Monterey Car Week‘s annual concours, the Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, always attracts a covey of automotive outliers in addition to more familiar fare in the world of collector cars. Last month’s event was no exception, as it proved a showcase not just for historic classics but also for cutting-edge concepts and even new production models from manufacturers aiming to put their star cars in front of enthusiasts fortunate enough to score a ticket to the exclusive expo.
Acclaimed photographer Scott Williamson—no stranger to the Robb Report audience since 2001, when his automotive portraits first appeared in the pages—joined us once again for an informal stroll around the field with a singular objective in mind: to argue, debate and then finally choose ten favorites we could agree on. While each selection is a concours specimen in its own right, a few of the cars were definitely unexpected while others were altogether unique. Some were wild, and some were subtle, likely to be overshadowed by the glitz and glamor of more famous, flamboyant models. Yet every one of them left an indelible impression.
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Post-War Sports 1945-1960: 1950 Alfa Romeo 6C2500
Image Credit: Scott Williamson. Prior to Alfa Romeo’s first mass-production model, the Pininfarina-designed 1955 Giulietta Spider, the Italian automaker made its mark in motorsport and, at the same time, on the road, with some of the most elegant coachbuilt cars ever created. The 6C series is a lynchpin in the Alfa Romeo lineage, and models included road, race and sports cars made between 1927 and 1954.
The final 6C road car, made from 1938 to 1952, used a 2.5-liter, dual overhead-cam inline-six engine designed by Vittorio Jano. While Carrozzeria Touring of Milan produced some notable coachwork for Alfa Romeo, Carrozzeria Ghia played a role in period as well. This one-off, Ghia-bodied example was originally ordered by SIRCA, the Milanese dealer who was the Ghia representative for the Lombardy region. Fabulously restored in a subtle and sumptuous brown-over-gold color scheme, this Alfa—owned by Jonathan and Wendy Segal of California—was a highlight of the show field.
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Custom Coachwork: 1963 Aston Martin DB4 GT
Image Credit: Scott Williamson. Beginning in 1959, Aston Martin built 75 examples of its DB4 GT, along with 19 Zagato-bodied variants built on that chassis, which are the most coveted examples of the marque, commanding eye-watering prices to support their status as top-tier collectibles. The DB4’s textbook formula was tried-and-true for sports and competition cars of the era, blending a 3.7-liter inline-six engine, a platform chassis and a lightweight tube-frame body whose unmatched good looks ensure the iconic model’s popularity today.
Pity that, among the DB4 GTs, there was never a roadster. Custom builder Michael Moal from Oakland, Calif., addressed that shortcoming with his breathtaking one-of-one creation, a vehicle that stunned onlookers and was presented for the first time to the public at this year’s Quail gathering. It’s powered by a real Aston Martin DB4 GT engine—with Weber-look-alike fuel injection—that makes a genuine 400 hp on the dyno. The power plant is mated to a Tremec five-speed gearbox to manage output. The real artisanship is found in its 4130 chromoly tubular chassis and aluminum body, both designed and fabricated by Moal. This fascinating “What If” is owned by Chris Andrews of Montana.
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Post-War Sports 1961-1975: 1965 Maserati Sebring Series II
Image Credit: Scott Williamson. Perhaps the most fertile period of automotive design was the 15 years spanning the 1960s and the pre-oil crisis years of the 1970s. While notable Ferraris and Lamborghinis typically take top billing, some of the most beautiful cars from the era are Maseratis, of which none is more of an unsung hero than the Sebring. The body by Carrozzeria Vignale was designed by Giovanni Michelotti in 1961 and went into production by 1962. The original Sebring, of which 348 were made, was a 2+2 based on the 3500 (that has a body by Touring). The Sebring, however, has a more modern shape catering to the taste of American customers.
The Series II was a slightly updated version that came along in 1965, with 247 examples made through 1969. Along the way, Maserati’s classic 3.5-liter inline-six engine grew to 3.7 liters and finally 4.0 liters. Gleaming like a brilliant green June beetle, this stunning restoration—owned by John Clark and Gayle Pirie of California—is one of the finest Sebring examples we’ve ever seen.
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The Great Ferraris: 1967 Ferrari 330 TC Speciale
Image Credit: Scott Williamson. Ever since the first Ferrari-badged road car in 1948, the Prancing Horse has held an allure for collectors that is unmatched by any other marque. But as in the novel Animal Farm, where “all animals are equal but some are more equal than others,” there are Ferraris and then, there are Ferraris. Nearly every Italian carrozzeria made one-offs or limited runs, and the 1960s era was an especially active period of invention for coachbuilder Pininfarina in particular.
The latter’s riff on the Ferrari 330—a model range made from 1963 to 1968—included the GTC Speciale coupé introduced at the 1967 Brussels Motor Show. Built on a standard 330 GTC chassis, it features a design that incorporates subtle strokes of brilliance, including retractable front driving lights inspired by the 365 California, and a curvaceous backlight typical of Ferrari’s mid-engined sports models. The four examples constructed represent a final flourish of the great Ferraris clothed in custom-coachwork. This particular one belongs to the Heinecke family in Thailand.
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The 1972 Alfa Romeo Montreal
Image Credit: Scott Williamson. The 2021 concours season resonates with a number of half-century celebrations. Chief among them is Lamborghini’s LP500 Countach, the yellow prototype that stunned the world in 1971 and defined the shape of supercars for two decades. It is the handiwork of Bertone’s brilliant designer Marcello Gandini who, within a short window of time, created some of the most audacious automobiles ever seen.
