The first Rennsport Reunion happened in 2001 where a small group of Porsche owners gathered at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut, and it quickly became a gathering of legend. Two more Rennsport Reunions have been held at Daytona in 2003 and again in 2007, with each event bigger than the last. At last weekend’s Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV this held to be true with the largest gathering of Porsche cars ever, with more than 50 legendary Porsche drivers who took the marque passed the chequered flag to secure victories at many of the world’s most demanding race tracks were on hand to celebrate Porsche racing history, at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Porsche Rennsport Reunion occurs once every three years and captures the essence of man and machine. There are few, if any, marques that can claim such road racing dominance, whether in the early years or today, as Porsche has done and continues to do. However the cars are only half the story. The drivers themselves who fearlessly put Porsche into countless victory circles will be present to tell their stories. We not only got to see drivers and cars, Porsche also provided a spectacular Porsche Park in the Paddock that featured driving simulators, an authentic German biergarten and special display cars from the Porsche Museum and on Saturday night, a screening of Steve McQueen’s classic film, Le Mans.

With more than 35,000 spectators on hand over three days enjoying autograph sessions with legendary Porsche drivers, quality display cars and plenty of on-track Porsche action – Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV is in the books as the best ever on all accounts.

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As the East Bay’s premier Concours weekend of fundraising events, Danville d’Elegance enters its 7th year, looking to surpass the $1 million already raised to benefit Parkinsons research and patient care. Set in the historic town of Danville, California, the yearly event is one in which car collectors, automotive enthusiasts and the local community gather together to leverage “Cool Cars for a Cause.” In 2011, Danville bought an unparalleled variety of activities, creating a superb gathering of street and racing cars along with some other exciting vehicle surprises, and great food – all in the setting of a small town jewel.

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Saturday’s ALMS event at the Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca provided much excitement across many different fields. All eyes were focused on the first race of the day in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge presented by Yokohama. In which we saw some very entertaining and close racing and the chequered flag was secured by Bryce Miller in the number 35 TruSpeed Motorsports car, second place went to Henrique Cisneros and third to Carlos Kauffmann in the NGT Motorsport cars. Results for Saturdays race can be found here.

This was a great appertiser to the weekends main event the ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patrón. However before we got to see the ALMS race take place we got to catch a glimpse of the Unlimited Racing Championship (URC) Series. The URC series will feature identical NuArt CanAM cars.

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The Sunday Funday put on by District 10 was another fun little car meet for a sunday   in the South Bay. Held at the MVP Area, we saw cars from District 10, Nor*Cal Scion and a couple of other Bay Area stalwarts to throw together a nice little show for the family.

The event featured a BBQ, Dunk Tank (made use of the guys from District 10), batting cages and many other kid friendly activities. NOS Energy provided some drinks to keep the party going all day.

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The Goodguys now in their 25th year and very familiar with producing exceptional car shows and events put another barnstormer together at Pleasanton for the 25th West Coast Nationals. An event that featured over 3,400 hot rods, custom cars, muscle cars and trucks from at least 20 states and other countries from as far away as England to New Zealand, a Swap Meet, a Cars 4 sale Corral, Seminars and fireworks to name but a few of the weekends activities which were visited by over 80,000 people.

Gary Meadors knew he had something special in 1987 when he launched the Goodguys West Coast Nationals at the Pleasanton Fairgrounds and 2,124 vintage hot rods showed up. That summer, the Alamo family – Gary, his wife Marilyn and their two teenage sons — put all their resources and energy into shaping a national series of Goodguys auto shows to be kick-started by that first West Coast Nationals.

Twenty-five years later Goodguys produces 21 national events in 13 states and has an association with 70,000 worldwide members. Goodguys events draw over 1 million visitors annually as well as over 50,000 classic cars. And it publishes a 200 page, all-color monthly magazine and has an entire line of specialty merchandise.

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Once each year, on the third Sunday in August, over 200 of the most prized collector cars and motorcycles in the world roll onto what is often called possibly the best finishing hole in golf — the eighteenth fairway at Pebble Beach. Tire meets turf and a transformation occurs. The occasion is the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Originally the event was a small social event paired with a road race through the pine and cypress forests of Pebble Beach, the Pebble Beach Concours has grown into the top-ranking collector car show in the world. People from all over the globe come to compete in or simply enjoy the event here at Pebble Beach.

The Concours is not a contest of speed, but of excellence. Automobiles and motorcycles are judged for their historical accuracy, their technical merit and their style—and the best garner reward and recognition.

In 2011 the featured marques and special classes include:

• Mercedes-Benz and 125 years of the Automobile
• Stutz Centennial
• Ferrari 250 GTO
• Edwardian Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts
• Italian Motorcycles

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The Concept Lawn at Pebble Beach offers something a little different to what in on display on the fairways. You are able to come across a series of concept and supercars. This year was no differenct featuring many cars that were only introduced in Monterey this past weekend, including the Infiniti Etherea, the Jaguar C-X75, the Zagato Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale and the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4. My favorite of the group, was the modern-meets-vintage Mercedes-Benz F-Cell Roadster, which was a sheer joy to behold.

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The first auction took place at Pebble Beach in 1990 and it is has now become a yearly affair. The auction is one of the most attended and anticipated car event of the week.

In previous years the auction has set numerous world records, including the highest price paid for a car at a North American auction (the 1937 Bugatti 57SC Atlantic from the Peter and Susan Williamson Collection sold for $7,920,000 in 2008), an Alfa Romeo at auction (the 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Drop Head Coupe sold for $4,180,000 in 2009) and an Aston Martin road car at auction (the 1953 Aston Martin DB2/4 Drop Head Coupe sold for $1,650,000 in 2009).

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Aside from the fantastic Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance the Auctions (which will be covered later) and the spectacular closing with the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the motoring weekend is also known for its concepts and its launches.

I was lucky enough to take part in two of the launches and got to see the world premier of the Lexus GS 350 and the Infiniti JX Crossover. These two vehicles will be released next year into the luxury auto market. Attending the premier was a real eye opening event and getting to meet the people behind the vehicles was also a very enjoyable experience. In the gallery below you can see a couple of shots from both of the events.

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The Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance presented by Rolex is an annual driving event that delights entrants and spectators alike and designed to showcase the elegance of the automobile in motion. The Tour also underscores the early history of the place that is Pebble Beach. Before golf links were laid out along the edge of the Pacific Ocean and this area was known for its scenic drive, winding for miles through pine and cypress forest, along dramatic cliffs and leading to a beautiful crescent-shaped bay.

The traditional Tour traces portions of the original 17-Mile Drive, traversing nearby mountains and valleys, with a brief pause for a bite to eat in charming Carmel-by-the-Sea.

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