Driving a Classic MINI Cooper S at Monterey Car Week

DimON · August 15

Monterey Car Week is chaos—beautiful, turbocharged, champagne-soaked chaos. A swirl of past and future, where 250 GTOs idle next to Rimacs, and every third person claims they once drove a McLaren F1 “before they were cool.” It’s a place where you can see billion-dollar auctions, pre-war Bentleys on the street, and watch a guy valet a Koenigsegg like it’s a Camry. And in the midst of it all we were there, driving something that turns as many heads as almost anything there; an original 1965 MINI Cooper S.

A couple few years ago I had a chance to spend a good portion of Monterey Car Week behind the wheel of BMW’s own classic MINI Cooper S. A near perfect example of the vintage, this was an original with the gorgeous fabric seats, sliding windows and all of the ingenious interior spacial layout that eventually gave way to safety features.

quail_classic_mini_5500.jpg?resize=798%2 — Which would you choose to upstage hyper cars?

Quail_5644.jpg?resize=798%2C532&ssl=1 — Which would you choose to upstage hyper cars?

In a world where hyper-car upmanship is the de rigor, a vintage Cooper S was oddly almost exotic in comparison. The car was buried deep in BMW’s temporary Monterey HQ—a time capsule with low miles, honest patina, and more charm than anything else in the fleet. Given the choice between things like an M8 or this little red David, the decision was easy. The M8 might be faster and more comfortable, but it’s not getting parked next to a Ferrari 275 and still turning heads. The Mini? It is the head-turner.

While the entire Monterey Car Week experience is a bucket list for an automotive enthusiasts, there’s one event that has always been our favorite slice of the madness; The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering. If Pebble Beach is the gala dinner, The Quail is the afterparty that’s somehow more curated and more fun. It’s where the world’s rarest machines get air, sun, and just enough dirt on the tires to remind you they’re still cars, not museum pieces.

And the highlight of my time with the ’65 Cooper S was my drive from the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion to the Quail.

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I left from Laguna Seca, aiming the Mini up Laureles Grade—a short, twisty climb that gets real steep, real fast. With just 76 horses trying their best and 90-degree heat pressing in, I made it to the top, just barely. The temperature gauge was pinned, the cabin was a sauna, and both the car and I were in need of a break. Classic Mini ownership 101: when in doubt, pull over and enjoy the view.

Leaning against the front fender, I enjoyed the views of the valley below as much as the cars that drove by. Ten minutes later, I was back in, contorted behind the upright wheel and oddly placed pedals, heading down the back side of the hill—and into that glorious sweet spot where the Mini truly comes alive. The balance, the directness, the sound… it’s pure driving joy. Light on horsepower, heavy on feel.

Naturally going down was a bit more fun than going up.

At the bottom Laureles Grade I was meant to turn right, toward The Quail. Instead, I turned left. Because Carmel Valley Road was there. And when you’re in a 50+ year-old Cooper S, on that road, with the California hills turning gold in the late morning sun—well, the show can wait.

Quail_classic_mini_5721.jpg?resize=798%2 — After most of the cars had cleared out

Quail_Classic_Mini__5720.jpg?resize=798% — After most of the cars had cleared out

Eventually, the Mini and I rolled into The Quail’s show field. Or, more accurately, into its fabled parking lot, which is a concours in its own right. McLaren Sennas, Bugatti Chirons, Singer 911s… and one tiny Mini, buzzing into its spot like it owned the place. And somehow, it kind of did.

Inside the gates, The Quail delivered as always: the cars, the crowd, the perfectly over-the-top catering, the kind of conversations where someone casually mentions their “Miura SVJ”—as in their Miura SVJ. It’s not subtle. But that’s the point.

Quail_5717.jpg?resize=798%2C532&ssl=1 — Snapping pics and sitting in hyper cars is hard work

Quail_0266.jpg?resize=798%2C530&ssl=1 — Snapping pics and sitting in hyper cars is hard work

And that’s really the magic of Monterey Car Week. It’s too much—too expensive, too exclusive, too absurd—and yet somehow, it works. It’s a week where you can see the most significant cars in history, hang out in a paddock full of legends, and drive a 1965 Mini Cooper S past a valet line that looks like a Geneva motor show stand.

So yes, The Quail may be the crown jewel, but the whole week is a gearhead fever dream. And if you do it right—if you choose character over clout, and driving over posturing—you’ll find the kind of moments that remind you why we fell in love with cars in the first place.

Just be sure to show up in a Classic Mini if you want to turn heads.