More than 400 cars are expected to star as part of the 50-year anniversary celebrations for Laguna Seca, at this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, held on August 14-17, 2024. The 50th Anniversary Exhibit, presented by Motul, will form the centrepiece of the event, with a special paddock championing the drivers, teams and cars that have made the difference in Historic racing at the infamous circuit.
The 50th Anniversary Exhibit will champion the drivers, teams and cars that have made the difference at the infamous circuit
Among the cars confirmed to appear (year celebrated in brackets) are a 1926 Miller (1993), 1955 Jaguar D-type (1976, 1992, 2011), 1956 Maserati 250F (1988, 2000, 2014), 1967 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 Fléron (1975, 1985, 2008), 1955 Mercedes-Benz W196 (1978, 1986), 1966 Gurney Eagle Indy Car (2010 salute to Dan Gurney; pictured above), 1999 BMW V12 LMR (1996, 2016), 1965 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe (1997, 2012, 2015), 1988 Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo (2018), and 1979 Porsche 935 (1982, 1998, 2009).
“Each car has incredible race history, and they are being generously provided by private collectors, museums and automakers who want to be part of the Historic racing celebration in Monterey,” said former Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum director, and curator of this special exhibit, Ellen Bireley. “Laguna Seca is America’s birthplace of creating an event solely for Historic race cars, with proven provenances where owners may enjoy them safely at speed. It’s exciting to work with everyone to bring this from concept to completion.”
The display will be supported by more than 400 Historic racing cars, spread over 13 groupings. The Historic Formula 1 (Mario Andretti Trophy) and Historic Trans-Am (Parnelli Jones Trans-Am Trophy) are returning with full grids. Also returning, for its second year, are the Saloon Cars (Dan Gurney Saloon Car Enduro), which will race daily with a special one-hour endurance race on Friday, August 16.
Among the cars confirmed are McLaren boss Zak Brown’s Jaguar XJR 8, BMW 321i Turbo and 1980 World Championship-winning Williams FW07, plus Australian Duncan MacKellar’s twice Le Mans-historied 1989 Porsche 962 C, appearing in its original 1989 livery. Other highlights include the three-time winner of the Sebring 12 Hours’ 2011 BMW M3 GT, the 1991 AAR/Toyota Eagle MkIII GTP (pictured above) that Juan Manuel Fangio II drove to win 14 of 23 races, the Ecurie Ecosse 1955 Jaguar D-type, and plenty more besides.
Proceedings will begin on Friday, August 9 in downtown Monterey, with the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca’s annual kick-off car show – more than 30 non-street-legal race cars roar through town under California Highway Patrol escort, followed by the Monterey Pre-Reunion. This follows the car show with a full weekend of competition and fun, from the early arrivals for the upcoming Historic races. It’s a great weekend that now includes the third annual Corkscrew Hillclimb, where cars race reverse course and finish at the top of the hill. August 14-17 sees the running of the actual event itself.
More details can be found at WeatherTechRaceway.com.
