2011 McCall's Motorworks Revival at The Monterey Jet Center

20th McCalls Motorworks Revival at The Monterey Jet Center Photos



Another year, another Jet Center Party, another mind-blowing good time. For people who have never attended this Wednesday night party that unofficially kicks off Classic Car Week in Monterey - run, don't walk, to get tickets for next year's event. Although all of the events held around the peninsula during this week are worth attending, the McCall's shindig is truly unique.



The combination of cars, military aircraft, the latest corporate and personal jets, the food, the wine...and the people, is like no other. The cars alone are like a highlight reel of what's to come during the rest of the week. Plucked from Quail, the auctions and the private debut parties to be held over the ensuing few days, the cars are the heart of the party, but removing them would still land you a memorable night. But this is a car blog after all, so let's take a look at what this, the 20th installment of the McCall's event here in Monterey, wowed us with this year.



Entering the outer courtyard of the venue we were greeted by a matte black Lamborghini LP700-4 Aventador - the Murcielago replacement that picks up where the Reventon left off, and manages to drop a few hundred pounds and gain a few HP in its transformation into a more modern, sharp-edged supercar. While the overall dimensions are similar to the outgoing Murci, the cuts and creases remind you more of the LP560-4 Gallardo - which isn't a bad thing at all. It is stunning in person and promises to elevate Lamborghini's presence in this upper echelon of the hypercar segment with performance that will rival anything it is pitted against.



If matte black isn't your thing, there was also a reddish orange one inside the main event area, as well as a bare tub that proudly displayed the car's innards for closer examination. The materials used look just as exotic as the bodywork missing from this display vehicle and the components look like they were made by watchmakers. The Aventador duo were staring down a very yellow Hennessey Venom GT - the first one sold in the U.S. Standing beside the car was the man whose name appears on the rump of this stretched and stuffed Lotus Exige - John Hennessey. This LS9-ish powered monster offers nearly double the horse-count of the donor ZR1 and would probably feel right home on the grid at Le Mans.



A few feet away from the Venom was a carbon fiber track-only sculpture that is based on one of the most extraordinary new supercars of the last 10 years - the Pagani Zonda R. Where the new Aventador looks like carbon fiber origami with its prickly angles, the Zonda has a bioengineered organic feel to its form that makes it look like it was birthed from a living thing. And just like the Hennessey Venom GT, the man whose name is on the car was there to see people's reactions to his progeny - both the Zonda R and his new, U.S.-intended Huayra.



The Huayra was in the back of the main hangar, drawing us into a space that housed a few dozen more gems - but we lingered near the new Pagani for more than an hour before moving on. Part of the reason for that was the fact that Horacio Pagani himself was standing next to it, answering any question thrown his way, and happily opening any of the car's various panels with a flurry of unbuckling of straps and released latches. The simple truth is that Horacio has once again managed to create one of the most strikingly designed supercars in the world.



The components rival those of the Aventador that we marveled at, but elevate them into works of art. Truly, each of these mechanical ingredients looks fit to display in a museum. Pagani is one step ahead of us in this thinking, as several pieces were actually displayed in glass cases atop carbon fiber stands near the car. Gorgeous stuff that actually works as good as it looks - what a concept.



Our favorite bit had to be the key though. When Sig. Pagani placed a small silver model of the Huayra before us, we at first thought it a nifty keepsake for someone's desktop. Then the car was pulled apart revealing a USB jack. Ah, this must be a very clever - and expensive - press kit. When the other half of the miniature vehicle was inserted into a slot in the center stack of the Huayra, we were dumbfounded. This was no novelty item, it is the ignition key.



Near the Pagani stand sat a pair of Lotus Evora sportscars. One was a rather electric blue and the other was one of the company's race cars, done up in white with bare carbon accents. First shown and rcaed last year, the car appeared to have been refined somewhat for its sophomore season. Closer inspection revealed this to actually be the new GTE concept - a streetgoing version of the racecar. Think Scuderia or Porsche RS and you'll get the idea. Extremely handsome car and we hope that the large Lotus staff on hand for the debut took our drooling pleas to build it seriously.



Another car that we may have left a puddle of saliva in front of was a red Aston Martin with some less-restrained than usual lumps and bulges in its form. This was the new Zagato racecar and it looked brutal - handsome but brutal. Not that there's anything wrong with that. The car evokes memories of the mid-sixties dual-purpose racers from Aston's illustrious past - and conveniently, we only had to glance over our shoulder to see a few examples of that heritage. What a party!



