The annual Monterey events schedule for 2007 kicked off with a new event this year – The Concours on
The Avenue, hosted by Doug and Genie Freedman, held on Tuesday 14 August in the select environs of
Ocean Avenue in Carmel. The raison d’etre was to provide scope for the display of vehicles not
specifically catered for at the other gatherings during the week. There was a pre-event reception in the
Carmel Plaza on the Monday evening for participants and invited guests, where a large plasma screen
showed motor racing footage, and the attendees were serenaded by strategically placed piano players,
as they wined and dined on the patio and terraces around the exclusive boutiques.
The concours, which was free to the public, attracted an eclectic array of machinery, ranging from a
Honda 125cc racing motorcycle, through a trio of micro-cars, pick-up trucks, muscle cars, to a variety of
Corvettes, including one of the five Grand Sport models built. This raucous racing car owned by Larry
Bowman, was a great crowd pleaser, and also a favourite with the judging team, as it won the
prestigious Best of Show award, and shook the presentation platform and rattled windows with its
thunderous exhaust note, which was greeted with appreciative applause from the assembled crowd.
Another nice touch was an aerobatic jet flypast during the afternoon, which was a surprise for everybody,
and made the gathering just that little bit more special. If this splendid inaugural gathering was anything
to go by, the event deserves to go on to be an integral part of the Monterey historic scene.
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