Beyond the Auto Show: Monterey Week and the Pebble Beach Concours.

So you've spent a life flying in coach hoping someday that you could join the swells in first class enjoying champagne and caviar. Finally, you reach platinum status and get the coveted upgrade only to discover the people who were previously up front are now flying in private jets... and they've taken the champagne and caviar with them.

That's kind of the situation budding car enthusiasts find themselves in when thinking they can go down to their local auto show to see the likes of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and McLarens in the flesh. Increasingly, these high end makes are no shows at even major shows in Los Angeles and Chicago. Instead they are concentrating their efforts on events like the car fest that occurs annually in August on the Monterey Peninsula.