Legends of the Autobahn: one of Monterey Car Week’s best events

Legends of the Autobahn is an unashamedly nostalgic pillar of Monterey’s Car Week that quite simply features a load of old German cars and puts them on some grass in the sunshine. It’s not a magic recipe, even if the assembled cars are simply magical.

Welcome then, to one of the liveliest shows at Pebble Beach. This year’s event, held on the Pacific Grove golf course, was heavily represented by a plethora of glorious old BMWs; everything from E28 M5s, a host of E30s, 3.0 CSis and even a smattering of E36s including a Compact with a 3.0-litre M3 engine shoved in its nose.

But where the cars up the road run into the millions and can’t be breathed on, LotA motors clearly get driven. Oh sure, there were a few supermodels on display, including a 300SL Gullwing, pristine BMW M1 and a trio of classic Audi motorsport cars, but for the most part it was car nuts just sharing their passions with whoever popped by the open bonnets of a load of old German cars.