Monterey Car Week 2026: What Collectors and Buyers Should Watch Monterey Car Week 2026: Collector and Buyer Guide

For one week each August, California’s Monterey Peninsula becomes the global capital of the collector car. Historic machinery, new hypercars, design concepts, private tours and major auctions draw manufacturers, collectors and advisers into a market that operates somewhere between culture, sport and finance.

The 2026 programme is now under way. The Peninsula Motoring Series runs from 10–12 August with participation restricted to 30 vintage, sports and luxury cars. The format emphasises driving and hospitality rather than static display, reflecting a broader collector preference for events that allow significant cars to be used.

RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction follows from 13–15 August. Early headline consignments include the Ray and Bonnie Kinney Collection, with a Duesenberg Model J Tourster, a Figoni et Falaschi-bodied Talbot-Lago and a unique Rollston-bodied Stutz DV-32 Convertible Victoria. Their value lies not simply in age, but in coachwork, provenance, rarity and condition.

The Monterey Motorsports Festival on 15 August broadens the audience with a mix of contemporary and historic cars, entertainment and hospitality. The week ultimately builds towards the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where restoration standards and documented history are judged at the highest level.

Manufacturers also use Monterey to reveal new limited editions, concepts and coachbuilt cars. Buyers should distinguish an official production announcement from a design study or privately commissioned one-off. Allocation, homologation and Australian import eligibility can turn an exciting global debut into a vehicle unavailable locally.

Auction buyers need discipline. Register early, inspect the car personally or through a specialist, read the catalogue’s qualifications, verify matching numbers and ownership history, and budget for buyer’s premium, tax, transport, insurance, storage and Australian compliance. A winning bid is only the beginning of the transaction.

Currency risk matters for Australians. A change in the dollar between bidding and settlement can materially alter the landed cost. Import approval and asbestos-related checks for older cars should be understood before bidding, not after.

Monterey also offers useful market intelligence to people who never raise a paddle. Which periods attract crowds, which once-fashionable categories stall, and how buyers respond to originality versus restoration all reveal shifts in taste.

The cars provide the spectacle, but Monterey’s real function is price discovery and reputation-building. It is where manufacturers test the appetite for future products and collectors decide which pieces of automotive history deserve the next generation of attention.

Buyer checklist

– Confirm bidder registration and deposit requirements.
– Commission independent inspection and provenance research.
– Read all catalogue disclaimers and condition reports.
– Add buyer’s premium, tax, freight, insurance and compliance to the hammer price.
– Obtain Australian import advice before bidding.
– Model exchange-rate movement through settlement.
– Never assume a concours award guarantees mechanical fitness.

Aston Martin has unveiled the Valen, an 850PS V12 special limited to 150 cars worldwide and described by the company as the most powerful front-engined production car ever created by a manufacturer.

Developed through Q by Aston Martin, Valen uses the brand’s 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 to produce 850PS and 1,000Nm. It is claimed to reach 60mph in three seconds and continue to a top speed of 214mph, or about 344km/h.

The numbers are only part of the proposition. Aston Martin has removed up to 110 kilograms compared with its existing core V12 platform, using a full carbon-fibre body and motorsport-influenced lightweight components. A specially tuned titanium exhaust reduces mass while giving the engine a more pronounced sound character.

The exterior is not a simple variation of a series-production body. Bespoke lighting, carbon surfacing and a new interior architecture help Valen read as a distinct model, even though its front-engine, rear-drive proportions remain recognisably Aston Martin.

Chassis and powertrain calibration have been developed specifically for the car. That matters because the enduring appeal of a front-engined flagship lies in its relationship between long-distance usability and rear-driven balance, not in chasing mid-engined lap times alone.

Valen arrives as many performance manufacturers shift towards hybrid assistance. Aston Martin has instead used a highly tuned combustion engine, aggressive weight control and low production volume to create an analogue counterpoint at the top of its range.

That does not make it technologically simple. Carbon construction, active systems and the complexity of extracting 850PS from a road-legal V12 mean long-term servicing and replacement components will be as relevant to collectors as rarity.

Only 150 cars will be built. Australian allocation, pricing and delivery timing have not been confirmed publicly. Prospective buyers should also confirm whether the quoted 110-kilogram saving depends on optional equipment rather than standard specification.

In a market crowded with four-figure power outputs, Valen’s point of difference is architectural: a vast bonnet, compact cabin and V12 driving the rear wheels. It turns Aston Martin’s traditional grand-tourer silhouette into something deliberately sharper and rarer.

Fact box

– Model: Aston Martin Valen
– Production: 150 cars worldwide
– Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
– Output: 850PS and 1,000Nm
– Performance: Claimed 0–60mph in 3.0 seconds; 214mph top speed
– Body: Full carbon fibre
– Weight saving: Up to 110kg versus the referenced core V12 platform