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    30 August 2017

    The Quail: Flying high in the automotive world

    By Kat HawkeKat Hawke
    Rimac's fearsome Conept_One, and for good reason. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)

    Picture this: you're lined up ready to enter the carpark of the famous Quail Lodge Golf Club, there's an Aston Martin DBS in front and a purple-chrome Lamborghini Aventador just shy of your rear bumper.

    To your left: a Porsche GT3RS, to your right: a Ferrari LaFerrari. Although California's Carmel Valley sees such vehicles daily; this also happens to be one of the biggest days on the Monterey Car Week calendar... The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering.

    "The Quail" as it's known, is a premiere event attended by the automotive world's one-percent, including the likes of Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld and Magnus Walker, not to mention the world's most respected car connoisseurs.

    • But will Rimac stay for good, or is it just another super ambitious 'come again, gone again' supercar project. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) But will Rimac stay for good, or is it just another super ambitious 'come again, gone again' supercar project. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • Communism never looked so good. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) Communism never looked so good. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • How times have changed. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) How times have changed. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • Simple, yet stunning. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) Simple, yet stunning. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • You never know what you'll find at The Quail. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) You never know what you'll find at The Quail. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • I'm guessing that this one wasn't specced with the 2-litre turbo-four. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) I'm guessing that this one wasn't specced with the 2-litre turbo-four. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • Italy, Germany, and Britain. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) Italy, Germany, and Britain. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • You don't see them every day. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) You don't see them every day. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • McLaren's new engine spied in development. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) McLaren's new engine spied in development. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • Function follows form. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) Function follows form. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • An interior like it was crafted by silk and cream. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) An interior like it was crafted by silk and cream. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • Part racer, part central heating appliance. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) Part racer, part central heating appliance. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • 356 on semi-slicks? Nice. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) 356 on semi-slicks? Nice. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • Back when pedestrian safety wasn't a priority. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) Back when pedestrian safety wasn't a priority. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • Those white walls... (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) Those white walls... (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • Three Koenigseggs right next to each other? Three! (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) Three Koenigseggs right next to each other? Three! (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)

    The atmosphere was reminiscent of a summer lawn party: lively, jolly, with free-flowing champagne and overrun with some of the most sought-after vehicles on the planet.

    The world's luxury car manufacturers displayed their prized vehicles and other interactive experiences along the perimeter of the greens; marques such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani, Bentley, Koenigsegg, Rimac, Rolls Royce, McLaren and Singer Porsche were all accounted for. It was a one-stop-shop for any individual with a large imagination and an even larger wallet.

    Amongst these drool-worthy marquees were an array of classic vehicles displayed by owners from across the globe: Ferraris, Porsches, Lancia's, Alfa Romeos, Bentleys, Delahayes, pre-war Rolls Royces and even the odd Tatra.

    • A 2017 car, designed to look like a racer from the '40s, by a company that was established in 1989. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) A 2017 car, designed to look like a racer from the '40s, by a company that was established in 1989. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • Those brakes hiding in those deep-dish wheels, fantastic. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) Those brakes hiding in those deep-dish wheels, fantastic. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • RR's new Phantom. Crap, or future classic? (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) RR's new Phantom. Crap, or future classic? (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • What a lineup. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) What a lineup. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • Touring's Disco Volante. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) Touring's Disco Volante. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • Is the 959 Porsche's first supercar? (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) Is the 959 Porsche's first supercar? (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • It's all in the details. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) It's all in the details. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • Porsches, Porsches, Porsches... (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) Porsches, Porsches, Porsches... (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • Will the new R8 create the same legacy as the original Audi Quattro? (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) Will the new R8 create the same legacy as the original Audi Quattro? (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • One for the weekday, one for the weekend? (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) One for the weekday, one for the weekend? (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • Has 865 kW (1176hp), but still loses to a speedbump. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) Has 865 kW (1176hp), but still loses to a speedbump. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • This is why some supercars are so expensive; look how it all perfectly lines up. That attention to detail. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) This is why some supercars are so expensive; look how it all perfectly lines up. That attention to detail. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • Smooth... (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) Smooth... (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • An interior like no other. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) An interior like no other. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • You know it means business when its wheels are made from carbon-fibre. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) You know it means business when its wheels are made from carbon-fibre. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • Left or right? (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) Left or right? (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • No matter how many years pass, the original 911 will always be one of the design greats. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) No matter how many years pass, the original 911 will always be one of the design greats. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • Worth more than most houses. And suburbs. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) Worth more than most houses. And suburbs. (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • Oh my God - is that a Nissan Almera! (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) Oh my God - is that a Nissan Almera! (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)
    • Nice Chrysler... (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com) Nice Chrysler... (image credit: www.kathawkephotos.com)

    A gorgeous 1938 Delage D8S was a standout: it had made the trip all the way from Melbourne, giving the Australian guests a familiar sight to look at, as it sat proudly amongst its post-war counterparts sporting a Victorian Club Permit alongside its Pebble Beach plate.

    For a first-timer it was an overwhelming, nay, paralyzing experience: The caliber of both cars and people was so far beyond reasonable expectation that the first hour was spent simply trying to comprehend the contents of the carpark, let alone the event itself!

    8 Rolls Royces, a Singer Porsche, a Bentley Bentayga, a Ferrari Testarossa, and over 20 high-end Porsches were all spotted in the immediate vicinity of yours-truly (in a Dodge R/T Challenger... how pedestrian!).

    You could honestly hold a whole other event outside the gates, which is exactly what the organisers did: introducing the inaugural "Concours D'Quailegance" for spectators to have their cars judged within the carpark grounds.

    Kat Hawke is the internationally published, high-octane woman behind the lens at Kat Hawke Photos. You can get in touch and follow her work on Instagram and Facebook.

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