Driven Radio Show #315: Monterey Car Week Tips

·1 hr 10 min·5 clips

Brett describes a 1973 Vega with a dragon airbrushed across it and a crushed blue velvet interior, including the roll cage.

The episode begins with the hosts expressing fascination over a 1973 Chevrolet Vega listed on Facebook Marketplace, featuring an extensive dragon airbrush job, crushed blue velvet interior, T-tops, and a 350 engine, priced at $23,000; they contacted the owner Bruce, who agreed to a potential interview. They transition to automotive news, reporting that Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares left after disagreements, leading to layoffs and the sale of assets, but Tim Kuniskis returned to revive the Hemi and Ram TRX. Performance car discussions include the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and ZR1X setting Nürburgring times, with engineers outperforming a professional driver in a Ford Mustang GTD, and the Mercedes-AMG One holding the overall record. The bulk of the episode is a primer on Monterey Car Week 2025, with Brett sharing his last-minute planning: he booked a condo at Pajaro Dunes in Watsonville, split among friends, and recommends flying into nearby airports or driving. Restaurant suggestions include London Bridge Pub, Crown and Anchor, El Torito, and Baja Cantina, the latter noted for car memorabilia. Auction highlights are covered, such as Mecum at Del Monte Golf Course, Broad Arrow at Monterey Jet Center featuring a Maserati MC-12, Gooding & Company with a Ferrari 250 GT California, RM Sotheby's with a Ferrari F40 LM, and Bonhams at Quail Lodge. Events highlighted include the Concours des Limons for 'craptastic' cars, The Paddock with Radwood, Concorso Italiano, Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca, Porsche Werks Reunion, and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The hosts conclude with stories from a local car meet, including a hand-built wooden boattail speedster, a Corvette L88 tribute, and a heavily modified MG Midget with custom throttle bodies and 3D-printed parts.

As heard by us

A loose Monterey Car Week hangout sparked by seven Koenigseggs ripping through a tunnel.

Driven Radio Show frames Monterey Car Week as the rare kind of spectacle that can still break through exotic-car overload. Brett Hatfield's memory of seven Koenigseggs stacked at an intersection beside a roughly quarter-mile tunnel, then launching when the light changed, gives…

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Why you'd press play

You get Monterey Car Week pointers, a blue 1973 Vega with a dragon wrap, and seven Koenigseggs ripping through a tunnel.

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