Here's What to Expect at 2016 Monterey Car Week

For luxury and exotic car enthusiasts, Monterey Car Week is the ultimate event.

This year’s festivities will start on August 15 and end on August 21, and there will be no shortage of events to showcase some of the world’s finest automobiles. Highlights from the 2016 Monterey Car Week include The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering on August 19, Concorso Italiano on August 20 and, of course, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 21.

2016 Monterey Car Week Coverage

AutoGuide.com will be reporting live from the 2016 Monterey Car Week to bring you coverage of all the exciting debuts. But until then, here are some of the more exciting things we are anticipating to see.

BMW has already shown off its completed restoration of Elvis Presley’s BMW 507, and the classic roadster will make its public debut at the 2016 Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach. The beautifully restored classic is chassis number 70079 and it will be shown exactly as it was when soldier Elvis Presley took delivery on December 20, 1958. Under the hood is a 3.2-liter V8 that was restored completely from spare parts, and even the Feather White exterior paint was applied with the same methods used some 60 years ago.

For the first time ever, both the Bugatti Chiron and Vision Gran Turismo Concept will be attending the same event. The Chiron will make an appearance first on Friday, August 19 at The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering before it heads to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Sunday. There, it will be joined by the Vision Gran Turismo Concept, presumably before it heads to its new owner in Saudi Arabia. That’s right, a Saudi Prince has purchased the Vision Gran Turismo Concept from Bugatti along with the Chiron show car used at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. It’s unclear which Bugatti Chiron will be shown off at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, but here’s to hoping it will be a different shade than what was presented in Geneva.

It’s probably a long shot, but a particular 1962 Shelby 206 Cobra could become the most expensive car to ever be sold at an auction. That’s because it is the Shelby 206 Cobra sporting serial number CSX 2000, which was the very first-ever Shelby Cobra ever produced. When Shelby first built the Cobra and started loaning it out to the media for testing purposes, he wanted to leave the impression that more than one was produced. So CSX 2000 was actually repainted a different color so that it appeared Shelby had an entire fleet of test cars. Some would say that this is the most important car in American history and we shall see on August 19 when it crosses the auction block if bidders agree. It does have a huge task ahead of it, however, considering the most expensive car ever sold at an auction currently is a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO that went for $34.65-million in 2014.

It would be a surprise if Lamborghini didn’t have anything to debut at the 2016 Monterey Car Week, considering how prestigious the event is. Although the Italian automaker hasn’t so much as teased what it will be bringing, we believe it will be the Huracan Superleggera that spy photographers have caught testing at the Nurburgring. After all, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance was where Lamborghini debuted the Aventador SV Roadster last year, so we do expect something from the company. If Lamborghini however, does choose to disappoint by not bringing the Huracan Superleggera to Pebble Beach, expect it to bow at the 2016 Paris Motor Show.

It’s also possible that the Centenario Roadster will debut.

Cadillac will be heading to 2016 Monterey Car Week to show off a new concept car. The company has always had a presence at both The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and it’s about time that the American automaker showed off something new and exciting. While the brand did make a statement last year, it didn’t have a major debut or reveal. That will change this year. In a press release teasing the design concept, Cadillac said, “It will feature an array of curved OLED screens, co-developed with LG Electronics. This technology, prominent in the latest home electronics, is being developed for a future Cadillac production vehicle.”

Last year, Hyundai had a pleasant surprise during the Monterey Car Week with the debut of the Vision G Coupe concept. Hyundai isn’t typically a brand associated to the Monterey Car Week, but now that the Genesis luxury sub-brand exists, we expect the Korean automaker to make a bigger statement this year. In May, a roadmap leaked that showed the future plans for the Genesis brand, which includes a smaller G70 luxury sedan, a pair of SUVs and a sporty coupe. Whether Genesis follows up on the Vision G Coupe concept or an SUV concept debuts remains to be unseen, but Hyundai should have a presence in Monterey if it wants to be taken seriously in the luxury market.

It hasn’t been confirmed that it will debut at Pebble Beach, but Mercedes-Maybach released the above teaser and based on the timing and the prestige of Monterey Car Week, we would be surprised if it wasn’t revealed next week. Not much is known about the coupe concept, but Mercedes did say it will be almost 20-feet long and it will likely preview a future model for the ultra-luxury brand. Currently, the Maybach nameplate is only used for a long-wheelbase S-Class variant, so it will be exciting to see Mercedes-Maybach tackle an all-new model to take on the likes of Rolls-Royce.