Every year in mid-August, the crew of Monterey Car Week enjoys a vacation in Central California for the goings on in Carmel by the Sea, Laguna Seca, Seaside, Monterey, and Pebble Beach. For automotive enthusiasts, the moniker of Monterey Car Week and the listing of those magnificent Central California towns should give you a clue as to what the MCW crew is doing during this glorious week.
Monterey Car Week - Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 2025
MCW and accordingly the humble scribe at Classic Industries relishes in devouring every sort of Central California landscape in addition to enthralling at all of the astonishing automotive finery that's racing around, driving along, or exhibiting at the numerous prestigious motorhead events during the week.
Parnelli Jones Trans-Am Trophy
Above: Parnelli Jones Trans-Am Racing Trophy - 1970 Camaro Z28 and 1969 Mustang Boss 302 Trans Am
This holiday always reminds me of my young formative years, when I would have summer vacations with my family. As a little kid in Sandy Springs, Georgia, I went to summer camp, which was a grand Huckleberry Finn sort of adventure for such a rough and tumble boy as me. The summer before my freshmen year of high school and the summer after - I had a blast, blasting lefthanded flat serves like Roscoe Tanner or John McEnroe (I wish) at Bassett Martin Tennis Camp at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Summer school for seven-on-seven football and weight lifting at Palos Verdes High School (go Sea Kings!), working at Fish Peddlers in Redondo Beach as a cook and a busboy, working at P.V. High as part of the summer gardening staff, and pumping petrol/washing windshields/performing oil and filter changes (on weekends - in stealth mode, if you catch my drift) at the Union 76 filling station with my good buddy Tom Murphy (aka Murph the Surf) - are all great memories of well-spent working and playing summers.
Above: Running strong and looking good while in motion or in repose in the paddock, the brilliant blue, #2x 1969 Boss 302 Mustang Dan Gurney machine combatted in the Parnelli Jones Trans-Am Trophy group, with owner/driver Patrick Byrne bringing the Boss to the battle.
Above and below: The coastline along world famous 17-Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, California - Walking under the canopy of trees, you'll arrive at that clubhouse on the coast. Since MCW/CI isn't part of the club, we didn't wander inside.
The days spent walking, hiking, and driving along 17-Mile Drive in Pebble Beach prior to the car events of Monterey Car Week remind me of my childhood as a burgeoning beach lover.
Above: A couple of humdrum daily, point A to B drivers staying at my Monterey hotel - a McLaren supercar and a 1965 Shelby GT350 Mustang (the genuine article). That Kona Blue Metallic 2019 Mustang EcoBoost turbo four banger in the background is the humble scribe's daily.
Tying This Altogether
Above: If you've never been to WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca, just imagine how cool and loud and awesome the commotion is at the top of the corkscrew, as the big and burly Trans-Am Racing muscle cars are about to blast down the corkscrew chute with their fender-to-fender action. A 1970 Plymouth AAR 'Cuda, #42, piloted by owner Jim Ockerlund is pursued by Peter Klutt, in his #63 clad 1967 Ford Mustang notchback coupe, with other muscle machines close behind and ready to pounce.
When I'd get back to school after all those glorious summers - be it elementary school, middle school, high school, or college - I'd always have some sort of class in which the teacher or the professor would have me write about what I did on my summer vacation.
Every year, when I'm writing these articles from Monterey Car Week, I'm reminded of my glorious well spent youth. The old car hobby, which encompasses for me - owning, building, working on, driving, showing, photographing, videoing, and writing about - is a privilege and an honor. It's also a labor of love and a labor of lunacy. Who else would spend their hard earned money and time on their summer vacation paying for, traveling to, photographing, videotaping, and writing about all kinds of automotive finery from across the globe but a gearhead for life? That was a rhetorical question.
Above: Ragtime Racers 1904-1920 Pre-War Vehicles on display in the paddock
Above: Joseph Golden entered his Metuchen Special, 1969 Boss 302 Mustang in the Parnelli Jones Trans-Am Trophy competition, #28A and had Conner Golden doing the driving.
Above: The appreciative crowd enjoyed watching John Hildebrand wheeling his #49 1964 Pontiac Tempest/GTO throughout the four days of Parnelli Jones Trans-Am Trophy and vintage racing action.
Above: Down the corkscrew flew the lime green #77 1970 Dodge Challenger, with its owner Richard Goldsmith muscling the Mopar, and having a Camaro Z28 giving hot pursuit. That's Trans-Am Racing at its best.
Above: Ken Epsman is well-wheeling his patriotic hued 1972 AMC Javelin down the corkscrew, with a 1970 AMC Javelin and a 1970 Boss 302 Ford Mustang giving chase.
Above and two below: It looks like Jeff O'Neill, piloting his #15T 1969 Boss 302 Mustang might have had an overheating issue. The #13 1970 Camaro Z/28, driven by owner Dennis Singleton, avoided coming into contact with the Boss 302.
