The Little Car Show Pacific Grove, Fuel Curve

The Little Car Show – Small Sensations in Pacific Grove

Even if you have a big old classic you haul around to shows and meets every month, the Little Car Show is one to check out. Similar to Concors d’Lemons it’s a nice change of pace during Monterey Car Week, and free admission, so we had to stop by last summer. Since its cold and dark outside, we thought this cool little story would cheer you up.

The Little Car Show Pacific Grove, Fuel Curve

The official rules to get your car into the show, held annually in Pacific Grove, California, are that your car must be older than 25 years and have a displacement less than 1,601cc. This means a lot of the cars that show up are ones you’d expect, but it leaves room for a nice mix to surprise you on the day of the show.

While it is free to attend, all of the proceeds from the Little Car Show benefit the local Pacific Grove community. It’s just a short walk from the beautiful California coastline and it has all the makings of a proper show, too, with live music and more.

The Little Car Show Pacific Grove, Fuel Curve

The best part of it all is the variety you’ll come across. This, of course, includes the makes and models, but also includes the way the cars owners have chosen to modify them. How often is it that you see a supercharged Austin Healy Sprite out? Being such a lightweight vintage car it must be an absolute blast to drive.

The Little Car Show Pacific Grove, Fuel Curve


We also spotted the Moto Espresso three-wheeler out serving coffee. This thing has to be a hit at cars and coffee events. Definitely good use for something that would otherwise have very little use on American roads.

The Little Car Show Pacific Grove, Fuel Curve

We always thought Hondas were small, but this Beat is taking it to the next level. In Japan, there’s always a possibility to make something smaller. Sold here, this AE86 was in great shape, barely scraping into the show with its “big” 1.6L engine.

The Little Car Show Pacific Grove, Fuel Curve

It’s rare you see one in this condition, and the owner had another Toyota out as well. He told us that he actually owns over a dozen Toyotas, so we probably shouldn’t be surprised to see he brought a couple. And for every Japanese car out here, there was at least one from Europe.

The Little Car Show Pacific Grove, Fuel Curve

Naturally, there were loads of Minis parked on the avenue. Each one was different from the next, and these weren’t the only contribution from the European continent. A number of BMWs made it in too, like this GT hatchback and a 1600. Lots of cars were right on that 1600cc limit.

The Little Car Show Pacific Grove, Fuel CurveThe Little Car Show Pacific Grove, Fuel Curve

Others weren’t even close, like this Toyota Sports 800 which, you guessed it, had a displacement of 0.8L. Actually, it’s even less, at 790cc, but who’s counting? Capable of 44 horsepower, it’s technically all you need and more to get around, especially since it weighs in at under 1,300 pounds thanks to an aluminum body.

The Little Car Show Pacific Grove, Fuel Curve

There were Porsches, Morris Minors, Lotus, hot rods and everything in between. Really, there was too much interesting stuff out at The Little Car Show in Pacific Grove to talk about, so enjoy the gallery below. Or, better yet, make sure you go seem them all in person next year during Monterey Car Week!

Photo Extra!

 

Trevor Ryan is a track day photographer from Northern California. He has experience in many different areas of photography but always comes back to automotive work in the end. To him, nothing is more rewarding than creating an amazing image of a car. Having purchased a ’66 Mustang almost six years ago, he had no choice but to end up immersed in car culture sooner or later. He also owns a ’99 Miata that he takes to the track. He has love for every part of car culture and besides track days often makes it to drift events, Cars and Coffee, tuner shows, and anything else he can find.