Monterey Car Week is a month out, and Ruby — the 1984 3.2 Carrera — is getting the coast this year instead of the interstate.
The plan is simple and a little indulgent. Point her west out of Ashland, Oregon, drop down to the water, and take the long coast road all the way to Monterey. No I-5 slog, no clock. Redwoods, fog, the parts of Highway 1 that make you glad you kept an air-cooled car. A few days of it, timed to roll into the Peninsula for Car Week.
Why we're doing it the slow way
Anybody can get from Oregon to Monterey in a day. That's not the point. The point is the road — finding the good B-roads off the main coast route, the fuel stops that actually exist, the places worth stopping and the places worth skipping. Ruby's happiest on a two-lane with a rhythm to it, and the Nor Cal coast has more of that than just about anywhere.
This year is the scouting run
I want to be straight about what this is. This year is informal. It's a shakedown — a small run to drive the route, log the logistics, and figure out where the good overnight stops and the good coffee are before we do it for real.
Next year, it becomes the NorCoast Rally — an invitation-only drive up the Northern California coast into Monterey Car Week, run properly, with a real route and a real roster. Everything we learn on this year's run goes straight into building that.
Want in?
If a multi-day coast run into Car Week sounds like your kind of trip:
- Follow @1of1motorsport on Instagram — that's where the route, the stops, and the this-year run get posted.
- DM us if you'd want to join the informal drive this year, or get first word on the invite-only NorCoast Rally next year.
Bring whatever you've got. This isn't a concours field — it's a drive. The car matters less than the willingness to take the longer way.
Heading to Monterey too?
If you're planning your own Car Week, our friends over at pcarfolk.com put together a proper Porsche owner's plan for Monterey Car Week 2026 — Werks Reunion, The Quail, the Porsche race groups at Laguna Seca, and what to book before it's gone. Worth a read before you go.
See you on the coast.
— Shane