Above: #15T 1969 Boss 302 Mustang waiting for a tow under yellow flag on the racetrack at Laguna Seca
Above: Within the paddock, a 1960 Piranha Sports Racer #3 AMT awaits its next run for victory on the track. Did you build this AMT car model as a kid?
Above: Doing battle at the corkscrew - NASCAR announcer Mike Joy might be at the wheel of his #17 1970 Camaro Z28, or it could be Scott Joy (his son?). Close behind is a #1 1969 Boss 302 Ford Mustang, raced by Mike McGovern for owner Jim Click. Two red, white, and blue American Motors Corporation Javelins, a 1972 and a 1970 are giving chase.
Above: A paddock beauty shot for the vintage racing fans
Above and two below: The #5 1967 Lotus Type 49 (chassis R2) Ford-Cosworth DFV engine debuted in this revolutionary Formula 1 racecar. Lotus' founder, Colin Chapman engineered the powerplant as a structural part of the car by bolting the engine directly to the chassis to support the gearbox and suspension. Famous British racer Jim Clark amazed the spectators by winning the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix in its first race. Chassis R2 then went on to achieve multiple podiums during the 1967 season, which included victories at Watkins Glen and Silverstone, establishing chassis R2's preeminence as a game-changing Grand Prix racecar. This racecar was a running and winning work of art, engineering, and design when it debuted. Check out the placard photo. Chassis R2 is airborne!
Pedro Rodriguez Trophy Class
Above lead photo, and two below: The #9 1966 Ford GT40 Mk II is owned by Chris MacAllister, and driven by Alex MacAllister in the Pedro Rodriguez Trophy Class. These shots show the GT40 negotiating the famous corkscrew turn at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Above: Anyone wish to guess which racecar was the humble scribe's favorite (another rhetorical question)? The #99 car - a 1974 Chevron B26 - is owned and raced by Jamie Constable.
Video Snippet - Pedro Rodriguez Trophy Class
Above: Bruce Canepa campaigned his #6A clad AMC Javelin in the Parnelli Jones Trans-Am Trophy classification.
Above: Corkscrew cavorting in the Parnelli Jones Trans-Am Trophy class - #42 1970 Plymouth Barracuda (owner/driver Bill Ockerlund), #63 1967 Ford Mustang notchback (Peter Klutt owner/driver), #1 1969 Boss 302 Mustang (Jim Click owner/Mike McGovern driver)
Above: Which Ford GT do you prefer - the first-gen 1966 Ford GT40 Mk II or the third-generation, twin-turbocharged V6-powered one above with the automatic, paddle-shifted transaxle?
Above: The #79 clad 1967 Mercury Cougar elegantly prowled down the Laguna Seca corkscrew with her owner, Michael Eisenberg at the wheel.
Above: #11 appeared comprised of solid gold in the paddock. The 2011 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car combatted in the Scott Pruett Legends of Endurance Cup class.
Above: For now at least, the #145 2010 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car was running ahead of the Le Mans Prototype endurance racecar. These beauties battled in the Scott Pruett Legends of Endurance Cup classification.
Above: In the Pedro Rodriguez Trophy race, the #11 N.A.R.T. 1971 Ferrari 312P Sparling Special Spyder driven by its owner John Goodman was pursued by the #99 clad Team Gunston/Shell 1974 Chevron B26 with her owner Jamie Constable at the wheel.
Above: More paddock rolling running art in repose after a fun/hard day of racing
Unser Family Cup
Above: IROC encampment in the paddock - #4P 1975 IROC Chevrolet Camaro owned/driven by Brian Pritt in foreground racing within the Unser Family Cup Class
Video Snippet - Unser Family Cup
Above: IROCs racing in the Unser Family Cup class
Above: Unser Family Cup IROC train - #06 2002 IROC Pontiac Firebird (Michael Slutz owner/driver), #6 silver 1996 IROC Pontiac Firebird (Rick Hendrick owner/NASCAR champion driver Jeff Gordon), #10 1975 IROC Chevrolet Camaro (Shaun Lynn owner/driver), #6 1974 IROC Porsche RSR (Carlos de Quesada owner/driver)
Above: More Unser Family Cup IROC action
Above: Famous F1 driving champions Jenson Button and Patrick Long shared driving duties with the #2 clad 1977 IROC Chevrolet Camaro, owned by William Warner - IROC down the cork in the Unser Family Cup!
Above: There was an IROC traffic jam atop the corkscrew in the Unser Family Cup at the start of the race.
Above: Unser Family Cup action - Zak Brown is the CEO of McLaren Racing. He's also the owner/driver of the #15 clad 1977 IROC Chevrolet Camaro. Mr. Brown raced for 10 years before taking the helm of McLaren Racing. The #4P clad blue 1975 IROC Chevrolet Camaro is owned and raced by Brian Pritt.
