Monterey Auto Week started this Tuesday, and Hooniverse was there. As we approached Monterey, it was clear we were in car country. I mean, how often does a British racing green Bentley 4 1/2 litre blow past you on the highway?

Come take a gander at what we saw!

Our first stop was Concours on the Avenue in quaint little Carmel. The houses there do not have addresses; they just have names. And here is a mini traffic jam at the Carmel exit.

We parked our car in a residential neighborhood and walked about six blocks to the show. It seemed like every other house had a 560SEC in the driveway. But these two cars really popped out. The Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible was the Bugatti Veyron of 1980s Orange County, where I was raised. I remember seeing obscenely rich, big haired rock stars in Newport Beach, driving triple cream Corniches with the top down as a kid.

This 1948 Tucker was yet another randomly parked car.

The cars on display were beyond clean. I dare you to find a 2013 showroom model with an engine that is as clean as this Aston Martin DB6’s.

We met up with Stu_Rock at the show. He remarked that this 959 with its very unique exterior color was probably not at Canepa when we visited it earlier this summer.

This Nash Rambler wagon had me scratching my head. How did the front wheels turn?

I’m not a big fan of hot rods, but this was one of my favorite cars at the event.

Here is an Oakland-built Gatto with a Ferrari engine.

Goggomobil.

This 993 Speedster, which is not a factory original, is an incredible conversion.

This Fiat 2300 S Abarth Coupe is a big car.

Incredibly loud Ford GT40 for our resident GT lover.

Here are four California Highway Patrol motorcycles. A discussion came up– how many state highway patrols have motorcycles in their fleets? You will notice that three of these are BMWs. One is a Kawasaki. In fact, the Kawasaki is quite rare, as it is one of only 50 in the CHP’s inventory.

This Ferrari was found at the bottom of a lake and resurrected. The new owner took a few liberties and added these tail fins, among other atrocities.

Rear end of a Porsche Carrera GTS.

An Israeli Sabra.

Two Toyota 2000 GTs. The red one had a mashed up aluminum hammer in the trunk.

A couple of American muscle racing cars.

A lace covered 911.

There were a few Dannenhauer & Stauss Porsche look-alikes.

At around one p.m., we were starving and walked back to our cars. We were headed to Phil’s Fish Market for a feast of New England clam chowder, deep fried artichoke hearts, broiled halibut, and cheap house wine. We were talking about my next car and came upon this Lexus IS300 wagon, which is one of the potential candidates.

But ultimately, what is at the top of my list is a Signal Red C320 wagon, which is similar to this coupe.

After lunch, I was ready to pass out. But we had to go to Automobilia in nearby Seaside, at the Embassy Suites hotel ballroom. If you want a helmet signed by the entire 2012 F1 starting grid (plus King Bernie), a shop manual for an Aston Martin V8, or a BMW Z1 sales brochure, this is the place to be. There are 44 vendors from around the world represented here. I come here every year and always end up buying something I never knew existed.

But first, the parking lot. Check out this Quattroporte III with Italian plates. It attracted a small crowd, for obvious reasons.

And look at the size of this Aston DB7.

After making three laps around the ballroom, I ended up with this book, Maserati: The Road Cars, 1981-1997. I can’t wait to read it.

Images source: Jim Yu