Everything incorporated into Pebble Beach weekend, which is headlined, of course, by the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, is both fancy and golf course adjacent. The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, is one of those events, and as its name implies, there is a heavy focus on competition machinery new and old. Unlike the Concours, where many of the cars on display are so clean you could eat off the insides of their differential housings, vehicles at The Quail are more varied and sometimes even unclean. Gasp! Here are a few of our editors’ favorites at this year’s show:
1965 Austin Mini Moke
Nothing seemed more out of place at The Quail than this Mini Moke, so of course we gravitated to it right away. Being both small and (originally) inexpensive, it preened awkwardly among more elite hardware like the scrawny kid picked last for a dodgeball game. In fact, the Moke was built off the original Mini’s running gear and was intended for utilitarian workhorse duty. This 1965 example is one of the early Britain-built models—production later shifted to global sites—and the current owners use it as their Monterey runabout. It has been completely restored and fitted with an upgraded engine and brakes to mitigate its slowpoke-ness. —Alexander Stoklosa
1914 REO Runabout
It was the inventive decision to use a soup can to seal an exhaust-manifold leak that caught our eye—likely the only can of soup on the grounds of Quail. This example of Ransom E. Olds’s Runabout was restored in the 1960s, and only the seats and the cylindrical fuel tank have since been replaced. If exposed pushrods and rockers aren’t enough to make this a favorite, know that the band REO Speedwagon cribbed its name from the brand’s delivery truck. —K.C. Colwell
1927 BMW R42 Motorcycle
It’s not a car, sure, but the elemental aspect of a tube frame, skinny tires, and a flat-two engine driving the rear wheel by way of a shaft made us stop and take a long look. This thoroughly restored machine is beauty in simplicity. —K.C. Colwell
1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2600 Monza
Is this an Alfa Romeo wearing a Ferrari shield? It is! That’s because this Alfa 8C 2600 Monza was campaigned by Enzo Ferrari’s Scuderia in the early 1930s after Alfa Romeo paused its factory-backed racing efforts. Not only is this particular car crushingly pretty, it is powered by a 2.6-liter supercharged straight-eight and only weighs about 1500 pounds. Our favorite detail—and this is besides two of its three pedals separately sporting “Alfa” and “Romeo” stampings—is the paint peeling off its tail next to the high-exit exhaust pipe. As the saying goes: You can take a race car to a fancy golf course, but you can’t take the searing-hot exhaust gas out of the race car without melting some paint. On a golf course. —Alexander Stoklosa
1967 Lancia Fulvia Rallye 1.3 HF
A front-drive Fulvia, with its narrow-angle (think Volkswagen VR engines) V-4 engine won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1972. This is an early roadgoing version of the Fulvia rally car and has an aluminum hood, doors, and trunklid. Fulvia HFs like the one shown at The Quail had about 101 horsepower, which doesn’t sound like much, but the 1.3-liter engine only has to work against 2100 pounds of car. —Tony Quiroga
1967 Porsche 911 Targa S (and matching Baby Targa)
You’ve probably heard of couples buying matching his-and-her cars. This Porsche owner—and his or her lucky child—have “parent’s and child’s” 1967 Porsche 911 Targas. Because this is The Quail, both are S models, although we have no confirmation as to what the S designation upgrades on the child’s ride-on version. We do know that the details on the smaller 911 are incredible and match the adult-size version, right down to the “soft” rear window (Porsche-speak for the removable convertible-style plastic and canvas covering behind the targa hoop) and black-and-white checked seat inserts. These are parenting goals, people. —Alexander Stoklosa
1968 Honda S800
If Mazda stole the British roadster’s identity, it’s only because the Honda S800 lost it when it went out of production in 1970. What the almost toy-sized 791-cc inline-four lacks in power, 70 ponies, it makes up for in personality, revving to 10,000 rpm. This example is spotless and worthy of any car show. —K.C. Colwell
1971 American LaFrance 900 Series Pumper Turned Car Hauler
Half fire truck, half car hauler, and full rad. Jack Dick Customs—named so because it claims to know neither—stripped it of its firefighting gear and turned the back of this truck into a head-turning one-off transporter. The coolest part: It retained its Detroit Diesel engine, a turbocharged two-stroke V-8. This vehicle also is used more than other show cars at The Quail, having recently returned from a 6300-mile transcontinental journey. —K.C. Colwell
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