Our approach to Monterey Car Week every year is that there’s really no one right way to enjoy cars, so long as your enjoyment is socially responsible and friendly (e.g. not takeovers or coal-rolling). Over the course of one week, this little peninsula supports weirdos (Concours d’Lemons), raceheads (Historics), broccoli-headed paparazzi (Exotics on Broadway), vintage cars (Concours d’Elegance), new hypercars (The Quail), and everything in between. I fall into many of those camps, so I typically have a great time.
One of the big reasons why this is such a huge week is the flagship event, Sunday’s Concours d’Elegance. In the roughly decade that I’ve been going it’s grown in prestige and importance every year, thanks in no small part to the woman who has seen it become the pivotal show for a certain kind of car person. She’s passing the baton, and the new guy is curious if there’s enough of that certain kind of car person for the event to survive.
Today’s Morning Dump is all about barriers to entry. One big one for car buyers has been credit, and one of the key measures of credit availability just hit a ten-year high. Another challenge for affordability are the trade barriers put up by the President, and a new book details how hard automakers fought to stop them. With the loss of the Escape and the EcoSport, Ford’s biggest barrier to more sales might be an entry-level car. A new one is coming, and it sure sounds like the OG Escape.
‘Wow, Who’s Vince?’
There’s a lot to enjoy about this Hannah Elliott piece in Bloomberg on the legacy of Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Chairman Sandra Button and the new guy. It captures the inherent tension of the event and the challenges facing the next chair, Vince Finaldi, an attorney and car restorer. Lemme just start with this hilarious quote from McKeel Hagerty, though:
In this rarefied air, Finaldi is almost totally unknown. “As soon as it was announced, it was like, ‘Wow, who’s Vince?’ ” Hagerty says.
The joke here is that Hagerty has a Rolodex the size of a Packard Super Eight, so it’s noteworthy for him not to know someone important. I also had no idea who Finaldi was and I was also curious how anyone could replace Button. In just ten years, Car Week has exploded, and a lot of that has to do with the stature of the Concours, which has attracted new events, new auctions, and new people. Her tenure has seen the slow introduction of post-war cars, Japanese cars, and other vehicles that were not allowed, but the pricey event (it shuts down the Pebble Beach Golf Links) has still always felt authentically like the Concours.
Should things change? According to this article, the new guy has thoughts:
Over hash browns and eggs at Carmel’s Little Swiss Cafe, Finaldi lays out his objective: to modernize the $550-per-person fête that is prohibitively expensive for many families and dominated by cars unrelatable to pretty much anyone under age 40.
“It’s got a lot of room to scale,” says the ex-Marine. Top of his fix-it list are parking, official concours merch (“Car guys don’t wanna wear golf stuff”) and social media strategy. “When my own personal social media is more active than the leading car event in the world, that’s an issue,” Finaldi says.
The transition arrives as a younger cohort in car culture is now in the position to define the next generation of auto icons. Indeed, the market for vintage rides is increasingly driven by the tastes of influencers and investment firms rather than hobbyists. Even the most prestigious concours must adapt or risk calcifying into irrelevance.
I happened to be hanging out with Victor Muller of Spyker fame yesterday and, when talking about what Car Week might be like, he mentioned the Angeles Death Highway reel, which sums up some of the potential vibes:
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Do I want the Concours to change? It should evolve, of course, but I think I agree with Hagerty when he told Hannah that there are so many Paganis just driving on the streets of Monterey, or at The Quail, that they don’t necessarily need to be at the Concours yet (in 50 years, sure). No one is making more Brass Era Cars or Voisons, and it’s wonderful there’s a place for them to be appreciated.
At the same time, what’s classic to someone who is 83 isn’t quite the same to someone, like me, who is 43, and I don’t want to know what a 23-year-old thinks is a classic. A Lamborghini Miura is a classic to me, and this year’s tribute at the Concours to the Miura feels right, even though there will certainly be people there who remember when that was a new car. The last few years has seen cars from Le Mans, more Japanese vehicles, and fascinating categories like Wedge Cars:
I do agree the accessibility issues are real, both in terms of price (every year we generally talk to the same longtime attendee, and she’s mentioned that the expense is getting harder to justify) and in terms of sheer volume of people overwhelming the infrastructure. This isn’t specifically a Concours issue as much as it is a greater question for Car Week and the local authorities to address. Just getting anywhere during Car Week is a huge hassle, and David suggested yesterday that we might honestly be better off on eBikes.
