MONTEREY — While Classic Car Week offers a once-a-year chance to see vintage vehicles from all over the world, local nonprofits are also looking to offer history and education opportunities.
Monterey History and Art at Stanton Center is hosting an exhibit showcasing the early history of automobile racing and car culture in the Bay Area and nearby.
“Racing to Del Monte & Pebble Beach” runs through Monday, featuring vintage racing vehicles, memorabilia, photographs and films documenting racing firsts, recognizing the novelty of photographs and video, and highlighting life from 100 years ago.
The exhibit included motorcycles, bicycles and other artifacts from the early days of motoring on the coast. One of the first bikes created was made of steel. (Photo by Kyarra Harris/Monterey Herald)
On the first floor, visitors can see vehicles on display like an 1899 Osen & Hunt, the first automobile built in San Jose, a 1907 Mitchell touring car and a 1903 Haynes-Apperson.
Upstairs, photographs from some of the first races held in San Jose, the original Del Monte Hotel, and images from the first hill climbs hosted in the Bay Area are on display.
“This is a performance art, depicting history in a way that allows you to reflect on the past,” said curator Greg Berkin. “It’s a treasure, we’re so lucky someone took these photos.”
Berkin said the photographs offer visitors a look at how people interacted with the new technology and how they viewed themselves at the time.
“People are taking selfies. It’s all very revealing,” Berkin said. “People still cared about themselves and their self image.”
The exhibit also looks at the development of racing as automobiles became faster and competition grew.
In the early 1900s, automobiles had limited power compared to modern vehicles. One of the highlights of the display is one of the first hillclimbs in San Jose, where several Mitchell car drivers showed off some of the first registered cars and displayed their strength.
A 1899 Osen & Hunt, the first automobile to be manufactured in San Jose and the third oldest auto to be produced in California. The original was designed by William Hunt and George Osen in their bicycle emporium.
(Photo by Kyarra Harris/Monterey Herald)
The Mitchell cars displayed at the Stanton Center had about 40 horsepower and had to be hand-started.
The cars were required to prove they could handle the roads and hills of the time.
“Today cars have almost any horsepower to overcome any hill,” Berkin said. “Back then it was a real feat to get your car up different slopes.”
The exhibit also highlights how much upkeep and knowledge the cars required. Drivers often had mechanics accompany them during races, and electric starters would not become available until years after the earliest vehicles were being used.
Berkin said the exhibit is intended to pay homage to the early tracks and organized gatherings that helped establish automobile culture in the Bay Area.
“They were doing this in 1907,” Berkin said. “Cars were exploding, and there was lots of competition. Cars were getting faster and everyone wanted to outdo each other.”
The exhibit includes film footage showing automobile racing on the 17-Mile Drive from 1926 and 1927. Berkin said the films give visitors a sense of what it was like to watch racing footage during the period.
During the 1920s, racing was becoming a larger part of automobile culture, and filmmakers had to find ways to capture action that would hold the attention of theater audiences.
Visitors said they enjoyed a chance to see some history and learn more about racing culture from a century ago.
“My favorite part was the old bicycle that shows how some of the first bikes looked, it was all metal and didn’t look comfortable,” said Amy Wen, 35, from Pacific Grove. “I liked imagining what it would have been like to ride one with a friend.”
Visitors also highlighted the images and films as a favorite.
“You don’t get to see films like this often, with the music and subtitles, but it’s fun,” said Brian Thomas, 40, from Monterey. “Seeing the clips from 17-Mile Drive was pretty amazing, you get to see how they used the technology of the time to create action scenes.”
Images show off the first auto shows, early pictures of couples driving in the beach, and old infrastructure that still exists today. Curator Greg Berkin says these images depict life 100 years ago and you can often find similarities in body language. (Photo by Kyarra Harris/Monterey Herald)
The exhibit also includes motorcycles, bicycles and other artifacts from the early days of motoring on the coast.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday there will be guest speakers attending the event, including Tommy McCarthy, described as one of San Jose’s youngest racers.
Berkin said the exhibit also shows how automobiles changed the way people experienced and documented their surroundings.
“We document everything today, but this was a big deal to take a photographer everywhere with you,” Berkin said. “You can see what life was like and how things looked back then.”
Historic racing photographs will remain on display at the Stanton Center through Oct. 1.