You’ll spend a fortune at many events during Monterey Car Week; you can easily drop a couple grand on admission to The Quail alone. But there’s one car show on the Monterey Peninsula that’s free for spectators and always delivers a spectacular lineup: Legends of the Autobahn.
My colleague Andy recently told you about how Legends is structured, but to recap, the event is hosted jointly by Audi Club North America, BMW Car Club of America, and Mercedes-Benz Club of America. Here is a story I wrote about my attendance in 2025. This year’s program was again held at the Pacific Grove Golf Links, and it was home to various display areas, manufacturer exhibits, and heritage presentations.
One of the many things to celebrate this year was the 70th anniversary of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America (MBCA). With that in mind, a number of special historic vehicles were brought out for display, including the above Mercedes-Maybach SL680. Following are a few of the many cars that stood out to me at the show.
1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC
Remember when car model names actually corresponded to engine size? This C126 Benz was powered by a 5.6-liter V-8 mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. It’s a pillarless hardtop celebrated for its Bruno Sacco styling, and this one had a blacked-out motif that made it extra menacing.
1991 Audi Coupe Quattro
This all-wheel-drive liftback was powered by a 2.3-liter, 20-valve, inline-five. The crown jewel of the car’s engineering, though, was its permanent Torsen Quattro system. The Coupe had direct mechanical ties to some of Audi’s rally-winning race cars.
1991 BMW 318is
This immaculate Brilliant Red E30 coupe had its original window sticker displayed on the dash. The car was delivered new to Linda Brock BMW in Scottsdale, Arizona, and had a suggested retail price of $22,820 that included two options: sunroof and fog lamps.
2006 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
Born from a Formula 1 partnership, the SLR McLaren supercar was powered by a hand-built, supercharged 5.4-liter AMG V-8 that was rated at 617 horsepower and 575 lb-ft of torque. It was (and is) an exclusive car, carrying an original sticker price of about $460,000.
For the price of admission, which is free, you really can’t go wrong with a visit to Legends of the Autobahn. Even with a little moisture in the air (and on the cars) it was one of the highlights of my visit to Monterey Car Week this year.
