IF YOU'RE A FENDER PAUSER, well, you're in great company, for many pedestrians stop along various sidewalks to admire the swoop of a curved window, the glimmer of a grill, and how a well-designed dashboard can hold every dial and button it needs to and, somehow, stay delightfully uncrowded. But finding those dream machines worthy of pausing near, at least in your personal book, can sometimes be a challenge. You need to be strolling along the right block, at the right moment, and the owner of the vehicle needs to have parked in your line of sight. There are, however, those huge-of-size, big-of-reputation car events that draw hundreds of pause-ready automobiles together in one location, or a series of neighboring locations, making it a feast for the eye and mind. Monterey Car Week and the Concours d'Elegance, an August tradition around the peninsula, is plum-full of pleasurable pauses, and the multitude of events give auto aficionados lots of room for looking, sighing, and lavish daydreaming.
THE CROWNING EVENT, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, will gather "the finest 200 classic cars" together all on one day, Sunday, Aug. 20, and all in one stunning spot, the Pebble Beach Golf Links (make that the 18th fairway of the famous links). A special honoree in 2017? Ferrari. The tony happening will include a tribute to the 70th anniversary of Ferrari, so plan on seeing some wowza works of art hailing from "four full classes of Ferraris." There are several engine-revving to-dos on the roster ahead of Aug. 20, too, including The Little Car Show — wee machines are the charming focus — and the Carmel Mission Classic, which looks decades back to some of the great cars of the past. And the cheeky Concours d'Lemons on Saturday, Aug. 19? It's a crowd-pleaser. Each day on the schedule is pretty packed, so pick your days and pick your events and then pick what pleasing autos you'll pause by, the better to gaze, admire, and dream.