The Ferrari display next to Aston Martin had a California, a matte white Italia that looked suspiciously like a possible Scuderia concept, and a shooting brake that s called the FF. Readers of this blog may note that these initials match my own. Coincidence? I think not, but the guard wouldn't buy it and didn't release the car to my care as I requested. It is often said that automotive journalists all have the same favorite car - a high performance station wagon with a stick shift. While that is certainly true of many of us, it is especially true of yours truly. A certain Hennessey-tuned Cadillac CTS-V wagon comes awfully close to depleting my willpower reserves when it comes to grand theft auto. This Ferrari takes things a step further, however, by being a 2-door. Che bella.



There was so much more to see and do at the party this year, but I'll have to catch you up later. It is late and I have an early date with a polo field. The Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance is tomorrow. For now, check out the gallery to see what we saw last night at The Jet Center in Monterey.

Supercar Sunday - 7/31/11: Ferrari v Lamborghini upstaged by Zonda R

 

 Supercar Sunday 7/31/11 Photos

Lured by the Ferrari v Lamborghini showdown planned for this last Sunday in July, I decided it had been way too long since I had made the drive up to Woodland Hills for Supercar Sunday and got my butt outta bed for the first time in almost a year. It was a wise decision.

Not only did I get to see about 1,000 interesting collector cars on display, I also had a chance to catch up with at least a dozen friends I hadn't seen in a long time. That alone made the trip worthwhile, but the surprise unveiling of a Pagani Zonda R made it incredibly fortunate.

The Pagani Zonda needs little introduction, but these amazing boutique supercars are extremely rare here in the States. Never officially imported, a couple have found their way into private collections, and a few have been displayed at various shows and races around the country. I consider myself lucky indeed to have seen a handful of them between SEMA, SCS and Goodwood, the impression they leave in person akin to meeting Lewis Hamilton or Michael Schumacher - that sudden thrill you get from realizing you are in the presence of a legend.

Auto Gallery, who generously underwrites SCS, has been named an official Pagani dealer, allowing it the privilege to sell the Zonda's replacement, the Huayra when it goes on sale soon. As if seeing a Zonda isn't enough to make friends who weren't there hate your guts, the Zonda they helped bring to the show this weekend was actually a Zonda R, the race version that holds the lap record at the Nurburgring Nordschleife for production based cars. Its 6:47.5 time bested the Ferrari 599XX by eleven seconds and the new production car record holder the Porsche GT2 RS by...wait for it...thirty seconds.

Horacio only built a few of these race cars so not everyone will get to see one in their lifetime. Without DrivenWorld publisher and SCS organizer, Dustin Troyan, I may have missed my chance. Dusty's hard work, along with the generosity of the car's owner, Auto Gallery and Century Towing allowed me to cross another vehicle off my bucket list.

Seeing the car up close reveals why Pagani has such an aura about it. The shape is alien yet beautiful and the engineering prowess of the company is immediately evident. The carbon fiber is laid perfectly, and close inspection reveals the titanium threads woven into the cloth to add flexibility to this normally brittle substance. Every detail is not only functional, but designed in such a way that you feel there must be some artists in the engineering department. Why can't every carmaker make their vehicles this beautiful and capable?

If you click the link above to view the gallery, you'll notice that at least half of my photos are of the Zonda R, but pry yourself away from those and you'll also see why shows like Supercar Sunday are so much fun. How's this for eclectic? When was the last time you saw a Toyota Crown Deluxe coupe? Never? How about a Kurtis Kraft 500? There were at least three there today. A Ram Air GTO Judge wagon? Maybe not factory, but a really cool sight. Other rare and wonderful sightings included a Renault R5 Turbo, Ford RS200, '73 Carrera RS, Continental Mark II, Morgan Aero, Hurst Camaro, Maserati 3500GT, Riley Elf, two yellow Ultimas, three BMW Z8s, Qvale Mangusta, and a few Lamborghinis and Ferraris.



The marque of the Bull was represented by dozens of Gallardo variations, a few Murcis, a pair of Miuras and a handful of Countaches. Prancing horse lovers were treated to scores of 3X8s, Maranellos, 355s, Modenas, 430s, 458s, Stradales, Scuderias, and Testarossas. Favorites included the 330 GTS, 550 Barchetta, 575 Superamerica, and a lone F40. Not a bad turnout by any stretch of the imagination, but overcast skies and a few scattered showers may have kept some of the even more exotic stuff at home. We're not greedy though, so an F40, two Miuras and a Zonda R were just fine with me.