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2005 Quail, A Motorsports Gathering
By: Drew Phillips
Photos by Nathan Leach-Proffer
September 27, 2005

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Started as an alternative to the hectic and busy events during the Monterey weekend, The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering provides automotive enthusiasts an intimate and relaxed atmosphere along with a close up view of some of the finest collection of automobiles that can be found during the weekend. In stark contrast to Concorso Italiano or the Pebble Beach Concours, who pack the lawns of their respective fairways with as many people as they can hold, the Quail limits its guests to 3000. The limited number of people allows for some more elbowroom and easier access to the cars. Not surprisingly, the event easily sold out.

In what has become one of the favorite events of the day, the ‘Historics to The Quail Run’ brought in several of the cars from the nearby vintage races at Laguna Seca. This year, twenty-five cars from the 1947-1955 Sport Racing Cars class were invited. The cars arrived in procession for lunch and then thundered back to the racetrack in time for their practice sessions.

As with any world-class concours, the event offered much more than just cars. Attendees were able to view various art displays, participate in wine tasting, preview the Bonhams & Butterfields’ auction, and view an exhibition of Automotive Fine Art Photography featuring Winston Goodfellow, Michael Furman, and others. All attendees were also invited to test the latest SUV’s from Land Rover in their Land rover Experience Driving School or try out the latest cars from the Bentley lineup.

For 2005, The Quail qualified for the Louis Vuitton Classic Concours Award, an award that recognizes the ‘Best of Show’ winners in the top four concours in the world. “The Louis Vuitton Classic Concours Award is attributed to one of the Best of Show winners of the major concours in the world. In order to be nominated, an event must present a combination of spectacular location, superior quality of organization and brilliant selection of cars. The Quail certainly qualifies,” said Christian Philippsen, Chief Judge of the Louis Vuitton Classic Awards.

When it comes to deciding on the ‘Best of Show’ and the class winners, The Quail takes a slightly different approach. Judging is done entirely by the entrants, who subjectively choose which vehicle they feel best achieved its design goal as well as its expected performance and impact on the automobile as a whole. This year’s top award went to a 1934 Alfa Romeo 8C-2300 SIII Longo Le Mans replica owned by John Ridings-Lee. Other class winners included a 2005 Mercedes McLaren SLR for ‘Supercars’, a 1962 Ferrari 250 California Spyder SWB for ‘Great Ferraris’, a 1937 Bugatti 57S Atalante for ‘Pre-War Sports and Racing’, and a 1959 Ferrari TR 59/60 Fantuzzi Spyder for ‘Post-War Racing’.

As a relatively new event, The Quail seems to have quickly established itself as one of the premier events during the Monterey weekend. Attendees, participants, and organizers were satisfied with the result of the show. “The Quail was an overwhelming success. In just our third year in creating this event we have already received critical acclaim from national to international media and car enthusiasts on what a spectacular event we have created on the Monterey Peninsula,” said Michael Oprish, General Manager of Valley Resort Management. We couldn’t agree more and look forward to next year’s show.