9 Favorite Cars from the 2017 Concours on the Avenue

held in Carmel-by-the-Sea, the annual Concours on the Avenue is the traditional kick off event of the Monterey Car Week. Unlike most events, which are painfully expensive to get into, it is completely free of charge.

So in addition to attracting car fans, it is also enjoyed by tourists who just happened to be visiting Carmel, most of who were more than pleasantly surprised. Here are our favorite cars from the 2017 edition:



964 Porsche 911 RSR 3.8

Porsche returned to GT racing in the early 1990s with the mighty RSR version of the 964 911. Examples won their class at Le Mans and most other major endurance races. This highly original car was sold new to Japan and is today with only its second owner. At the start of the day, the odometer read only 760 km (472 miles).



Ford Equadoline

Loosely based on a classic Ford Ecoline, this wild machine features no fewer than four supercharged quad-cam Ford V-8s, each of which is good for 1000 hp. A recent build, it features modern suspension sourced from a C7 Corvette. It was shown together with a Ford Roadster that featured a pair of the supercharged V-8s.



Austin Healey 100S

With 55 examples, an Austin Healey 100S is rare in its own right but this particular example has very local competition history. Delivered new to Fred Knoop in San Francisco, this car ran in the Pebble Beach Road Races. The current custodian acquired the car earlier this year from a guy who had owned it for fifty years.



Porsche 911 T

This modified Porsche 911 T was shown in a special class for R Gruppe. This is a closed group of enthusiasts who focus on making disciplined modifications to early Porsche 911s. This particular 911 T features a Carrera RS 2.7 engine, which produces around 210 hp instead of the 140 hp of the original flat-six. It also boasts 911 Turbo brakes and is fitted with a roof rack that houses a Porsche suitcase and mountain bike.



1934 Ford Coupe

Although this is a very recent build, the current was very careful to preserve many of the Ford Coupe’s existing features. The body was left untouched and still wears the same paint and pinstriping that had been applied 50 years ago. What has been added to the car is the 1953 vintage flat-head and supercharged V-8.



After Shock by Rick Dore

This is one of the latest creations by custom car builder Rick Dore, whose design is inspired by the great 1930s French custom coachbuilders like Figoni & Falaschi. The all-aluminium body is hand made by the hugely talented Marcel de Lay. Dore had built this car for himself until a customer saw it in bare metal and decided that he had to have it.



Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France

Quite possibly the most valuable car on display during the Carmel Concours on the Avenue, this quintessential 1950s Ferrari Grand Tourer was named after the great road race dominated by the Italian manufacturer during this period. Built in 1958, it was first raced in Italy and soon after exported to the United States. The fabulous Ferrari was repainted to its original gray in 2015 but has never been completely apart for a full restoration.



DKW 3=6 Schnellaster Kastenwagen

A truly quirky design of the 1950s, this versatile delivery truck was built by DKW; one of the four rings of what is now known as Audi. It was powered by a three-cylinder two-stroke engine, which DKW believed was as powerful as a six-cylinder, hence the 3=6 type name. Sold new to the United States, the example on display was acquired by Peter Satori Motors from Pasadena, who were the DKW distributor of the area. It has recently been completely restored and repainted in its original color configuration.



Panhard Dyna Fourgonette Type K

Affirming all stereotypes, this 1952 Panhard Fourgonette or station wagon was used new by French baker to deliver pains to the two castles that were in his small town in rural France. The owner and his wife, who acquired the car from their native Holland, continued this tradition and served the visitors of the Concours on the Avenue with fresh bread. This proved remarkably more difficult to source than in the French countryside.


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