Monterey's Famed Car Week Returns After A Year's COVID Hiatus

CARMEL (CBSF SF) -- Thousands of luxury auto enthusiasts flocked to Carmel on Friday for the famed Monterey Car Week, one of the most prestigious car events in the U.S. that has roared back to life after a year's hiatus due to the COVID outbreak.

It is 10 days of shows, premieres, festivities and auctions that usually draw tens of thousands of people from around the world to the area. Friday's main attraction, The Quail, brought together more than 200 of the finest collector cars and presented an assortment of top pre- and post-war sports and racing cars.

Lamborghini was among several luxury carmakers showcasing its power, history and innovation at The Quail in Carmel on Friday.

The Italian carmaker debuted the new hybrid-engine Countach. It pays homage to the original game-changing release on the 50th anniversary of its debut.

"We are committing for the year 23 and 24 to hybridize all of our lineup," said Lamborghini chairman and CEO Stephan Winkelmann.

Only 112 units of the modern Countach will be produced at $2.6 million each.

"This is in our opinion the most important car week for our type of cars here in the US, and one of the most important ones around the world," added Winkelmann.

The Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau said car week traditionally attracts upwards of 85,000 visitors to the area, which results in $67 million in travel spending. This year, the county expects at least 80% of its normal attendance. Downtown Carmel was also buzzing with activity on Friday.

"It feels like we're almost getting back to normal. I love that it's outdoors," said Kimberley Liss of Danville, who is attending The Quail for the 10th year.

Liss came to The Quail to see the supercars up-close.

"You don't hear them online, or you do, but it's not the same. The 'vroom, vroom'" she added. "It's lovely to just hear them and see them drive up and the vibe of the crowd and the energy is just fantastic."

Bugatti also showcased a spectrum of extremely unique, one-off vehicles in its fleet.

It unveiled its experimental hyper sports car the Bolide on Friday. Bugatti announced it will make 40 of the track-only $4 million cars. The Bolide packs incredible power into a lightweight vehicle.

"The last time we were here was 2019. The whole 2020 - there were no events so for us. It feels so good to be back, to be back in public, to be able to represent the brand," said Bugatti deputy design director Frank Heyl.

The Quail welcomed a mix of longtime attendees and first-timers like Ryan Hoffman of Felton.

"When you're out here and feeling the steering wheel, feeling the seats and the leather," he said. "I just sat in a Rolls Royce and it was so cool."

Sabrina Silvers said she wasn't planning on literally driving off with a new pink-colored Rolls Royce. She bought it at an auction during car week and it was presented at The Quail.

"It was very whimsical, we looked at it, we thought about it, we walked around thinking more and more about it and then said, 'we're going to go for it.'"