Four things we learned from Monterey Car Week
Car Week in Monterey is barely over, yet we already can’t wait for the 2027 edition. In the meantime, we take a moment to analyze the trends that shaped the automotive event of the year.
Hot, hot, hot
Featured Cars: McLaren MCL 6GT, Singer Classic & Classic Turbo, Koenigsegg CCGT1, Eccentrica V12 Roadster, Airion 911
Location: Monterey, California
The brands listen
Can you recall how long we’ve been waiting for a manual McLaren? If not, don't worry – we’ve endured a 34-year-long hiatus from the Woking-based brand. Yes, the last one was the iconic F1. Since then, we’ve relied strictly on paddle shifters. And now, just like that, McLaren presents the MCL 6GT, the ultimate spiritual successor to Bruce McLaren's vision for a road-going car. Powered by a V8, its key selling point is an immediate, analog, and mechanical driving experience. McLaren has yet to say a word on power and performance – but we can already say: Thank you, McLaren. Porsche, on the other hand, has presented another stunner built on a customer commission: The RS Flachbau, based on a GT2 RS, features fully integrated headlights while deploying a race-bred spoiler at the back.
Fast fashion
Be it (sports) cars or (luxury) coats – everything is expression. And these two favorite passions are now growing closer than ever: Singer Vehicle Design and Louis Vuitton showed off two very special 911 refinements, created under the maxim of bringing fashion and fast cars together. It all started with a request for a dashboard clock for a car reimagined by Singer – and from there, it escalated quickly. Not only did the two experts in luxury create bespoke cars, but also a matching wardrobe, expanding the experience into a complete ecosystem. Want to stay relevant in the hyper-luxurious world? Create your own world.
Oldschool is cool
In the late 2000s, the young Koenigsegg brand wanted to join the grid of the FIA GT1 Championship and built a challenger according to the rules. Those rules, however, were scrapped pretty fast, leaving the mean machine called CCGT stillborn. Christian von Koenigsegg hasn’t forgotten, though, and after the CC850, decided to launch a second tribute to his own roots: Enter the CCGT1, a road-legal (!) hypercar echoing the brutal and beautiful lines of its racing ancestor. Speaking of motorsport heritage, we also come back to the manual McLaren MCL 6GT: Vis-à-vis Koenigsegg, McLaren embraces its own road car heritage that was tragically cut short in the 1960s due to Bruce McLaren's death. In any case: Oldschool is cool. And it has never been cooler than now, when AI and automation seem to be taking over the world.
Restomods still rise
After the coupe, Eccentrica has now presented the V12 Roadster to complement its portfolio. More drama, more interaction, more restomod radness. Singer, on the other hand, has opted for the more luxurious restomod route, while the new Berlin-based challenger Airion plans to release 50 units of its purist Porsche creation. It channels the 2000s aesthetic and was developed with the help of BorromeodeSilva and HWA – with the latter co-creator also launching a Mercedes restomod of its own. All in all: The rise of the restomods has just begun, and it's not ending anytime soon.
