Automotive creativity has no limits at the Concours d’Lemons, and it’s that spirit as well as a complete disregard for practicality that makes it such a wonderful Pebble Beach Car week event. Unlike most other car shows or concours, however, there’s no stuffiness at Lemons. At this year’s event, despite a few entries that seemed far too nice to be displayed at Lemons, the show remained a refreshing break from the many fancy car shows also occurring. This year’s still-free show took place at the Seaside City Hall, and its ultra-packed lawn suggest show organizers might need to consider a bigger venue in the next year or two.
Keep reading to see some highlights from a first-time Lemons showgoer.
Maybe you’ve seen cars with aftermarket eyelashes, but how cute is his first-gen Mazda Miata with googly eyes? Around back, above the rip in the Miata’s aged rear-window panel was a bumper sticker seen on a couple cars that reads: “I think we have the opportunity here to make some extremely poor decisions.”
1989 Mercury Grand Marquis Colony Park LS wagon
Part of the Concours d’Lemons’ appeal to me is the way it reminds us of cars that could otherwise fall into obscurity. Younger automotive enthusiasts might not know that not too long ago, the Detroit Three offered enormous eight-passenger wagons, with two sideways-facing seats in the back. This one wore eye-catching 20-inch wheels that matched the woodlike details covering its immense side panels and the edges of the roof rails. The wagon, claimed to be around 6,000 pounds with modifications, honors a friend of theirs who recently died. His name is on the edge of the car’s roof, as is a decal that gives a middle finger to cancer.
1972 Citroën DS D Special
Even in this condition, nothing looks quite like a Citroën DS. One fun detail you don’t see on cars today: The “Lemon Goddess” features a one-spoke steering wheel. From the team that brought the car to Monterey:
1978 Leyland-Australia Clubman Commercial
It’s hard not to like this right-hand-drive special from Australia, with its colorful critters on the dash, a kangaroo and a koala on the roof, plus a list of things in Australia that are trying to kill you. Number one on the list, of course, is “rallying in an Aussie/British Mini.”
Thanks to this car, I recalled Mini’s recent experiment when it tried selling a commercial-focused version of the modern Clubman called the Clubvan.
Rambler Convertible
This stripped-out Rambler convertible has seen better days, and we can’t imagine what it must have been like on the rally.
1990 Ford Festiva Roadster
We hear that this Ford wasn’t the car in which its team started the rally, but after a Ford Crown Victoria in the rally towed their original car that blew a head gasket, they found this Ford on Craigslist. Check out the cool (but probably not safe) black mesh headlight covers on this Festiva, which has an indicated 267,679 miles on the odometer.
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