CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA >> Monterey Car Week is the most luxurious, highly esteemed, and honored collection of automotive celebrations worldwide. However, one outshines the rest among the illustrious events with its excellence and exclusivity: The Quail A Motorsports Gathering, presented by The Peninsula Hotels and Signature Events.

Held annually on the Friday of Monterey Car Week at the Quail Lodge & Golf Club, The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering celebrated its 21st anniversary in style. Founded by the Kadoorie Family, The Peninsula Hotels and Signature Events is a respected luxury hotel brand that manages 12 luxury properties in nine countries.

Just over 3,000 tickets are sold each year and are only available through a lottery system. With a long waitlist, some have found it easier to get into the show by presenting a worthy car. Several charitable tickets come up for sale each year but come with a large price tag to help benefit the many local charities the Peninsula Signature Events support.

Upon arrival, guests were treated to a flute of Laurent-Perrier to kick off the ultimate automotive garden party, a fitting start for its 21st celebration. Throughout the morning, manufacturers held press conferences and unveiled 19 new, limited-edition, or prototype models.

With the end of the Geneva Auto Show announced earlier this year, the Quail has taken the crown as the premier event for automotive debuts. Stephan Winkelmann, CEO of Lamborghini, unveiled the long-awaited replacement to the outgoing Huracan, the Temerario. Named after a famous 1875 fighting bull, it is powered by a new twin-turbo hybrid V8 that produces nearly 900 horsepower.

In addition to the regular competition field, four groups were highlighted this year as the feature classes: 100 years of MG, 50th anniversary of the Porsche 911 Turbo 930, 30th anniversary of Koenigsegg Automotive, and a Tribute to World Rally Cars (WRC).

At only 22 years old, Swedish motoring enthusiast and businessman Christian von Koenigsegg founded his namesake company in 1994 with the dream of building the ultimate sports car. Two years later a concept prototype was successfully tested at a Swedish racetrack, and in 2000 the first production prototype, the CC8S, was unveiled.

Almost everything is developed in-house: engines and transmissions, composite material manufacturing, aerodynamics, and mechanical innovations like their signature dihedral synchro-helix doors. The company has been granted over 30 patents and has more in review. They build about 30-40 cars annually, with three current models: Gemera, Regera, and Jesko. Topping the list is the 1,600 horsepower all-motor, twin-turbo V8-powered Jesko that starts at $3 million.

Another favorite was the Rally Car Tribute group. The World Rally Championship (WRC) is the second longest-running FIA-sanctioned series behind Formula 1 and is one of the most grueling and challenging championships in motorsports, with cars on the absolute limits while flying across varied surfaces like tarmac, gravel, dirt, ice, snow, and sand.

Highlights included a 1985 Audi Quatro S1 E2. It was part of the almost limitless Group B class that produced some of the fastest and most iconic rally cars. Lasting only four years from 1982-1986, the series was canceled by the FIA due to multiple fatal accidents of both drivers and spectators, blamed on the speed of the cars and lack of crowd control of fans at races.

Several international owners imported their cars to the Monterey Peninsula for a chance at taking home a coveted class win at The Quail. Florent Moulin spent months preparing and shipping his 2001 Chrysler Viper GTS-R racecar from Luxembourg and took home the Post-War Racing Cars group trophy.

Five different themed culinary pavilions served guests drinks and delectables inspired by many regions: California, Portugal, Mexico, Korea, and Italy. Additionally, fresh woodfired pizzas were available and stations served up Marianne’s ice cream.

The oyster and caviar bars were a popular destination the entire day. Located in the Road & Track hospitality area, the lines never slowed down. Hog Island Oyster Co. of Marshall brought and shucked over five thousand pounds of their sustainably farmed shellfish varieties.

Closing out the day was the Circle of Champions award ceremony presented by Rolex, the official timepiece of The Quail since 2005. Class winners took home a bottle of Laurent-Perrier champagne and a trophy of the signature Q logo. Amidst a fiercely competitive field of over 200 cars, a 1937 Delahaye Type 135 owned by Sam and Emily Mann of Malibu rose to the top to capture the Rolex Best of Show trophy and an engraved Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 36 watch.

Originally built as an open-wheel sports car to compete against other European companies like Mercedes and Alfa Romeo, the Type 135 became a popular chassis for French coachbuilders like Figoni & Falaschi to build passenger cars around.

Proceeds from charitable ticket sales and donations benefited a range of local organizations: the Junior Reserve Officers & Training Corps (JROTC) program for Seaside and Marina High Schools, the North Monterey County High School Marching Band, Rancho Cielo’s vocational training program, the CHP 11-99 Foundation, and the Naval Postgraduate School Foundation.