Held annually in mid-August, Monterey Car Week is arguably one of the world’s most fascinating series of automotive events. This year’s Monterey, held from August 9^th to 18^th, was once again a great success attracting many visitors. This issue of Honda Stories reports on Honda’s participation in Monterey Car Week events.

Monterey is a small town with a population of about 30,000 located about 200 km south of San Francisco, USA, surrounded by a beautiful natural landscape, where wild sea otters can be seen frolicking in Monterey Bay, and its land of approximately 1,000 square miles is mostly covered with wilderness or forests. The climate is mild and sunny, with temperatures rarely reaching 25°C (77°F), even in mid-summer. It is no wonder that many tourists from all over the nation come visit to enjoy the refreshing climate.

Monterey Car Week is the collective name for the wide variety of events, big and small, for car enthusiasts held in and around Monterey, including auctions, historic car races in which vintage cars compete, and the Concours d'Elegance showcasing the beauty of historic and new cars.

Some of the events are small, with participants simply displaying their cars in the shopping mall parking lots, catching the eyes of passers-by.

Three of the most popular events are the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Another attraction of Monterey Car Week is the wide range of mobility on show, including Motorlux, an event showcasing rare and exotic cars, motorcycles, and aircraft.

This year, Honda impressed car enthusiasts from around the world with its presence at a number of events during Monterey Car Week. Notably, Honda participated in the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion with its 1965 RA272 Formula 1 race car.

The RA272 is Honda’s first race-winning F1 machine that won the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. The #11 RA272 participated in the Goodwood Festival of Speed held in the U.K. in July.

As reported in an earlier issue of Honda Stories*1, F1 driver Yuki Tsunoda and Honda Collection Hall test driver Hikaru Miyagi drove the RA272 at Goodwood, after engineers somehow fired up the engine. After Goodwood, the RA272 was transported across the Atlantic to Monterey.

After being shipped to Monterey from Goodwood, the RA272 was displayed at the Laguna Seca garage, and then ran in the McMurtry Exhibition demo run held on the final day of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. It also played a major role as the lead car (*2) in the formation lap (*3) of the Mario Andretti Trophy race in which F1 cars of the past participated. The RA272’s engine started without issue, in contrast to the difficulties encountered during Goodwood, and it was able to complete all of its runs on time.

Honda mechanics wore the work clothes and hats worn by F1 mechanics in the 1960s, recreating the atmosphere of that era. The local fans greatly appreciated this, so much so that they gathered to take pictures with the mechanics.

While British fans at Goodwood looked on quietly, and politely clapped as the RA272’s engine was warmed up (*4), American fans were cheerful and open. Their applause after the engine warmed up was loud and joyful, as if they were cheering for their heroes in a movie.

The American fans actively communicated with Honda staff, enthusiastically talking about their Honda V-TEC*5 powered cars, or bringing to the paddock photos of racing driver Miyagi from when he raced in the Japanese Super Taikyu series.

●The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering / Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

The Acura brand*6 world-premiered the Acura Performance EV Concept and the Integra Type S HRC Prototype at the annual Acura Private Collection and The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering.

The Acura Performance EV Concept previews the premium performance brand’s next generation all-electric performance SUV model developed by the Acura Design Studio in Los Angeles. With an aggressive front fascia inspired by super yachts, the Acura Performance EV Concept also generated interest as a model built upon the next-generation EV platform.

The Acura Integra Type S HRC Prototype previews the potential of the Integra Type S as a performance model, with wide ranging functional improvements over the standard model such as reduced weight and enhanced aerodynamics.

At the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Honda exhibited a fully-restored HP-X Concept, a design concept jointly developed with Pininfarina and first shown  at the 1984 Turin Auto Show.

●Motorlux

Honda exhibited the HondaJet Elite alongside the Acura ZDX Type S at Motorlux, an event held at the Monterey Jet Center. Many visitors wanted to see the HondaJet interior, and some expressed interest in details.

This year’s Monterey Car Week provided an excellent opportunity to see Honda’s long history of success in many genres, including mass-produced and racing cars.