Monterey Car Week takes place from August 8 to 17 - a prestigious event for a discerning audience. At least it would be if its reputation wasn't completely ruined (as it is every year) by the Concours d'Lemons, a competition for the shabbiest junk cars around.
Pebble Beach
The grand finale of Car Week is the 74th Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, which takes place on the last Sunday and is even broadcast live. The finest collector's cars gather there against a picturesque beach backdrop and compete for the prestigious title of "Best of Show". Experts judge the elegance, technical quality and historical relevance of the cars. Tickets are required.
Not Pebble Beach
The day before, the 16th Concours d'Lemons takes place as an alternative to this, with rickety rust buckets spreading a disgusting smell of oil and good humor. The shabbiest car wins the "Worst of Show" trophy, which is awarded by a jury that is as bumbling as it is corrupt (alcohol and food seem to go down particularly well). Successful attempts at bribery are rewarded with the "ribbon of dishonor", which is attached to the windscreen. Entry is free for visitors - and they are offered exactly what they paid for, and perhaps a little less.
Where the lemons bloom
But where does the Concours get its name from? In English, "lemons" are the name given to cars that have considerable defects right from the start of production (we would call them "Monday models"). The use of the term "lemon" to describe junk goes back to the expression "to hand someone a lemon". The first to use the term specifically for cars were the marketing people at VW. In 1960, they created a legendary advertisement in which they advertised the careful sorting out of faulty Beetles: "We pluck the lemons". In 1985, Andy Warhol turned the advertisement into art - and helped the term "lemons" to become even more famous.
Worse is always possible
After last year's Concours d'Lemons, Alan Galbraith, the self-proclaimed "head gasket" of the event, said: "The Concours d'Lemons celebrates the 'un-best' of the automotive world - and this year might have been the un-best of them all." Every year the cars get worse and the fun gets bigger. That's exactly the point: Lemons is an outlet for a sometimes stiff and overpriced Car Week. The cars are terrible and the prices are ridiculous, but the joy of the visitors is priceless.
