If you love German cars and find yourself in Monterey next week, make sure you do not miss out on Legends of the Autobahn.
Legends of the Autobahn began in 2009 and celebrated the cars of Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, and VW. Sadly, Porsche only hung out until 2014, when it decided to hold a show for Porsches only. To this day, I think that was a mistake. A single-marque show only holds my interest for a few hours, whereas Legends of the Autobahn, which continues to welcome vehicles from the other German automakers, has such a great variety of cars on display that it is one of the few Monterey Car Week events I tend to stay at until close (the other being the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance).
Hundreds of vehicles from Deutschland are invited to be displayed or judged, and are parked in their respective marque locations. The cars vary from beat-up daily drivers to some of the rarest and most exquisitely presented examples of automobile excellence in the world. The show is organized and managed by Audi Club North America, the BMW Car Club of America, and the Mercedes-Benz Club of America. Each organization is responsible for parking and judging the cars in its club. It is amazing to see how well they work together to make Legends such a great event.
This year, Legends of the Autobahn will be held on Thursday, August 13, at the Pacific Grove Golf Links in Pacific Grove, California. There is no entry fee, though on-site parking is available at a cost of only $30 (prepaid) or $40 the day of the show. You can sign up for prepaid parking by clicking here.
If you want your car on the show field (scroll down to the various club registration links), you have the choice of judged or non-judged. The price for judged cars is $210; display-only costs $160. In addition, you can purchase tickets for breakfast and lunch. If you are a member of any of the clubs (which you should be if you have an Audi, BMW, or Mercedes), you can sign up to volunteer in various ways. I have volunteered each year and made a lot of new friends by doing so. Since I don’t get to participate in my local club chapters as much as I would like, it gives me an opportunity to give back.
Of all the shows that lead up to Sunday at Pebble Beach, Legends of the Autobahn has always been my favorite. Since 2009, I have only missed it once. I could not make it last year, but I had a good excuse: I was driving my 1957 Chrysler Ghia Super Dart 400 on the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance. My advice is to arrive early, say 8 a.m., which will allow you to beat some of the traffic going into the show. Also, if you can afford it, showing on the field — even in the display class — is a great way to make some new friends, establish a “home base” at the show, and lock down an easily accessible place to store the various items you might buy from the many vendors in attendance.