Either way, we leave tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to seeing what this new year brings.
This Key Car Affordability Metric Just Hit Its Highest Level In A Decade
My new theme lately has been that, for all the k-shapedness of the economy, it’s not all completely terrible news for carbuyers. With interest rates climbing from nearly zero during the Pandemic, the availability of credit has been an ongoing issue. While it’s not an entirely solved one, the Dealertrack Credit Availability Index from Cox Automotive shows that a narrowing of yield spreads has led the index to its best level since 2015.
What’s going on here? More approvals for buyers with decent or good credit, slightly fewer subprime loans, and a lower share of negative equity all played a part. Cox Automotive provides a little more detail:
Conditions for financing a vehicle were more favorable in July, though the improvement was not evenly distributed. Approvals rose for a fourth straight month, improving across all four lender types and every used channel, with New the lone exception. Rate relief was narrower: The average contract rate fell 8 bps to 10.9% even as the 5-year Treasury rose, leaving borrowers in aggregate paying less over the benchmark than at any point since January 2025, though that decline came almost entirely from captive lenders, which cut 25 bps, while banks, credit unions and finance companies all edged higher.
So, generally good, but note that a lot of this is coming from automakers themselves via captive lenders, who are more incentivized to extend deals than traditional lenders. So long as the economy stays good and people can pay, this isn’t as much of an issue.
Automakers Tried, Unsuccessfully, To Stop Tariffs
President Trump’s “Liberation Day” has mostly been a liberation from profits for automakers, as the joke goes. Having potentially the most leverage, the Detroit Three automakers attempted to prevent tariffs according to a new book “Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump” from New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.
I haven’t gotten a copy of it yet, but the Detroit Free Press has, and shared these details:
“In an early March call with three titans of the American auto industry — Stellantis (Chairperson) John Elkann, Ford CEO Jim Farley, and General Motors CEO Mary Barra — the president broke some tough news. Auto executives, echoing leaders across other sectors, had been making the case that the supply chains underpinning their industry would be thrown into chaos — and the industry itself crippled — by Trump’s 25% tariffs on vehicles from Mexico and Canada.”
Trump had paused the implementation of tariffs by a month, offering a little reprieve. But the book said he told Elkann, Farley and Barra during that call that “they all needed to buckle up” and “get on board” because the full tariff implementation would go into effect on April 2, a day that Trump dubbed “Liberation Day.”
The White House has granted various exemptions related to the USMCA, so it hasn’t entirely crippled the industry. Some of this seems to stem from the work of new Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has done a good job of maintaining peaceful relations with President Trump. Why has President Trump listened to President Sheinbaum? The book also offers an explanation:
Trump was not moved by the automakers’ pleas, the book said. In fact, it appears the only one to move him was Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who called Trump on March 6, 2025, requesting a delay on tariffs. She got her wish, in part because Trump liked the sound of her voice.
Sometimes it’s the message, and sometimes it’s the messenger.
It Sure Sounds Like Ford Is Bringing Back The Escape As Something Like The OG Escape, Just In Pure Hybrid Form
As our Mercedes has noted, the original Ford Escape was an exceptionally good vehicle. I’ve always thought it looked great, was the right size, and the fact that it was available as a hybrid two decades ago was impressive. Slowly, though, the Escape morphed into something more like a conventional, blobby crossover. You could argue the car got better in certain quantifiable ways, but I think it became less and less like an Escape.
According to information from a dealer meeting obtained by Automotive News (seemingly the same one with the Mustang news), Ford also showed a $25,000 hybrid that looked kinda familiar:
Ford executives showed dealers at a private meeting in Las Vegas early mock-ups of a small crossover that will have a starting price around $25,000, according to multiple people who were in the room. The vehicle, which the people said would be offered in gasoline and hybrid versions, is expected to go on sale in 2029.
