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Monterey Car Week—From Concours to Carbon Fiber Chaos
Monterey Car Week—From Concours to Carbon Fiber Chaos
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About this episode
Monterey Car Week takes center stage as the hosts discuss their experiences and observations from the event. Chris Harris, Paul, and Dave dive into the overwhelming presence of influencers, the rise of younger attendees, and the shift in automotive culture. They share insights on the auction scene, the allure of new cars like the Corvette ZR1X, and the nostalgia of classic Porsches. The conversation also touches on the impact of social media on car ownership and the evolving landscape of automotive enthusiasm, making for a lively and engaging discussion.
Topics:
monterey car week
influencers
younger attendees
auctions
corvette zr1x
porsche nostalgia
social media impact
automotive culture
Cars:
BMW M5
Cadillac CTS-V
Chevrolet Corvette
Ferrari 550 Maranello
Ferrari F355
Ford Expedition
Ford GT
Ford Mustang
Lamborghini Huracan
Mercedes-Benz G-Class
Porsche 356
Porsche 911
Porsche Taycan
Tesla Model Y
Volkswagen Vanagon
Monterey Car Week isn’t what it used to be—and that’s not a bad thing, depending on who you ask. The genteel, wine-and-cheese concours vibe is giving way to a new era of carbon fiber chaos, lifestyle flexing, and influencer-driven hype. From $1M+ one-off boutique builds (it’s not just Singer anymore—dozens of shops are chasing “ultra-exclusive” status) to sky-high ticket prices and an endless sea of YouTubers, the car world is being redefined in real time.
Tim recaps his Monterey adventures (plus his shocking purchase of a 1954 Triumph TR2—Egad, not a 911… what will Paul say!?). We debate whether Chinese EVs could spell the downfall of Porsche, BMW, and the European car industry as we know it. We also call out the rise of “safe” car journalism and the flood of shallow influencer content drowning the real enthusiasts.
It’s raw, fun, and maybe a little controversial—but that’s exactly how we like it.
Connect with us:
Paul Kramer: 714-335-4911 | [email protected]
Casey Parkin: [email protected]
David Van Epps: 704-799-7680 | [email protected] | IG and FB is @sonderwerks
Tim Harris: 512-758-0206 (text only) | [email protected]
Technical
Too Afraid to Ask
David Villarreal Fernández (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Car
Porsche 911
"nine right around when I met you, Tim, it was a back date, 9-11 SC, where we wanted to do a Yegrameister livery."
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Alf van Beem (CC0)
Car
Volkswagen Vanagon
"...oding had just stellar, did you guys see that old Vanagon that they had? It was like a, that thing had mold..."
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Berthold Werner (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Car
Porsche 356
"Yeah. I mean, I see it in the 356 market for sure. I've got one on consignment righ..."
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Dinkun Chen (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Car
G-Class Mercedes Wagon
"...ike rear-facing seat with seat belts, like an old Mercedes wagon, you had some other harness. No matter how legal ..."
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Calreyn88 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Car
Ferrari 550
"...st migrating towards, there was like a million to Ferrari 550. And there was a guy last year"
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Calreyn88 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Car
Ferrari 355
"...t year that had this a million dollar, of course, Ferrari 355. And I'm looking at some of these cars,"
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Matti Blume (CC BY-SA)
Car
Lamborghini Huracan
"...3RS is now the Porsche version of the Lamborghini Huracan. A hundred percent true statement."
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Matti Blume (CC BY-SA)
Car
Chevrolet Corvette
"your lead subject here. This, this Corvette, this, this Corvette's CXR. Okay."
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Hans-Jürgen Neubert (CC BY 4.0)
Car
Ford Mustang
"... I would say I'm more impressed with, I would say Mustang, the GTD product because I think for me,"
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HJUdall (CC0)
Car
Cadillac Ctsv
"to keep that product alive for very long. And it will do well like the CTS-V station manual wagon. That car will have legs in the used market."
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Alexander Migl (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Car
Tesla Model
"...the whole experience. Have you guys driven like a Tesla model, a Plaid, a Plaid version of a Tesla?"
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Alexander Migl (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Car
Porsche Taycan
"..., I've been in one. And I've been in the fanciest Taycan at Pecla for a lap. And yeah, it's a one-trick po..."
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David Villarreal Fernández (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Car
911 Porsche Gt3
"... French word, it's a poser car. It's not like the Porsche GT3 RS, where the part numbers are the same from the ..."
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OWS Photography (CC BY 4.0)
Car
Ford Expedition
"But I look forward to me. It's like it's an expedition. It's an experience."
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15 cars
15 cars featured
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