Monterey Car Week 2026: much more than just a motor show – California showcases the most exclusive new models

Another exclusive debut will be that of the Bugatti Destrier, a one-off built as part of the Solitaire programme and set to make its first public appearance at Pebble Beach. It is a reinterpretation of the radical Bolide, retaining its carbon-fibre monocoque and, above all, its monumental 8-litre quad-turbo W16 engine producing 1,578 cavalli.

However, the Destrier sacrifices some of the Bolide’s track-focused aggression in favour of a more elegant and sophisticated body, complemented by an interior crafted from bespoke materials and finishes. This is yet another demonstration of how the very top end of the hypercar market is moving towards one-off models and extreme customisation, where motoring and collecting almost become one and the same.

A new Acura (Honda) concept will also make its debut at The Quail. The Japanese manufacturer is still keeping the name and final specifications under wraps, but the show car will have a strategic role: to preview the brand’s new design language and offer a glimpse of future production models, starting with the next generation of the RDX SUV. The concept will be unveiled on 14 August at The Quail and will subsequently be on display at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

The Italian firm Kimera Automobili will take centre stage at the Monterey Motorsports Festival on 15 August. Alongside the EVO37 and EVO38, the public debuts of the K-39 Stradale and the K-39 Race Car have been announced, the latest development in the project through which the Piedmont-based company is broadening its scope from Lancia Rally 037-inspired restomods to even more extreme cars.

The key day will therefore be Friday 14 August. The Quail will dedicate four special classes to the centenary of Route 66, the Lamborghini Diablo, Japanese GTs and the Ferrari F40. The inclusion of the Mother Road is particularly significant as it transforms Monterey into one of the venues for the centenary celebrations of America’s most famous road.

“An Eve on the Green – A Motoring Gala by The Peninsula” will be an evening celebrating the centenary of Route 66, designed to forge an ideal link between American popular car culture and the elite world of car collecting in Monterey.

Then there is the other side to Car Week: that of cars which refuse to become mere static exhibits. At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion brings historic cars back onto the track, whilst the 2026 edition will also feature a JDM Car Show dedicated to Japanese sports cars. This is a sign of how the boundaries of collecting are also changing: alongside Ferraris, Bugattis, Alfa Romeos and the great pre-war classics, Japanese sports cars from recent decades are now firmly entering the classic car category.

It is precisely this mix that makes Monterey unique. Over the course of a single weekend, you might come across a Miura celebrating its sixtieth anniversary, a Ferrari F40 now recognised as a collector’s item, a Bugatti with 1,578 cavalli, a hybrid Lamborghini, and concept cars designed to give a glimpse of the cars of the coming years.

Monterey Car Week is not just the world’s most important celebration of classic cars. It has become a motor show without exhibition halls, where the most prestigious manufacturers seek out a very specific audience: collectors, high-net-worth clients and enthusiasts for whom the car continues to represent technology, design, culture and, inevitably, an investment.