People at the meeting described the crossover, shown on video and in early prototype form, as boxy and wide, with one person saying it resembled a first-generation Escape. Executives did not reveal the vehicle’s name to dealers and indicated that the designs were not finalized but shown only to give a general sense of size.
That sounds awesome. Just call it the Escape, make it kind of look like the one above, and make it a cheap hybrid to compete with the Traxes and Corolla Crosses of the world.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
Do you know what David Tracy and Frank Zappa have in common? Both lived in Monterey because their fathers were attached to the Naval Post Graduate School (David’s dad as a student, Zappa’s as a teacher). This is where Zappa first learned to play music, and so today you’re all going to be treated to some “Cosmik Debris.”
The Big Question
Are you even aware of Car Week? Have you ever been? Does it mean anything to you?
Top photo: Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
Not quite 40, very aware of car week, mostly don’t care about it. Too far away and too expensive on top of that. Would I love to see some of the prewar cars? As someone who grew up near Auburn, IN and the auction, and getting to see Duesenbergs either at the auction or museum? Absolutely. But I can make the trip back home to do that for less than the cost of entry to car week, let alone getting there or staying there.
I have no desire to go to and experience a car event with the Grey Poupon set. The proper way to bring together car culture and a golf course is done in Pittsburgh every year. Never seen it covered because the people think that following the people who dissed the Clampetts to their own disadvantage, have you ever covered TBH cars, are the people who should decide. Talk about 2 kinds of people
I have maintained that Ford abandoning the Escape’s OG box form for the blob was a mistake
As far as Mexico and others (sec of defense) He likes people who look like they came off the casting couch, Like on a particular network show having the current president as the focus. World Leaders are treated the same. Especially for someone who isn’t particularly attractive. money is attractive though
WTF?
I’m under 50. I wouldn’t spend a single dollar to get in and I hate crowds of people, especially if I’m fighting for parking. But If you paid the entrance fee and helicoptered me into and out of the event I’d go. I’d also be stoned out of my mind the entire time.
Very aware of Car Week, would absolutely LOVE to go, but my Inner Yankee Cheapskate says “No Way, Jose” to the price of entry, even though I travel effectively for free.
But I haven’t been under 40 in quite some time now.
It’s not the age of the visitors it’s the size of their wallet. Finally going after that New Money
Age is just in relation to the cars that interest us. I can totally see many of the younger folks not being into pre-WWII cars, or even pre-80/90s cars, whereas for me, those are the only cars I would care to see at the show. My disdain for billionaire’s codpiece supercars is well known.
Wild to think that cars from the ’80s are now as old as pre-war cars were when I was an impressionable youth. How did I get so old? 😉
I’m under 40 and to be honest, prewar luxury cars are some of the few I actually care to see. Bugattis, Rolls Royces, Hispano Suiza, and all sorts of coachbuilt items. I see them as mechanical art more than “car guy” cars. That said, concours is only mildly interesting to me. I really want to go to goodwood one of these years to actually see them in action. Don’t care for Concours-level cars that take a gazillion hours to get the thread count right on an exposed screw.
60s muscle cars and stuff doesn’t move me much. Most car shows are just lines of various Mustangs, Chevelles and Corvettes that are largely distinguished by their marty reports. For that matter, car shows these days are kinda shit to me. Around here its that plus a bunch of modern mustangs and chargers with “gap cams” on their back windshield, little in between.
One of the highlights of my car nuttiness was visiting the Schlumpf collection in Mulhouse France. The beauty and presence of the cars is just staggering. I’d recommend and pay for that all day every day if you’re in the area. It’s a 30-45 minute ride from Basel Switzerland.
Mid-40’s here, but what I think I’d be most excited by would be if they recreated the entire Gran Turismo roster in person. Maybe one game per year? Cool, normal-ish, awesome cars that we didn’t have here are what I’m most interested in. I’m way more interested in what car might be fastest at an autocross than at a drag strip even though I don’t do either.
You may have seen it already but someone on youtube has put up some ‘Grand Turismo Beige Edition’ videos – showing the roster of cars, spinning in the showroom (GT1 or GT2 those graphics). If you haven’t I suspect you will enjoy it.
