It’s Monterey Car Week, which means collectors, racers, and gearheads are descending upon California to see the latest and greatest cars the automotive world has to offer, both new and old.
And 2026 promises to be a big year. Classic car insurance company Hagerty is predicting this year’s Car Week auctions will bring in half-a-billion dollars for the first time. As the company noted, the upswing is due not to any broad market shift but to the fact there’s a bumper crop of seven- and eight-figure cars going under the hammer this year. There’s money to be made (and spent).
Every self-respecting automaker will be on hand this year, and we’ve noticed the Brits have come out with a strong showing of new metal early in the week. Don’t believe us? See for yourself below:
Range Rover
The luxury off-road specialists at Range Rover know we can’t get enough of their original SUV. In Monterey, the brand’s unveiled a “new” 1993 Range Rover finished in Titan Silver, the same colour seen on the flagship SV Ultra. The cabin is finished in two‑tone Orchid White and Cinder Grey Ultrafabrics; it’s so pretty, we’d be afraid to take it off road. All told, the build and restoration took 2,000 hours of work. The Rover Rover Classic will be auctioned off with the matching SV Ultra as part of RM Sotheby’s The Monterey Auction on Aug. 14.
Bentley
We can always count on Bentley to be doing something interesting. This year the brand has teamed up with Race Service, an automotive cultural hub and creative agency, to add a new annual gathering to the Monterey calendar. It’s called “Stazione Remota” and it’s an invite-only event that will showcase Bentley’s latest concepts — including the beloved Bentayga X — as well as classics and a new lifestyle collection. But it’s not just about cars. There will also be a vinyl listening room and a mobile coffee pop-up working out of a modified Bentayga.
Aston Martin
Aston may be having an awful season in Formula 1, but its road cars lineup is more impressive than ever. (Especially if you’re a fan of rowdy, overpowered rear-drive sports cars.) This year in Monterey, Q by Aston Martin is showing off its bespoke customization service with trio of special edition DB12 S models that take inspiration from the brand’s DB2 ‘VMF’ racecars from 1951.
Rolls-Royce
Never one for subtlety, Rolls-Royce has come to California with several new bespoke commissions. Included among them is the Black Badge Cullinan Series II, created as a one-off collaboration with French artist Cyril Kongo. It looks like something our teenage selves might have graffitied onto our school notebooks in the 1990s. But, as Rolls explains, “The commission reflects a growing desire among a new generation of collectors to create motor cars that are entirely unique and deeply personal.” Indeed.
Gordon Murray Automotive
Gordon Murray is the man behind so many championship-winning Formula 1 cars, (as well as the legendary 1992 McLaren F1), but he’s not done yet. Following last year’s divisive coachbuilt GMA S1 LM — an homage to the McLaren F1 LM — the firm is teasing a new supercar that looks suspiciously like another modern take on the F1. So far all we have to go on is a teaser image, but we’d bet it’ll have a manual gearbox and a wicked naturally-aspirated V12. Murray isn’t straying far from his winning formula.
McLaren F1 GTR
Speaking of McLaren and winning formula’s, one of the British firm’s racecars is going under the hammer this year at Car Week. The 1996 McLaren F1 GTR racecar — the first of only two prototypes of the short-tail GTR — was raced at Le Mans before being converted by the McLaren factory for roadgoing use. Its past owners include the McLaren museum, as well as Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, who hung onto this car for 25 years. How much? Well, we hope you’re sitting down: auction house RM Sotheby’s lists its value “in excess of $35,000,000 USD.”
FEATURE PHOTO COURTESY OF BENTLEY.
