Monterey Car Week 2026: 3 things to watch as the crowds descend

Every year, Yahoo Finance attends Monterey Car Week, and it keeps getting bigger and bigger — and not without some controversy. The week, spanning 10 days leading up to Sunday's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance classic car competition, is expected to bring in more than 100,000 visitors to the Monterey Peninsula. While it's good for the economy, some locals have grown weary of all the visitors to the peaceful setting and, of course, the new generation of car fans. Even the world-famous Pebble Beach competition is in the midst of a shake-up. But the people are here to see priceless classic cars, of course, and the days and nights are jam-packed with auctions, new luxury car reveals, and a ton of automotive news and CEO talk. There's a lot to look out for during this hectic week — the "carparazzi" and overflowing flutes of champagne notwithstanding — so here are the three really big things to watch. The classic car market looks to rebound — in a big wayThe Bugatti Veyron Super Sport.·Bugatti After a somewhat down year, the expectation is that the big auctions should return to past glory. Per classic car insurer Hagerty (HGTY), last year saw a downbeat $432.7 million in total sales across the big auctions run by houses like Bonhams, RM Sotheby's, Gooding & Company, and Hagerty's own Broad Arrow. But this year, Hagerty projects it could nearly reach the $500 million mark, with the company's experts forecasting $496 million in sales at the optimistic top end, the highest amount since 2022. Hagerty predicts big auction results from Monterey Car Week.·Hagerty "Live auction sales are up 28% over the past 12 months and, with the stock market nearing record highs, we expect strong bidding," Hagerty CEO McKeel Hagerty said in a statement to Yahoo Finance. "Additionally, we're seeing younger collectors increasingly chasing the cars they grew up dreaming about." Hagerty added that while vintage Ferraris (RACE) usually drive results, more modern vehicles will continue to gain share, with modern supercars (1984 to present) expected to account for 60% of sales this year. Read more: How to find the best luxury car insurance New vehicle reveals may overshadow the classicsThe Lamborghini SV (Super Veloce) at the Hockenheimring race track.·Lamborghini While the Concours d'Elegance on Pebble Beach's 18th green is the highlight, several luxury and exotic automakers leverage the publicity — and, of course, the high-net-worth buyers milling about Monterey — to unveil their latest and greatest creations. Among the highly anticipated reveals are rumored concepts and limited-run production cars. The Gig One is a more hardcore, faster version of the Lamborghini (VWAGY) Revuelto V12 supercar, which once again resurrects the SV (Super Veloce) trim. Expect more power, less weight, and more aggressive aero as confirmed by spy shots. A heavily camouflaged Revuelto SV set a production-car lap record at the Hockenheim test track. Story Continues Ultraexclusive hypercar maker Bugatti, which usually sets records for its priceless classic cars, will also debut a one-of-one special edition. The Destrier takes a Bolide track car and strips away the aero bits to make it more slippery and downright sexy. The car sits stunningly low, with a roof height less than three feet above the ground. While it was revealed online, it debuts at the Quail event on Friday. Not to be outdone, Ferrari will publicly debut the 12Cilindri Manuale, with its innovative manual transmission that also doubles as an automatic. Ferrari will, of course, debut something radical as well, something the carmaker will only call the newest "One-Off from the Special Projects Division."The Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale, a limited-edition special series of the Ferrari 12Cilindri, introduces Ferrari's new in-house-developed Manuale By-Wire system.·Ferrari Britain's Aston Martin (ARGGY) will be on hand to unveil a trio of special-edition DB12 S sports cars by its in-house bespoke service. But more intriguing is that the company that makes the James Bond cars changed its social logo to red and posted a teaser yesterday, claiming, "We've been keeping something quiet," hinting at a bigger reveal. We'll see when Aston has its presentation at the Quail on Friday. Speaking of British brands, McLaren will be on hand with something big. A new supercar is reportedly coming and may tie in to founder Bruce McLaren, offering a more old-school vibe. The British brand is being tight-lipped, but we shall see what comes to pass this week. Even more mainstream brands, like Cadillac (GM) and Acura (HMC), have reveals planned. Cadillac already announced its Curated by Cadillac Escalade IQ, but the company has teased a motorsports-derived concept coming this Friday at the Quail, which, given its exploits in Formula One and endurance racing, should be very interesting. Acura is looking to reset the brand's design language with a reveal at the Quail event in Monterey. Supposedly, the new design language is expected to debut on the next-gen RDX — a premium sibling to the Honda CR-V — before reaching production, as Honda pivots toward hybrids. CEOs and the high-net-worth economyFlexjet, a fractional private jet and helicopter transportation company, was among the exhibitors at the Quail Lodge and Golf Club during the Quail, a Motorsports Gathering on Aug. 19, 2022, in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif. (Don Feria/AP Images for Flexjet)·ASSOCIATED PRESS With all the big, highly anticipated debuts and surprises during the week, naturally, C-suite execs will be there basking in the limelight, pitching new cars to gathered press, and in some cases, helping to seal the deal with clients. And it's those clients who are a big focus for the execs. Market strategists, economists, and even the Treasury secretary have talked a lot about the K-shaped economy, where, at the upper end, consumers are spending more and enjoying the benefits of stock and other asset ownership, while the bottom end suffers from inflation and weaker job prospects. The big question: How much juice does the luxury consumer, or high-net-worth individual, have left? Stocks are at all-time highs, and so far we've seen luxury brands try to cater to more of the richest cohort. Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann is seen at the Quail, a Motorsports Gathering on Aug. 16, 2024, in Carmel, Calif. (Matt Jelonek/Getty Images)·Matt Jelonek via Getty Images With that said, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann will be on hand to show off the company's new ultraexclusive Reventon creation, along with rival McLaren's CEO Nick Collins, looking to right the ship with the company's own ultraexclusive offering. Aston Martin's Adrian Hallmark and, of course, Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac will be on hand to talk about what's next for the hypercar maker. Yahoo Finance will be speaking to these CEOs and many more during the week. So far, all of the execs are saying the same thing: Business is good, and the order books are full enough, meaning production for the year is already spoken for. The question is: Will the luxury pie, if you will, of consumers keep getting bigger, or will these exclusives have to start fighting for smaller and smaller slices? Pras Subramanian is Lead Auto Reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on X and on Instagram. 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