Above: #6J Randy Johnson owns and races his 2006 IROC Pontiac Firebird.
Above: Shaun Lynn in his #10 clad IROC 1975 Camaro was in the hunt throughout the four glorious days at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in the Unser Family Cup class.
Above: Lynn Larson campaigned the #146 1963 Huffaker Genie Mk8 in the Jim Hall USRRC Cup, with the #52 1965 Brabham BT-8, piloted by owner Dan Chapman, and the #70 1965 Lotus 23B/C of Mark Brannon pursuing in the slipstream.
Above: Zoom Zoom - even at rest!
Above: Pedro Rodriguez Trophy action - the #20 Porsche 911L of Robert Smalley, the #77 1972 Porsche 911 ST of Jonathan Ornstein, and the #54A 1969 Porsche 911 ST of Chuck Christensen became uncorked at the pinnacle of the corkscrew before spilling down the track.
The #91 1967 Porsche 911 S of Rod Wagner battled the #9 Ford GT40 of Chris MacAllister in the Pedro Rodriguez Trophy class.
Above: Pedro Rodriguez Trophy class - #77A Kevin Buckley, in his 1967 Porsche 911 S vs. Steve Walker, in his #48 1975 BMW 2002
Above: More Pedro Rodriguez Trophy class hijinks - #77B Porsche 911 vs. #54 Porsche 911
Above: #22 A 1968 Ford Mustang notchback, campaigned in the Parnelli Jones Trans-Am Racing class, is owned and raced by Jeffrey Kaiser. The 302 cubic inch V8 Ford engine is just below.
Above: A 1979 T298 Lola (#4), racing in the Pedro Rodriguez Trophy class, spun out right before the corkscrew. Thankfully, there were no collisions, and the Lola remained running and rejoined the race.
Above: Group B production bad boys, racing in the Ken Miles Sixties GT Trophy class, thundered down the road course.
Above: Ken Miles Sixties GT Trophy class - the #14 B production beauty is a 1966 Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada, owned and raced by John Fudge. The Bizzarrini combines Italian design with American horsepower and torque, in the form of a 5.4-liter (327 cubic inch) Chevrolet small-block V8 engine that produced 350-400 horsepower at the time.
Above: Ken Miles Sixties GT Trophy class B production - in all its American V8 engine powered pony car/muscle car glory - roaring along. Of course, that #99 blue Le Mans stripes over white 1961 Jaguar XKE coupe, owned and driven by Michael Doyle, has a DOHC (Dual Overhead Cam) straight six mill.
Above: Ken Miles Sixties GT Trophy class B production
Above: The #97 1962 Shelby Cobra 289 is owned by famous multi-Shelby Cobra 289 and 427 collector Lynn Park and raced by Steve Park in the Ken Miles GT Trophy class. The #8 1963 Chevrolet Corvette split window coupe is owned and piloted by Del Hardy.
Above: Ken Miles GT Trophy class - Here, the #79 1965 Shelby GT350 Mustang B production competition fastback is owned and raced by Jeff Kaiser.
Above: Ken Miles GT Trophy class - Blue over white B production brigade
Above: Ken Miles GT Trophy class - #91 1963 Shelby 289 (owned by Lynn Park and driven by Tim Park),1964 Shelby Cobra 289 #16 (owner/driver Lynn Park), #65 Sunbeam Tiger B production (owner/driver Tom Sakai)
Above: Ken Miles GT Trophy class - B production
Above: Ken Miles GT Trophy class - #3 1965 Corvette C2 convertible, owned and piloted by Matt Lituchy
Above and below: Ken Miles GT Trophy class - #91 1963 Shelby 289 Cobra, owned by Lynn Park and driven by Tim Park - something amiss!
#8 Ken Miles GT Trophy class - Del Hardy exiting the corkscrew in his 1963 Corvette C2 split-window coupe - license plate reads DAN - GER!
Above: Ken Miles GT Trophy class - James Farley flying low in his jet black , removable hardtop and #96 roundel clad 1964 Shelby Cobra 289 looked great at speed or at rest.
Classic Industries - Parts for American Pony, Muscle, Trans-Am Racecars, IROC Muscle, B-Production Beasts, etc.
Above: Parnelli Jones Trans-AM Trophy class - Nick DeVitis piloted his #28 clad 1968 Mustang notchback coupe through the corkscrew.
Whether you have an American pony or muscle car for the street or a full-on Trans Am, or IROC racecar, or B-production beast for the road courses of America and beyond, Classic Industries can help you obtain those must have components. Simply spend some pleasant shopping online time for these American tarmac burners. You can also augment your search by receiving a printed catalog. Working on these beauteous beasts is almost as much fun as it is driving, showing, and racing them.