TBQ – never paid to attend but have found myself in that part of the world at the same time. Besides the cool cars parked on the street there was a nice little gathering in Pacific Grove prior to the drive over Laureles Grade. Nice way to talk to real owners who drive their vehicles. Two memories that stand out, the guy who gave me the full lowdown on his International KB including letting me inside and explaining how International woodies are special in part because they use hickory where Ford used poplar. And a former high school teacher of the wife who was there with his 289 AC Cobra that he bought for a few thousand bucks in the 70s and still drives. That was cooler than seeing a Bugatti Royale on a fairway.
They are correct, I have negative interest in going to any sort of luxury car show. Of course, I also just have no interest in new or high dollar cars so I am not the target market anyways. I just spent 5 days at the Tail of the Dragon for Miatas at the Gap and it was way more fun for someone of my tastes. Give me weird and off the wall projects done on a budget over vanity cars any day.
Pebble was one of the least fun car events I’ve been to, and I’m not eager to go back. A large part of it was the behavior of some of the attendees, who turned the snippiness up to 11 if you even showed a passing interest in whatever car they were with. Some owners were exceptionally cool, willing to talk all about the cars they brought and let people look all around them. Those good vibes get brought down quickly by various snooty dweebs, though.
There’s also a serious context problem. A Nazi-era car that was rumored to be a gift from Hitler himself may be a well-done restoration, but it should not receive gushing praise that strips it of that context in winning Best of Show. It’s morally abhorrent and irresponsible not to contextualize that as an object designed to extol the virtues and engineering might of a murderous, totalitarian regime. Gushing about a model with THAT dark of a past as ‘the most beautiful car in America” or whatever is revolting. I do think there’s space for immaculate restorations of cursed objects like that, as they’re a great illustration of the various tools of soft power and (in competition guise) sportswashing, not to mention Mercedes’ close ties to the Nazi regime. Put it in a museum, not in the winner’s circle.
(Also, the last place I want to be is anywhere a bunch of free-stuff-griftlords are fighting over giveaway hats. Y’all had a quality prank on those guys, though.)
TBQ: I attended the Monterey Historics a few times in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. A few friends and I would rent an RV, camp trackside between turns 5 and 6 from Thursday night through Monday morning. Wed share a keg with the neighbors, eat chicken wings and corn on the cob, and wake up in the morning to the sound of race cars practicing in the early fog. It was truly the best race-spectating experience ever (better than F1, although the Indy 500 was special, too.)
It was also cool to see the cars – in many cases, the actual cars that raced the actual old races, by actual racing heroes (many already gone), back in the day and before I was born. It was fun to chat with the current car owners, catch a celebrity here and there, and make a few new friends in the crowd (even if for a few minutes).
I also discovered my love for all things Alfa Romeo – my true love is still the late 50s Alfa Giullietta SZ’s racing around the track.
I also attended the Concours in 2005 or so. I am glad I went – saw lots of museum-type cars that I would otherwise not get to see.
(I also saw saw so many modern Ferraris that day/night, all red, all mid 90s or newer, that I lost all interest in the brand (except 308s and earlier). All full of ticky-tack, and they all just looked the same.) I don’t feel I need to go to the Concours again (or own a Ferrari, for that matter), but I am glad I went.
I need to go to the Lemons event. And perhaps spend a camping weekend the the racetrack once again. Before I get too old.
I went in 2000. It was $100 for a basic ticket IIRC, $40 for Concorso Italiano and Monterey Historics. PBC was a huge disappointment, but I did have a good time at the other two talking to actual humans rather than the lizard humanoids that made up much of PBC. I even met Horacio Pagani at the CI and he showed me some of the striking details of the Zonda, though I didn’t know that’s who he was, I thought he was really cool PR guy! Found out later when I read an interview and had a “wait a minute . . . holy shit” moment. Complete opposite of a roped-off Veyron reveal at Lime Rock surrounded by guys who looked like they had tried out for the snooty stereotype maitre d from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Historics was great, too. Laguna Seca is an interesting track and the people who drive their cars—much less race them—are real car people, not d-bags showing off their portfolio looking for to claim a prize with their name that someone else’s work earned. Way better than PBC was just Monterey itself, the Aquarium, seeing all the random cars parked or driving around, and following a F40 for a while (we were going the same way). While it’s nice to be able to really walk around up close to rare stuff, I find seeing them amongst all the regular garbage on the roads while being used as actual cars is far more impactful. A sea of Dinos is cool, but a lone emerald green Dino parked on a street in line with a new Beetle and a Suburban hits a lot harder.