Before Gandini’s wedge-shaped design aesthetic stole the world stage, however, his concept car for the 1967 Montreal Expo showed what Alfa Romeo had in store. Production of the 2+2 coupé—with its unusual C-pillar—began in 1970 and continued through 1977, with about 3,900 examples made. It’s powered by an engine derived from Alfa’s 33 Stradale and Tipo 33 racer, a 2.6-liter V-8 that develops about 200 hp. Owned by Joe Tseng of California, this exemplary Montreal in the original Arancia (orange) color deservedly won its class at this year’s Quail exhibition and contest.
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The Evolution of the Supercar: 1986 Porsche 911 Turbo
Image Credit: Scott Williamson. No concours would be complete without at least a couple of Porsche 911s on the lawn. Ubiquitous for a reason, Germany’s quintessential sports car has cast a spell on owners since it was first unveiled in 1963. In 1975, Porsche added a turbocharger and launched the marque’s first supercar—internal type number 930—whose descendants still shatter performance records today. Almost 21,600 Turbos were made through 1989 (before the introduction of the type 964 Turbo), and of those, one of the most remarkable examples is the “Grey Ghost.”
Named for its ultra-rare Marble Grey color, this car has been awarded innumerable trophies over its concours career. Amazingly, this 80 percent original-paint example showed 131,000 miles when acquired by its current owner, Joseph DeMeo of California, in 2000. After driving it an additional 20,000 miles, he subsequently restored it to become a three-time, full-restoration national champion at Porsche Parade—formerly The Manhattan Trophy—the highest concours honor awarded by the Porsche Club of America.
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Cars of Curiosity: 1992 Monteverdi Hai 650 F1
Image Credit: Scott Williamson. Peter Monteverdi (actually related to the Renaissance composer Claudio Monteverdi) was a Swiss racer who set about making luxury high-performance cars in 1967. His factory produced mere handfuls of expensive sport, GT and sedan models before closing its doors in 1984. Most were exclusive designs clothed in remarkable Italian coachwork and powered by a big Chrysler V-8 engine.
The 1970 Monteverdi Hai 450 SS was every bit the equal of Lamborghini’s Miura, but with only two examples made, Monteverdi’s “Shark” didn’t make much of a splash. In 1992, the company’s founder jumped back into the pool with the Hai 650 F1, which used a chassis from Monteverdi’s then-disbanded F1 team. Using an 11,000 rpm Ford-Cosworth DFR V-8, it really is an F1 car for the road, though only three prototypes were built. This one belongs to Morton St Partners/Andreas West in New York.
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Cars of Curiosity: 2019 ISO Rivolta GT Zagato (GTZ)
Image Credit: Scott Williamson. The Italian marque Iso Rivolta is best known for the company’s performance cars made from 1962 through 1974; models that combined luxurious Italian coachwork with stout American Chevrolet or Ford V-8 engines. Its most distinctive model was the Grifo A3 L, a two-seat GT engineered by Giotto Bizzarrini and dressed in a sumptuous Giorgetto Giugiaro–designed body. It was inspired by the 1963 Grifo A3/C race car, subsequently built as the Bizzarrini 5300. Also a Giugiaro design, the Grifo A3 L is perhaps the most beautiful Iso ever made.
Paying homage to that car is the new ISO Rivolta GT Zagato, a project conceived and executed by the Milanese coachbuilder and current owner of the Iso name. Like the original Grifo, it uses a Corvette V-8 engine, but in this case it’s the 660 hp LT4. The car also the underpinnings of a C7 Z06 Corvette. Draped in Zagato’s carbon-fiber body, this example—belonging to Michael A. Odierna of Arizona—is one of just 19 planned, and the first to come Stateside . . . just in time to take a class win at the Quail this year.
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The Evolution of the Supercar: 2020 Ford GT
Image Credit: Scott Williamson. Back in “the day,” a concours d’elegance celebrated the most beautiful contemporary automobiles. Over the years, the focus changed to historically significant cars long considered collectible. So, acknowledging a modern automobile in the context of a classic show requires it be a special one indeed. The second-generation Ford GT is precisely that: a state-of-the-art racer for the road that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of the LM GTE-Pro Class in 2016. And with production limited to one unit per day through 2022, its rarity is firmly established.
Owned by Bruce and Peggy Wanta of Washington, the example that graced the Quail field wears the first liquid-carbon body delivered to a customer. To behold the exquisite patterning and precise matching of the fiber weave is to appreciate a level of craftsmanship that’s the modern equivalent of the most skillful aluminum panel beating of yore. Unpainted and wearing a mile-deep clear finish, this Ford GT is an expression of composite artistry at its finest.
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2021 Gold Leaf Lotus Type 62-2 Quail Edition by Radford
Image Credit: Scott Williamson. Choosing to unveil its new sports car at the Quail, the newly resurrected brand Radford showcased a stunning homage to the original Lotus Type 62 from 1969, a racer with a brief career but a lasting legacy. That Type 62 was derived from the then-successful Type 47—in street guise, a Lotus Europa—which in its final development used a Ford-Cosworth 1.6-liter inline-four engine. In contrast, Radford’s interpretation is robustly powered by a 3.5-liter supercharged V-6 engine developing 500 hp. Most notable is the bodywork designed by Mark Stubbs who, along with Ant Anstead, Jenson Button and Roger Behle, is one of the four Radford owners.
In partnership with Lotus, Radford plans to have production of the Type 62 commence late this year, with deliveries in 2022. Only 62 examples are planned, 12 of which will be configured in Gold Leaf livery—a red-white-and-gold color scheme adopted by Lotus founder Colin Chapman when he signed a deal with Gold Leaf, a then-popular tobacco brand and Lotus sponsor. Although we won’t inhale, we’d call Radford’s creation smokin’ hot.
Learn more about Robb Report’s 2022 Car of the Year at the event taking place in Napa Valley here and in Boca Raton here.
