The Quail Flies into Monterey with Cars CoptersMark VaughnThe Quail, A Motorsports Gathering remains about the most sought-after event in the Monterey Car Week calendar. You have to enter a lottery just for the chance to get tickets. The idea is and always was to keep it a more intimate gathering, though intimate is a sliding scale with thousands of guests and hundreds of cars.This year was the 23rd Quail, and in recent years the event has turned into a sort of Geneva Motor Show of cars, with world debuts taking place and big manufacturer presences all over the grass. The celebration has now spilled over onto three fairways of the Quail's golf course. It included a 100th anniversary celebration for Route 66, with big American classics of the 1950s parked amidst period-correct artsy bars and saloons; a big celebration of Lamborghinis, with Diablos seemingly everywhere; there were at least 14 Ferrari F40s; Japan's finest grand touring machines; and a special tribute to everyone's pal Bruce Meyer, without whom nothing would ever get done (thank you, Bruce!).1)Photo credit: Mark Vaughn1969 Corvette "The Orange Blossom Express" had big results at Sebring and other tracks in the 1970s.2)Photo credit: Mark VaughnA Bell 5050 Jet Ranger seats five and costs around $1.3 to $1.5 million.3)Photo credit: Mark VaughnThe McMurtry Speirling is known for its active ground-effect fan system that generates 4,400 lbs of downforce from a standstill, accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in roughly 1.5 seconds, and famously broke the Goodwood Hill Climb record. Here, an engineer explains it all to a young fan.4)Photo credit: Mark VaughnAdvertisementAdvertisement2026 Lanzante 95-59. This is a production-ready prototype.5)Photo credit: Mark Vaughn1971 Intermeccanica Italia Spyder.6)Photo credit: Mark VaughnRUF EHRA commemorates the speed records of previous models, including the Yellowbird, which went 211 mph in 1987 during an R&T test at the circuit of the same name."It's a very elegant-looking car and very strong in performance," said RUF founder Alois Ruf. "We call it the discreet charmer."If you want to call it yours, you'll have to pony up €1.5 million.7)Photo credit: Mark VaughnThis 1968 Toyota 2000GT was part of the Legacy of Japanese GTs exhibit. This one belongs to LA collector Mike Malamut.8)Photo credit: Mark VaughnAdvertisementAdvertisementPorsche revealed the road-legal factory one-off Flachbau, built from a like-new 2018 GT2 RS.The original Flachbau ran from 1982 to 1989. The name means flat nose, or in our parlance, slant nose.9)Photo credit: Mark VaughnDyno Don Nicholson's dragster was restored by his nephew, another Don Nicholson. Don the Younger fired it up a few times during the day. Everyone stopped what they were doing and listened.10)Photo credit: Mark VaughnWe counted 14 F40s at the Quail!11)Photo credit: Mark VaughnResponding to "overwhelming customer demand," Porsche is bringing the six-speed manual transmission back to the 911 Carrera S in North America. The Carrera S, which initially transitioned into the 992.2 generation exclusively with an eight-speed PDK, is now joined by the new 911 Carrera S with MT Package. The new 911 Carrera S with MT Package is exclusive to North America. The package includes an elevated standard equipment list compared to 911 Carrera S, while prioritizing analog driving and minimizing additional weight. The formula builds on the successful foundation set by the Carrera T to offer an even sportier option to the Carrera model family that begs for b-roads and taking the long way home.12)Photo credit: Mark VaughnAdvertisementAdvertisementHennessey Blackbird, a wheeled tribute to the SR-71, costs $2.5 million.13)Photo credit: Mark VaughnSpyker is still around and here's its 2027 C8 Preliator XXV. It has a manual gearbox. "You can't find any digital things inside this car," they said. It's powered by an 800 horsepower twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 from Audi. It's pimptastic!14)Photo credit: Mark VaughnBruce Meyer is the nicest guy in collector cardom, and he was honored at the Quail with a special section of six of his favorite cars. "I'm blessed," he said, when asked about the honor.Meyer's 1958 Ferrari Testarossa won Best of Show, another honor he truly deserved.15)Photo credit: Mark VaughnAt 11 a.m., all the engines on the field started up.16)Photo credit: Mark VaughnAdvertisementAdvertisementTo make a Gordon Murray S1, the team removed all the aero, which eased up on the springs, which makes it a softer and more comfortable ride. Think of it as a GT.17)Photo credit: Mark VaughnGuntherwerks revealed the track-focused GXR-Evo—their fastest naturally aspirated build yet. The goal is to lap the Nürburgring in under seven minutes.18)Photo credit: Mark VaughnThe Koenigsegg CCGT1 1,600-hp manual V8 was built to race in GT1, but when that series was canceled, the team redid it as a street car.19)Photo credit: Mark VaughnMotorcycles raced over Laureles Grade from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and onto the grass at the Quail, an annual tradition.20)Photo credit: Mark VaughnAdvertisementAdvertisementRace cars came, too, as is the tradition at The Quail. That's racing great John Morton in the passenger's seat of his old Datsun, smiling the whole way.21)Photo credit: Mark VaughnHere are some of the 14 F40s.22)Photo credit: Mark Vaughn1964 Shelby American King Cobra.23)Photo credit: Mark VaughnThe grounds.24)Photo credit: Mark VaughnAdvertisementAdvertisementKindred makes EV conversions of classic cars. This one's an original VW van, but they also do Broncos and even 911s. It's powered by a 294-hp motor drawing power from a 74-kWh battery. Level 3 charging is included. The EV bus shown here stickers for $275,000. They're located on Mare Island in the SF Bay.25)Photo credit: Mark VaughnLamborghini unveiled the Revuelto SV, the fifth model to wear the Super Veloce (SV) name, at The Quail. Representing the latest evolution of Lamborghini's V12 hierarchy, the Revuelto SV "embodies the purest expression of the brand's performance philosophy."26)Photo credit: Mark Vaughn1965 Corvette Stingray was part of the Quail's celebration of the 100th anniversary of Route 66.27)Photo credit: Mark VaughnThis convertible Chevy was also part of the Rte. 66 celebrations.28)Photo credit: Mark VaughnAdvertisementAdvertisement29)Photo credit: Mark VaughnBeautiful Lincoln Convertible brought by Bazil LaRoche and Russell Harmon from their collection of very cool cars.30)Photo credit: Mark VaughnThe Joby was flown into the Quail. Development continues apace to see these operating by 2027. Joby Aviation develops this all-electric tilting-rotor eVTOL with support from Toyota. While it takes off vertically like a helicopter, the company emphasizes that it is a fixed-wing hybrid plane with six tilting propellers built to carry one pilot and four passengers at speeds up to 200 mph, though the guy we spoke with there said top speed is a little less than that.31)Photo credit: Mark VaughnThe Patriots Jet Team did a coordinated flyover of The Quail in their Aero L-39 Albatros high-performance trainer jets. The L-39 was designed and produced by Aero Vodochody in the Czech Republic.32)Photo credit: Mark VaughnAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Patriots buzz the Quail.