I am just shy of 70 and no longer care about cars. We should crush lots of them. Why am I here? Good question. A latent burp of childhood conditioning. I’ll grt over it.
You’re also a member? I think you secretly still care about cars…it’s okay!
Hmm, well I agree that all SUVs should go into the Auto Parts City crusher.
Maybe all the gray cars as well.
Now, as your doctor I prescribe a good Miata to cure your car malaise.
You’ll thank me in the morning.
I have, in fact, owned a Miata (NA) before! It was a little tight for me at 6’2” but good.
Good lad!
Get into a ND and prepare to smile on every drive.
With the potential return of the Escape, Mazda has the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever, even if it’s just a Tribute.
All the shows that charge alot and refuse to change eventually die or are forced to change. The people coming die off. I’ve seen less known ones fail then another organization come in and take over being more inclusive and cheaper. Sometimes there is a year gap sometimes the other organization is on it so there isn’t.
Alot of times they charge most of the people displaying cars if it’s an outside event and for the first few years of their running it don’t change for general adm then might start charging but not large amounts.
The problem with the really big name shows like monetary or pebble beach. Are the people that come every year don’t want to change. It’s their little club. They just want people who they accept into their little club. They want to bring the thing they collect that might or might not be interesting to the masses. For most people under 50 brass cars just aren’t that interesting. Alot of the 1920s to 50s cars aren’t unless it’s something very different. They want to see stuff from the later eras. Probably 60s to 90s.
Almost everyone got sick of 32 roadsters and 55 to 57 Chevy at shows. How many first gen mustangs can you look at if you want a mustang person. Or random “1 of 1” corvettes because it was built on a Tuesday in March. They didn’t want to let the import guys in and died. The ones that did let them in might be still alive. Now because those groups have disbanded and so many of the guys died. It’s becoming a rarity again so people might be more interested. That’s why they started shows like monetary and people beach in the first place. Because car shows would have been a bunch of hot rodders and they had their own brass cars. I’ve heard people say they should figure out the trend from 20 years ago then let those people in as a good way to do it.
> like monetary or pebble beach
What’s the pecuniary equivalent of a Freudian slip?
a Freudian receipt?
Who doesn’t like getting in to a Zappa hole every once in a while
Also, re: car week. Evolve smartly, don’t wholesale change it in a year or two. If you are getting a bunch of over 40 guys with high net worths because the entry fee alone has passed half a grand, chances are the existing target demographic does play golf or look like they do. Start adding more “youthful” events and gear a bit each year as the elders age out. If you make all the merch look like an Urban Outfitters (which, BTW, they are now selling vintage auto-logo gear from the 50s/60s/70s), you begin to alienate the very people that made it special to begin with. To Matt’s point, there are only so many brass era cars left. I want to see and hear from the people passionate about cars that barely exist anymore, not some hoser tech bro who just discovered EB110s and wants to corner the market on them just like he did agentic AI medical supply sales.
The key is passion. Being around people who are passionate and want to talk about their passion in a relatable way. The best museums I’ve been to, the volunteer docents all want to gab about the stuff they’re showing because they love it deeply. Maybe we don’t get that at car week anymore and it’s too far gone. But if it’s still that way, it’s worth the price of admission.
Yep. A few years ago, the Greenwich Concours tried very hard to be relevant and with it, but LeMons was not a happy fit. Now they seem to be doubling down on the original kinds of vehicles and target crowds, focused on the olds and the golfers.
I’m 54 and no amount of Viagra will stir up my interest in vehicles that share more in common with tractors than cars that are made for actual driving. If the conversation starts with coachwork, I’m looking for the exits.
This is where the car world can sometimes get very interesting! I’m a 38 year old woman and my eyes light up when someone says “coachwork,” cause there’s a good chance we speak the same automotive language. I do recognize I’m in the minority on that, but I’m happy to chat with old heads who know the same esoteric names I do.
