By Bettina McBee Hohmann | Photos by Kahn Media
Extravagance in automotive engineering is the theme of The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering. The 2019 festivity, hosted by Gordon McCall, celebrated the triumphs of man’s ingenuity. As the event commemorated its seventeenth year, 6,000 car enthusiasts dined on gourmet food and wine while mingling among the chrome masterpieces. The vibrant greens of Quail Lodge were the perfect backdrop for the chic partygoers as they marveled at the man-made eye candy.
Petersen Automotive Museum, based out of Los Angeles, displayed seven iconic movie vehicles, including the 1981 Time Machine from Back to the Future, the 1989 Batmobile from Batman, the 1999 Mach 5 Prototype inspired by Speed Racer, the 1998 Volkswagen Beetle Shagmobile from Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, the 1961 Volkswagen Beetle from Herbie: Fully Loaded, and the 1946 Ford Greased Lightning from Grease.
The Quail, as the event is called for short, presented elaborate exhibits highlighting 100 years of Bentley, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the McLaren F1, and a peek into the future with a tribute to the electric car movement.
This year’s list of over 250 prize vehicles included the Bentley EXP 100 GT, the Lotus Evija hypercar, the Aston Martin Valhalla, the DMC DeLorean, and the unveiling of the Bugatti Centodieci.
“Guests want to see the new unveils and all the amazing automobiles,” says Heather Buchanan, account executive for Kahn Media. The PR Company, based in Southern California, has broadened the spotlight on the event. “Fans love the camaraderie of the car-collecting community,” she adds.
As one of The Peninsula's Signature Events, the Motorsports Gathering remains in a class of its own. This year, The Quail Helicopter ticket ($10,000) included a ride for four from the Monterey Regional Airport directly to Quail, avoiding car week traffic.
What can we expect for 2020? Only the best.