Monterey Car Week 2026, Part 2

A planning mistake

Ahead of my trip to Monterey Car Week in 2026, I actually had a pretty poor idea of what was waiting for me. Naturally, I knew what Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance which also celebrated its 75th edition in 2026, but not how enormous the entire surrounding week had become. It is not a single event, but rather a multitude of separate gatherings, premieres, auctions, private viewings, and get-togethers spread across the entire Monterey Peninsula.

It was something I only discovered when the trip was already planned. And then I also realised my mistake. A press pass for Monterey Car Week 2026 wasn't enough. Many of the major events had their own accreditations that needed to be applied for separately and long in advance.

I still tried to apply to several of them, among others The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, Motorlux at Monterey Jet Center and Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca. But I was either told I was too late or got no response at all.

I was informed by The Quail that there was no press accreditation for me. With a ticket price of 1,750 dollars, it wasn't exactly the kind of event you spontaneously bought a ticket for either. I therefore simply ruled out The Quail from my Monterey week.

Car manufacturers' own houses during Monterey Car Week 2026

Another thing I hadn't understood before I came to Monterey was how much of the week takes place outside the official events. Several of the world's largest and most exclusive car manufacturers rent houses and villas in the area during the week. There, they host customers, collectors, media and specially invited guests and showcase their latest models in much more private settings.

The day before, on the Thursday, I had been allowed to come to Zenvos house, which I told you about in the first part of Monterey Car Week 2026. There I got to see, among other things, Aurora up close, with the new 6.6-litre quad-turbocharged Mjølner V12 and a total system output of up to 1,850 horsepower. The visit had given me a first insight into the part of the week that is not as visible to the ordinary visitor.

And on Thursday, yet another unexpected invitation arrived.

An unexpected invitation from Koenigsegg

On Thursday, I received a text message from Halldóra von Koenigsegg. She told me she could put me on Koenigsegg's guest list for both Friday and Saturday. Thursday night, however, was exclusively for customers and specially invited international media. It was also that night that Koenigsegg presented the new CCGT1 in-house. Among those present was Supercar Blondie, which gave a pretty clear picture of the kind of international attention the presentation received.

For me, it meant that I could get there the day after and see the car up close. I had already written off The Quail, so the opportunity to visit Koenigsegg instead and see one of the week's major news stories felt like a fantastic substitute. The plan for Friday was therefore set. I was going to Koenigsegg's house.

A completely empty Koenigsegg pavilion

When I arrived on Friday morning, however, things did not turn out quite as I had planned. The house was completely empty. Had it not been for the Koenigsegg shield above the entrance and the large white ghost logo in front of the house, I could almost have believed that I had gone to the wrong address.

The explanation was actually fairly obvious. The whole Koenigsegg gang was at The Quail, where they were showing off the CCGT1. The car I had hoped to see in the house was therefore at an event that I myself had not managed to get accreditation for.

It was therefore with a certain melancholy that I got into the car and started to drive away. I had come all the way to the USA and actually received an invitation to Koenigsegg's house in Monterey, but both the people and the car I had come there to meet and see were somewhere completely different. And it was right then that my phone pinged.

One email changed the whole day

The time was 10.30. The email came from The Quail. An extra press accreditation had become available. And it was mine. Suddenly, the car I had just missed was no longer behind the gates of an event I couldn't get into. I could go there. Friday had changed again.

The Quail during Monterey Car Week

A few hours later, I stood inside the gates of The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering. Since the confirmation of my accreditation didn't arrive until 10.30, I wasn't on-site until around lunchtime and had already missed some of the morning's presentations. Among other things, I missed Cadillac V-ONE Concept and the presentation from Singer and Louis Vuitton. But it also says something about The Quail. So much happens here during just a few hours that it is almost impossible to keep up with everything.

It is difficult to compare The Quail with an ordinary car show. Historic racing cars and some of the world's most sought-after collector cars stand side by side with brand new hypercars, concept cars and world premieres. Among other things, there were Toyota GR GT and Kimera K39, the extreme modern interpretation of the Lancia Beta Montecarlo. Everywhere there was something new or historic to discover and it was hard to know which way to start.

And there it stood, the Koenigsegg CCGT1, the car I had only a few hours earlier hoped to see in Koenigsegg's facility. The name dates back to the CCGT, the race car built for GT1 racing that never got the chance to race when the regulations changed. The new CCGT1 is a modern and road-legal interpretation based on the CC850. The twin-turbocharged V8 delivers 1,280 horsepower on standard petrol and a staggering 1,600 on E85.

In front of CCGT1 stood Dylan's spectacular purple Koenigsegg Jesko, Hydra. The combination of the deep purple paintwork and the exposed carbon fibre details meant it was hardly possible to miss, even in a house full of Koenigsegg models.

