RSSDestinations | San Francisco Travel Blog - Part 19
Road Rally a Must-See for Bay Area Antique Car Enthusiasts
We wrote recently about the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, an upcoming antique car show for serious car collectors and car lovers, but we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the road rally that leads up to the show and involves lots of entrants. The Pebble Beach Motoring Classic is the official prelude to the Concours and is now in its eighth year. The 1,500-mile tour of vintage cars from around the world leads off an amazing week of antique car auctions, races and shows on the Monterey Peninsula and is the event of the year for Bay Area vintage car lovers.
This year’s Classic begins on August 7 in Kirkland, Wash., and participants are expected to arrive in Pebble Beach eight days later. However, no matter how well restored and maintained these antiques may be, breakdowns and other unexpected developments are the rule rather than the exception in most years. The mountainous route from the Pacific Northwest can be very unforgiving to vintage cars, and owners and organizers frequently have to take alternative routes on their way south.
Participant Al McEwan is the proud owner of a 1931 Pierce-Arrow. He had to replace the head gasket on his motor shortly after he and other participants crossed into California last year.
“Something always comes up you can’t plan for,” he said. “Old cars break. You just have to roll with that.”
However, despite the occasional breakdown and route change, participants love the experience. They get to enjoy spectacular scenery as they travel through the Cascade Range, the Columbia River Gorge, Crater Lake and the redwood forests of Northern California’s rugged coast. They then turn inland and travel through the Sonoma Valley wine region, cross the Golden Gate Bridge and continue through San Francisco on their way to Monterey.
If you love antique cars, make time to see these automotive beauties as they travel through the Bay Area. If you would like the experience of riding in a timeless classic automobile, call us today at 800-339-8936 to ask about our San Francisco antique car rentals! We offer a very respectable selection of vintage cars for our guests who rent them for weddings, anniversaries, trips to the wine country, sightseeing tours and other special occasions. Browse our selection on our site, and, if you have questions or want to make a reservation, just give us a call at NLS Limo!
Save Time and Enjoy the Bay Area in Our San Francisco Cable Car Rentals
Most travelers heading to San Francisco consider a cable car ride up and down our city’s steep streets an essential part of the experience. However, many are not prepared for the wait times that cable car riders often have to face, especially during the summer season. If you want an authentic San Francisco cable car experience but don’t care to spend your time waiting in line, we have good news! You can rent one of our affordable motorized cable cars with friends and family and experience the Bay Area on your own terms! Our San Francisco cable car rentals look, sound and feel just like the ones you see on postcards but have several advantages, including these:
- Mobility
Unlike the cable cars that are limited to tracks, our San Francisco cable car rentals can take you wherever you’d like to go! You can use them to drop you and your friends and family off at the city’s best shopping districts, restaurants, clubs and other destinations. You can also design your own sightseeing tour and experience the grandest sights and off-the-beaten-track destinations for a truly authentic Bay Area experience. - Comfort
Our cable cars are available in the traditional open-air version, as well as the warmer and more comfortable enclosed version to protect you from the chilly breezes off the Bay. The weather here can be unpredictable, so if you’re not sure which type of cable car will be best for an upcoming visit, simply ask your reservation specialist for a recommendation based on the forecast. - Convenience
Unlike traditional cable cars, ours are available at all times, making it easier for you and your party to make plans around your schedule, rather than the Transportation Agency’s limited schedules. - Exclusivity
Our cable cars comfortably accommodate up to 34 friends and family members with plenty of space for everyone. Rather than having to bump elbows with strangers, you and your friends and family can stretch out, relax and enjoy having your own cable car experience.
These are just a few of the very practical reasons to rent our San Francisco cable cars for your upcoming visit. They are also quite affordable, making it easy for you to split the rental or treat your whole group to an authentic San Francisco experience. For more information or to make a reservation, just give us a call at NLS Limo at 800-339-8936! All aboard!
Make Plans to Attend This Year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
People here in the Bay Area are very familiar with the wealthy and exclusive enclave of Pebble Beach. Nestled on the California coast just south of Monterey, Pebble Beach is home to seven golf courses, including the beautiful and notoriously difficult Pebble Beach Golf Links. However, when classic car enthusiasts like us think of Pebble Beach, we’re not thinking about fairways and putting greens. We’re thinking about the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, one of the world’s best classic car shows.
This annual event occurs on the third Sunday of each August and features the kind of classic cars that make aficionados swoon. This year will mark the 62nd anniversary of this marvelous event, but this show is definitely not designed to attract everyday car enthusiasts. Advance tickets sell for $200, but sticker shock has not been a problem for event organizers, who say that the car show attracted 15,000 people last year. This year, organizers have announced that they will award prizes to the top three cars in at least 20 categories. Winners will then compete for the coveted Best in Show award.
The ticket price alone would tell you that this is no ordinary car show, but to get an idea of how exclusive this annual event truly is, consider the automotive marques (brands to us ordinary collectors) that will be honored at this year’s show:
- The Mercer automobile, which was manufactured in Trenton, N.J., from 1909 to 1925 and will have 12 entries
- Eight Fiat automobiles, all manufactured in 1913 or earlier
- Eleven very rare automobiles designed by Jacques Saoutchik, a Ukrainian-born custom carmaker who crafted automobiles in Paris from 1906 and 1955
- Nine Shelby Cobras made between 1962 and 1966 by Carroll Shelby, the stuff from which car lovers from a certain era’s dreams are truly woven
- Ten one-of-a-kind American sports cars built prior to 1968
- Fifteen custom Rolls-Royce limousines built between 1924 and 1937 that were once owned by Indian Maharajas
In addition to that phenomenal list of vintage automobiles, there will be dozens of other superb antique cars for attendees to see and appreciate.
If you’re thinking about adding that feeling of timeless elegance to an upcoming special event, consider renting one of our San Francisco antique cars. We have a very respectable selection of vintage cars and are always in the market for models we can lovingly restore and add to our collection. Browse the pages of our site to see the Bay Area antique car rentals that are currently available. If you have questions or would like to make a reservation, call us at NLS Limo today at 800-339-8936!
Rent a San Francisco Limousine and Experience Glorious Golden Gate Park in Comfort and Style
One of the true jewels of the city, Golden Gate Park is home to some of San Francisco’s cultural treasures and many things to see and experience. What once consisted of sand dunes, sea grass and little else is now a vast verdant space perfect for picnicking, relaxing, walking, running and many other leisure pursuits. Around 13 million people visit this park every year for its beauty and the endless variety of things to see and do.
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