If you’re a car enthusiast or just enjoy the lifestyle associated with elegant automobiles, Monterey is the place to be during the third weekend in August. With the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance as the centerpiece, a variety of events take place prior to the Concours that are well worth attending, if you have the time and the means.

One of the more exclusive of these is The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering.

The Quail takes place on the golf course of The Quail Lodge in Carmel, California, on the Friday prior to the Pebble Beach Concours. Only 3,000 tickets are sold, so the grounds never seem crowded, and there’s plenty to see, including some of the rarest sports and race cars in existence.

This year one of the featured vehicles at The Quail was the Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 Cabriolet. Only 40 of these Ferraris were ever built, and 20 of those were on display. Produced between 1957 and 1959, the elegant sports cars were powered by a V12 engine teamed with a 4-speed manual gearbox. Top speed was around 157 mph.

Included in this display of rare Ferrari convertibles was the prototype of the series, and parked next to it was the last of the Series 1 Cabriolets to be built. We spoke with the owner of the last in the series, who told us that it’s great fun to drive, and that he has owned his for 30 of its 50 years in existence.

In addition to the array of rare Ferraris, The Quail was celebrating the 100th anniversary of racer and builder Briggs Cunningham. A collection of Cunningham’s race cars were on display, including the C-3 Coupe—one of 18 ever built—and the C-4R, which won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1953.

Helping to celebrate 50 years of racing at Laguna-Seca raceway, The Quail hosted a parade of race cars that drove from the track, arriving at The Quail in grand fashion with a helicopter escort and the wonderful noise associated with powerful racing cars.

Although The Quail focused on the elegant sheet metal, it’s just as much about enjoying the luxurious lifestyle. Guests pay $200 per ticket to enter the grounds, a portion of which is given to local and national charities benefiting children and families. Once guests pass through the gates, they enjoy gourmet food, sample fine wine or even enjoy a martini or two.

This year’s sumptuous offerings were prepared by the Quail Lodge’s culinary team, led by executive chef Jeff Rogers. The gourmet menus included such delicacies as Sweet Rock Shrimp with Fennel and Saffron Salad; Beefsteak Florentine with Garlic and Anchovy Butter; Wine-Braised Young Chicken; and Roasted Monterey Bay King Salmon.

To go with the delicious menus, guests could sample Louis Roederer Champagne or wine from the Keller Estate or Bernardus Winery.

Guests could also test drive the lovely Maserati Quattroporte, the luxurious hybrid Lexus LS 600h L, or even go off-roading at the Land Rover Experience Driving School.

Quail attendees also have a number of shopping opportunities, with displays of fine jewelry and other vintage automobile accessories and paraphernalia. In addition, Bonhams & Butterfields held an auction of vintage automobiles, jewelry and fine art.

Although some might consider the price of admission to The Quail rather high, organizers note that part of the proceeds go to charities. It’s also interesting to note that the event was sold out several months in advance, and even more surprising are a few published statistics about attendees: most of those purchasing tickets have a net worth in excess of $1 million, with ten percent worth more than $500 million.