But the CCGT1 was far from the only new release during Monterey Car Week 2026. Bugatti Destrier, the third car from Programme Solitaire, was shown as a unique one-off with 1,600 horsepower. Hennessey Blackbird went in the opposite direction with rear-wheel drive, a naturally aspirated engine and a manual gearbox. There stood also Lamborghini Revuelto SV, which combined its 6.5-litre V12 with three electric motors for a total of 1,065 horsepower. I would also have reason to return to that car the very next day, as I was invited to Lamborghini's own house in Monterey.

There was also Audi Nuvolari, which showed a new direction for Audi after the R8, and Gordon Murray Special Vehicles S1, with a high-revving Cosworth V12 and six-speed manual gearbox. American Czinger 21C Spyder, Acura NEXERA Vision and new Brabus BODO Cabriolet Here are a few more of the cars that made it difficult to know which way to look.

The Quail is just as much about automotive history. One of the cars I fell for was Ferrari 625/250 Testarossa from 1957, owned by the American collector Bruce Meyer. It turned out to be the exact right car to stop at. Later, it was named Rolex Best of Show, The Quail's highest accolade. The car won 11 races as early as 1957 and was later equipped with the 3.0-litre V12 engine from the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa.

And even then I've only scratched the surface. The Quail featured so many special cars and new releases that this article would have become far too long if I were to tell you about everything I saw. Some of them will therefore simply have to speak through the pictures instead.

Perhaps it was the quantity that made the greatest impression. After a while, something rather strange happens. You begin to get used to it. A Ferrari F40 usually makes me stop in my tracks, but here they had gathered 14 Ferrari F40 and a whole 30 Lamborghini Diablo. After a few hours at The Quail, perspectives had simply shifted. That is perhaps what best summarises the experience: the extreme becomes normal.

And Friday was still far from over. I had seen the CCGT1 at The Quail, but I was still on Koenigsegg's guest list. Later that same day, I was to return to the house that only a few hours earlier had been completely empty.

Back to Koenigsegg

The truly incredible day was to continue even after The Quail. Later that evening I went back to Koenigsegg's house, and when I arrived it was hard to believe it was the same place I had visited in the morning. The completely empty house had come to life. Parked in front of the house were several of Koenigsegg's customer cars, the facade was bathed in red light and spotlights swept across the night sky.

However, the car I had primarily come back to see was parked on the other side of the house. Behind the villa, out in the garden, Koenigsegg had built their own stage for the CCGT1. There the car stood alone, illuminated against a black background with the CCGT1 logo above it. After first going to the house in the morning and finding it completely deserted, and then seeing the car among all the people at The Quail, I finally had the opportunity to take a closer look at it in much more peaceful circumstances.

I also had a nice chat with Christian von Koenigsegg, as usual. We have met many times over the years and always have pleasant conversations when we see each other. I also met Halldóra, Sebastian and their youngest son Samuel. After the pace and all the people at The Quail, it was a completely different feeling to finish the day here together with the Koenigsegg family and the gang around them.

CCGT1 brought back old memories

For me, there is also a special story behind the name CCGT itself, and during Monterey Car Week that story suddenly became very relevant again. As I stood in front of the new CCGT1 in Monterey, it brought back memories of GotlandRing, where many years earlier I photographed the original Koenigsegg CCGT.

It was during Gran Turismo GotlandRing, where Bård Eker had brought the car to the event. For me, it was a very special occasion to get to photograph a car that even then was a unique part of Koenigsegg's history. Below are some of my pictures of the CCGT from that occasion.

The original was built for GT1 racing. Koenigsegg had developed a competition car with the ambition of stepping into international GT-racing, but before the car had time to race, the rules were changed. The project therefore never got the future on the racetracks that was intended.

Almost two decades later

The CCGT1 is a modern and road-legal interpretation of the same idea, this time based on the CC850. However, it is perhaps above all the appearance that brings to mind the racing car. The enormous rear wing, the aerodynamics and the overall stance of the car make it look as though it should be parked in the paddock ahead of a GT race.

For me, therefore, meeting the CCGT1 during Monterey Car Week 2026 became something more than just getting to see yet another new Koenigsegg. I had photographed the car where the story began at Gotland Ring. Now I was standing on the other side of the earth in front of its modern successor, almost two decades later.

When darkness fell over Monterey, the Koenigsegg house glowed red and the spotlights drew their patterns across the sky, it was hard to imagine that the very same place had been completely empty just a few hours earlier. The day had begun here with a sense of disappointment. Now it ended in the exact same place, but in a way I could never have planned.