who genuinely loved their strange and unusual cars and were actually proud to talk about them. Still, it's free and worth seeing if only for an hour. PCA secured Turn 5 a few years back and it's a great spot to watch the racing action. If anything, you can count how many times peole miss the apex. I believe the Hospitality Tent is free to PCA members and Porsche owners. So bring your membership card or your Porsche key. They also have some of the nicer porta-pots. Agree with the dawn patrol. Best time I had there was doing that. I also liked heading to Carmel and sipping a coffee on a bench watching the car show roll by. My wife liked it because she could shop for hours and I was content being on the bench.
How does the Porsche Car Corral Package compare vs. just getting general admission? Difference in cost is not huge ($60 for one day admission on Friday/100 for Saturday) vs. $175 for the corral, so it seems like a no brainer to the do Package, right?
How does the Porsche Car Corral Package compare vs. just getting general admission? Difference in cost is not huge ($60 for one day admission on Friday/100 for Saturday) vs. $175 for the corral, so it seems like a no brainer to the do Package, right?
Corral package includes parking in a Porsche only corral right outside the hospitality tent, gift bag and opportunity to participate in a parade lap on track.
*Also since I will be in and out - let me know if you'd like to grab my pass if you don't want to commit to a full day (assuming you bring it back, of course) while I'm not using it. Happy to share it with anyone down here. I know I won't be using it Friday Morning.