Packed schedule revealed for first Petersen Car Week

| 24 Jul 2020
Classic & Sports Car – Packed schedule revealed for first Petersen Car Week

The inaugural Petersen Car Week is just a few days away – and it seems that the idea of a mere ‘week’ was insufficient for this virtual extravaganza.

Launched to fill the void left by the coronavirus pandemic-prompted cancellation of this year’s Monterey Car Week, the Petersen Automotive Museum’s digital initiative has snowballed, now taking place on 1-10 and 12-16 August.

Petersen Car Week will incorporate some Monterey Car Week regulars and a whole lot more. And you can watch it all for free.

It promises more than 25 hours of content, including interviews, auctions, car shows, garage and factory tours, a celebrity-judged concours and eight vehicle debuts.

Classic & Sports Car – Packed schedule revealed for first Petersen Car Week

This ’64 Ferrari 250GT/L is in RM Sotheby’s ‘Shift/Monterey’ auction

Following the 1-10 August prologue, car week proper kicks off, and between 10am and 6:30pm (all times are Pacific Time Zone) on Wednesday 12 August, expect an auction, an unveiling by BMW and content from Top Gear US.

The San Marino Motor Classic Show is in the spotlight on 13 August from 8am-1pm, as is RM Sotheby’s online-only ‘Shift/Monterey’ auction, where a beautiful Scaglietti-bodied 1964 Ferrari 250GT/L Berlinetta Lusso will hope to find a new home.

Another of Thursday’s stars is the T.50 supercar by Gordon Murray Design, which will be showcased by Canepa Motorsport.

Three virtual car shows will be a major part of the line-up on Friday 14 August (8am-5:10pm), hosted by Legends of the Autobahn, Porsche Club of America and Monterey Car Week stalwart The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering.

Bonhams’ also-online sale, the Quail Motorcar Auction, is another of Friday’s features, where a 1934 Alfa Romeo 8C-2300 Cabriolet Décapotable is predicted to achieve $6.5-7.5m (£5.1-5.9m).

Classic & Sports Car – Packed schedule revealed for first Petersen Car Week

Footage from 2019’s Sonoma Speed Festival will be broadcast for the first time

There’s a competition bias on Saturday 15 August with contributions from, among others, Laguna Seca and Sonoma Speed Festival, as well as a pair of virtual shows: Concorso Italiano and Exotics on Broadway.

The event closes with the Petersen Concours d’Elegance on 16 August, and the high-profile list of judges includes Bill Warner, Bobby Rahal, Bruce Meyer, Chip Ganassi, David Sydorick, Lyn St James, McKeel Hagerty, Peter Mullin and Wayne Carini. Plus, Ford will take the covers off a new version of its GT.

And we’ve merely scratched the surface.