The heart of historic downtown Monterey will be transformed into an outdoor motorsports museum when historic race cars line Alvarado Street between 5 and 7 p.m. on Friday, August 8 when Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca kicks of the 2014 Monterey Classic Car Week activities.
 
The race car show lines the street allowing visitors the chance to freely walk among the race cars, take pictures beside them and ask questions of their owners. This event marks the start of an exhilarating week on the central coast and allows visitors to gain an up-close look at the weekend’s biggest automotive stars. In addition to its motorsports attractions, the race car show will also feature raffle prizes, music and driver interviews.
 
With the support of the Old Monterey Business Association, the show features a select group of classic race cars that will participate in the week’s cornerstone event, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Under police escort, this band of historic race cars will travel from the race track, down Highway 68 and finish their journey in beautiful Old Monterey where they will be on display for the downtown community.
 
This year’s race car show will feature a diverse lineup of race cars, such as a 1956 Lotus Eleven, 1965 Alfa Romeo GTA, 1968 Bizzarrini Strada and a 1963 Corvette Stingray.
 
For race participants it is an opportunity to showcase their cars to the community in a festive environment filled with families. Cibo Ristorante Italiano (www.cibo.com) located at 301 Alvarado is a generous supporter of the event. Cibo is hosting a driver reception that will be open to the public at 5 p.m. with complimentary appetizers until 7 p.m. and live jazz music beginning at 5:30.
 
Part competition and part pageantry, racing history comes to life as cars from nearly every era grace Mazda Raceway August 14-17 at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. The cars, which are selected for their historical significance, authenticity and period-correctness, are divided into 15 classes, based on type of car, displacement and era of origin. In commemoration of its centennial, Maserati is this year’s featured marque and will be represented by a number of rarely-seen models competing on the track. 
 
For more information on the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion or to purchase tickets call 800-327-7322 or visit www.MazdaRaceway.com.