Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna: Where Princesses Become Demons

The great significance of the Monterey Car Week lies in its ability to honour every dimension of that magical object known as the automobile: Concours d’Élégance events celebrate its forms, auctions its value, manufacturers’ previews its future, and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion its most extreme performance. The venue is the hills of Laguna Seca, home to the famous circuit known for its "impossible" corner baptised the Corkscrew, where from 12 to 15 August more than 400 historic cars divided into thirteen groups renewed an appointment that was born in 1974 – one that preserves, with surprising fidelity, the rules of that era: cars admitted must meet rigorous criteria of authenticity and must be purpose-built racing machines.

Each year is dedicated to a marque or a theme. "Salute to Japanese Motorsports: A Tradition of Precision & Heritage" was the theme for 2026. Alongside the full complement of 400 cars of every type and make present for the races, Mazda, Toyota, Nissan, and Honda received particular attention. Also significant were the appearances of figures who contributed to the success of cars from the Land of the Rising Sun in motorsport. For the first time, two cars were seen side by side, each representing a decisive moment in Japanese history at Le Mans: the Mazda 787B of 1991, the first car from a Japanese manufacturer to win the 24 Hours, with the unmistakable voice of its four-rotor engine, and the Toyota TS050 Hybrid, from Toyota’s first victory at Le Mans in 2018. Alongside them stood the Toyota 7, the Williams FW11 powered by Honda, the Nissan GTP ZX-T "Elvis", the Datsun 510 and 240Z, the Toyota Celica IMSA GTO, the Mazda 767B, and the more recent Subaru Impreza. To celebrate Japanese motorsport, a magnificent display of motorcycles ridden by some of the most celebrated riders of their time – Kenny Roberts, Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, and Kevin Schwantz – completed the occasion.