What I love is the remnants of those famous coach-builders that are still lurking (or were until recently)…LeBaron (Chrysler), Ghia (Ford), Bertone (Volvo), Fisher (GM)…
I remember fondly the “Body boy Fisher” tag on the door sill of my mother’s ’81 Caprice Classic Sport Sedan.
Then you’re a pretty boring car guy. The early history of the automobile is fascinating and rich if you take the time learn a thing or two.
Can’t please everyone. I went to Petersen museum a few weeks ago and enjoyed it. The main thing is that concourse events feel like blatant object worship. Most of them can barely move and will overheat moving 20 yards across the golf course. Just build models at that point, I don’t get it. I sold my last car to a guy who was going on about his numbers matching Chevy something. I just don’t care about that minutiae obsession.
Actually most of them do run and can do the drive they go on. And of course it’s object worship. Isn’t that the point? The price of admission is absurd and that absolutely needs to change. But, treating those cars as masterpieces is not the problem because that’s what they are. You are absolutely free to like what you like, but, again, you sound like a pretty ignorant car person who is being just as elitist about your own pedestrian taste as the people who take their cars to concourses.
Hell, the first production all wheel drive car built was the Jensen Interceptor FF, aka the Ferguson Factor. Named after the Ferguson Tractor AWD system that it used. I’m fascinated by how that element of the car industry worked back then. Like how all Duesenberg chassis were built in the same year, but are different model years depending on when they were finished by a Coachworks.
Two things:
1) She got her wish, in part because Trump liked the sound of her voice.
This should shock me. It does not.
2) The first gen Escape was the Fender Telecaster of small unibody SUVs: perfect right out of the box. If Ford just updated a wee bit over the years, it would still sell, same styling and all. Other automakers could serve themselves well by taking a hard look through the back catalog for successful formulas (that would still work today, i.e., stop with the 2-doors) and maybe bring a few big hits back … if done right. Don’t half-ass it like the GTO boondoggle. I wouldn’t mind an E30ish sedan in place of whatever the modern 2 series gran coupe is peddling these days.
I’m not shocked. We live in hell.
At least that one sorta worked in everyone’s favor for a change.
Most of us here are at least fairly aware of Car Week. If you wanted to send me, I’d go and I would write up some stuff from the perspective of someone who isn’t the target demographic, but I will not spend money to go check it out.
I wouldn’t miss it a bit if it went away, but I don’t think that you fix it by trying to shift the target demographic. The event is very entrenched as exactly what it is. Trying to change it too much will drive off the folks who currently care and probably won’t bring in the folks who don’t.
I also think his point about the social media presence is a miss. Automotive journalists take care of that work for you, and the perceived exclusivity is reduced by running an active social media account.
I find a lot of the cars interesting and would love to see them in a different setting, but I have no interest in going and dealing with the mobs and infrastructure deficiencies.
I’m over the age of 40 and care almost nothing about Car Week. I know of it, as it gets all kinds of automotive press, but I have little interest in most of the articles published about it and even less interest in attending.
I do, however, have interest in a new hybrid Escape, as it is something I could potentially afford.
TBQ – Aware of, sure. Care about? Not so much. Cars that are priced like houses just have so little relevance to my life that I can’t figure out why I should care about them, unless they’re in a reasonably-priced museum so that they can be seen and enjoyed by everyone. Also, I am more and more angry at the rich, old, out-of-touch guys who own these absurdly expensive things, and how they live in a completely different world from the rest of us, and while they may not be doing it intentionally, flexing on the (relative) poors leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. And the ones who are doing it deliberately (looking at the supercar influencers here), I never want to hear from them again.
Aware, enjoy the Autopian coverage, generally try to avoid crowded tourist traps.
“Liberation Day.” was applauded only by cultists admiring the emperor’s new clothes. As always, let petulance go unchecked, there will be hell toupee.
It’s basically just an art museum with way more irritating people
Isn’t that just the Bronco Sport?
To my eyes, the second gen Escape looks really similar to the Bronco Sport, just with less offroad tough cosplay. Which I guess Ford was kinda stuck with doing on the Sport, as it would have been odd to have a Bronco “family” member that didn’t match the other.
Seriously. Why are they describing it as looking like the Escape instead of a smaller Bronco.