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2013 The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering
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Introduction
One of the most exclusive events during the annual car week on the Monterey Peninsula, The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering has provided a winning formula since its inception in 2003. Now in its tenth anniversary, 'The Quail' featured the single largest change in years with the addition of a section to the show field. This has freed up more space to display the cars on and also provided the restaurants more room to serve the fabulous food and drinks 'The Quail' has become famous for. Complementing the familiar classes for Pre- and Post-War Sports Racing cars, modern supercars and the Great Ferraris were special classes marking the California Mille and its founder, the late Martin Swig, 50 Years of Lamborghini, the Aston Martin Centennial and Pete Brock designs. Underlining the status of The Quail were a number of World and/or North American debuts staged at the event. Stopping by to enjoy a lavish lunch were a fabulous selection Corvette racers after 'The Quail Run' over Laureles Grade Road from the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Having attended all but the very first edition, our photographers were on hand from to capture the 10th anniversary in full detail. The result is this class-by-class 220-shot gallery.

Aston Martin Centennial
Established by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford in 1913, what would ultimately become Aston Martin is 100 years old this year. To mark the occasion, a fabulous collection of Aston Martins was assembled ranging from an one of the oldest surviving cars from the A.C. Bertelli era to the latest Vanquish Volante, which made one of its first North American appearance at 'The Quail'. The early Aston Martin was the T Type, which dates back to 1928 and was presented by the Mallya Collection. Particularly interesting was a display of three generations of Zagato bodied Astons from the original DB4 GT through to the 1980s V8 Vantage and the unique Vanquish Roadster of 2004. Unfortunately the three cars were not lined up side-by-side, which would have made it easier to examine the commonalities of the very distinct machines. Other Aston Martins of note in the two-dozen strong display were the second DB3S, which raced at Le Mans exactly 60 years ago and one of just three Touring Roadsters based on the mid-1950s DB2/4 MkII chassis.

Lamborghini at 50
"Why don't you stick to building tractors and leave the sports cars to me." Legend has it, this was Enzo Ferrari suggested to Ferruccio Lamborghini when he complained about the build quality of his newly acquired Ferrari. Whether this really happened we don't know but what is certain that Ferruccio did nothing of the sort and instead hired some of the biggest talents in the business to create the Lamborghini sports car. The first one was shown at the 1963 Turin Motor Show and a production version followed a year later. The marque is close to the heart of event chairman, the Honourable Sir Michael Kadoorie, as he has owned a Miura S from new. In fact, he was at the factory for several weeks to egg the workers on and ensure he specific demands were met. Not surprisingly, Kadoorie's Miura was on the field as a part of a Lamborghini retrospect. Also present was a very early 350 GT production car and a Diablo SE30 built to celebrate the manufacturer's 30th anniversary.

Supercars
For enthusiasts of contemporary supercars and particularly Ferraris, the 2013 Motorsports Gathering was an absolute treat. Not only did the event feature one of at least each one of the generations from the 288 GTO through to the Enzo, there were also several rare derivatives on display. Among them were one of just six 288 GTO Evoluziones and the even more elusive F50 GT of which reportedly only three were built. Thanks to an exhibit from a sponsor, we also had the opportunity to see an Enzo together with the P4/5 by Pininfarina and the Maserati MC12 all which use the same basic chassis and drivetrain. Owner and creator Jim Glickenhaus also brought the P4/5 Competizione racing car, which shares its design with the original Enzo-based road car but is actually built on a F430 Scuderia chassis with a F430 GT2 engine. Having campaigned the car for two seasons in Europe, the P4/5 Competizione has now been fully road registered, and, like all other cars in Glickenhaus' collection, will undoubtedly be a regular sight on the streets of Upstate New York.

World debuts
The early hours of The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering were filled with various debuts. On one end of the field, for example, Spyker CEO Victor Muller took the wraps off the B6 Venator Spyder while on the other the Galpin GTR1 was released. The former is still very much a concept car not expected to hit production until the end of 2014. The Ford GT-based Galpin, on the other hand, is available to customers but in limited numbers. It sports a bespoke body and a heavily revised, twin-turbocharged V8. Another world debut was the BMW M4 Concept. Although this was slated as a show car, the production version should differ only in details. Entering the show field, visitors were immediately treated to one of the most impressive displays on the field; the new Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Legend Jean-Pierre Wimille lined up nose-to-tail with the Bugatti Type 57G 'Tank' driven to the manufacturer's only 24 Hours of Le Mans victory, in 1937 by Wimille and Robert Benoist. This is believed to be the only surviving example of three built and was kindly loaned to Bugatti by the Simeone Automotive Museum in Philadelphia.

Pete Brock Designs
When Pete Brock was hired by General Motors in 1956, he was the company's youngest ever designer at the age of 19. Working under chief-designer Bill Mitchell, it was Brock's sketch that would form the basis of the second generation Corvette. The first sign of this to come was the Corvette Stingray Racer built in the late 1950s. By that time Brock had left to pursue his real passion; racing cars. He became the first employee of Shelby American and was most famously responsible for the Le Mans class winning Cobra Daytona Coupe. Under the Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE) banner, he continued to develop and build racing cars. In more recent years, he traveled the world as a racing photographer. Despite his great contributions to the automotive field, Brock is not as well known as some of his legendary contemporaries. For that reason alone, it was great to see him being honoured at The Quail. Surrounded by some of his greatest creations, including the Corvette Stingray and Le Mans winning Cobra, he took the time to talk to the fans and sign his latest book describing the creation of the Stingray.

Further Highlights
There were many more interesting and spectacular machines spread across the field in front of the Quail Lodge. Among them was an Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA raced in period by works driver Nanni Galli. It has survived in absolute time-warp condition and the owner even had Galli's original racing overalls, shoes and helmet with the car. It was due to be updated to GTA SA specification but the factory never got around it, which explains why it saw only limited action in its day. A rather more unusual machine was a Jaguar XK120 fitted with a canopy. This was used in 1953 by test driver Norman Dewis to set a new world record on the flying mile at 172.412 mph. Despite having celebrated his 93rd birthday a fortnight earlier, Dewis was on hand to admire the car he had driven so successfully 60 years earlier. Meticulously restored, probably looks better now than it ever did in period! Also worth noting were the displays provided by Petersen and Mullin Museums. Included were the ex-Steve McQueen Jaguar XKSS and a unique Bugatti Type 54 Grand Prix car with custom coachwork by Uhlik.

Final thoughts
As always, The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering was concluded by the award ceremony with the winners of both the class and best of show award chosen by the fellow entrants. Taking top honours this year was the Le Mans winning Cobra Daytona Coupe, shown by the Larry H. Miller family. This was the end of a day that was no doubt enjoyed by both the entrants and public as they were treated to the typically fine dining, a great selection of cars and also a surprise visit from Michael Schumacher. The seven-time World Champion had a 'Fireside Chat' with his former team manager and current FIA President Jean Todt and also answered questions from the crowd.

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Report by Wouter Melissen and images by Wouter Melissen and Pieter Melissen for Ultimatecarpage.com