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Experience the 2016 Quail Motorsports Gathering in glorious technicolor beauty

If you want to properly experience all of the best that Monterey Car Week has to offer, you're going to want to head to the Quail Lodge and Golf Club on the Friday before The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Showcasing everything from classic roadsters to modern hypercars and everything in between, The Quail has something to offer pretty much everyone. But The Quail is an extremely exclusive event, and it's not always easy to get tickets. Our high-res gallery of 54 images may be the next best thing. This year, the BMWs of all vintages were front and center in celebration of the German brand's 100-year anniversary. But that's not all. You'll see an impressive collection of Lamborghini Miura coupes in our gallery, all brought to The Quail to celebrate that car's 50th anniversary. Pre-war race cars, post-war sportscars, motorcycles old and new... there was a lot to take in at The Quail in 2016. We did our best to capture the event in images, and we hope you enjoy scrolling through. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2016 Quail Motorsports Gathering View 54 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / Autoblog Design/Style Motorsports Misc. Auto Shows BMW Lamborghini Automotive History Convertible Coupe Wagon Concept Cars Luxury Racing Vehicles Special and Limited Editions Performance Supercars Classics Sedan Pebble Beach

Automakers' sound systems: Crank it, don't yank it

Years ago, one of the first things most music lovers did after buying a new vehicle was drive to an aftermarket stereo shop to get the crappy stock components swapped for better gear. And you'd typically get not only better sound but also more bang (and boom) for your buck. But in the past decade or so, the overall quality of OEM audio has dramatically increased, while car electronics became more complex, removing the incentive for most new vehicle owners — and all but the most hardcore DIYer — to start from scratch. In 2010, I did a comparison of the average costs for OEM electronics vs. similar offerings from the aftermarket, and back then automakers' stock premium systems were by far the best bargain — and are probably an even better value now. The premium 14-speaker, 1,200-watt JBL system in the all-new 2019 Toyota Avalon is a prime example of this trend. It's standard on the top two Limited and Touring trims and is available as a $680 audio upgrade on the XLE and XSE. I doubt you can even buy 14 speakers and 1,200 watts of amplification from the aftermarket for 700 bucks, much less have it all installed. And because the system is bundled with Toyota's Entune infotainment system, Apple CarPlay and a surround-view camera, removing the head unit means you would likely lose these features. Another advantage of OEMs and their audio partners is they can design the car around the audio system. In the past, automakers would typically place speakers where convenient for packaging, not for optimal sound reproduction, and audio engineers were forced to compromise. But as with the Avalon's premium JBL audio system, this is starting to change. At a recent behind-the-scenes peek for media into the process of developing the system, Toyota and Harman engineers delved into the minutia of sealing the inner panel of the front doors to create an enclosure for 6x8-inch woofers, making space in the pillars for JBL horn tweeters and extensively measuring the acoustic properties of the interior to tune the sound to the space. I'm met some creative and skilled car stereo installers, but none with a degree in psychoacoustics. The system is also the first to feature Quantum Logic Surround that creates a multi-channel listening experience from two-channel sources. And it includes Harman's Clari-Fi processing that "rebuilds key details lost" in compressed audio formats used by streaming music services and MP3s.

Alpina won't sell its 600-hp B6 Bi-Turbo in the US

Like the B5 Bi-Turbo revealed last month, the newest version of Alpina's B6 packs an upgraded 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 now good for 600 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. The result is a 0-62 time of 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 205 miles per hour, giving it similar acceleration to the M6 but a much higher top speed. Other enhancements include a sport suspension with adjustable dampers, a limited-slip differential, fully retrimmed interior, and an available brake upgrade. These are essentially the same upgrades applied to the Edition 50 that helped Alpina celebrate its half-century anniversary. But with those all sold out, the enhancements will now be available to European customers on the standard B6 – in either coupe or convertible form – starting in the spring, with prices comparing roughly to those of the M6. Unfortunately, the two-door B6 isn't available Stateside, but we can get the B6 xDrive Gran Coupe with the same output. With four driven wheels and four doors, the US-market B6 will rocket to 60 in an estimated 3.6 seconds and reach an electronically limited top speed of 200 mph – if only we had the derestricted highways to test that out. Related Video: BMW ALPINA B6 BI-TURBO WITH UPDATED 4.4 LITRE V8 BI-TURBO • V8 Bi-Turbo producing 441 kW (600 hp) and 800 Nm of torque • BMW ALPINA B6 Bi-Turbo Coupe accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.2 seconds • Significantly extended standard equipment A limited number of fifty units of the BMW ALPINA B6 Bi-Turbo EDITION 50 were produced for our customers. Created and developed to celebrate ALPINA's 50th Anniversary in 2015, these vehicles all exhibit unique features sourced from ALPINA's long and eventful heritage. Like limited edition models of the past, the popularity of the EDITION 50 means all examples have been placed with customers. The regular version of the BMW ALPINA B6 Bi-Turbo Coupe and Convertible will continue to be available in spring 2016 and featuring the updated engine and drivetrain configuration. The powerful 4.4 litre V8 Bi-Turbo has been developed further, increasing output to 441 kW (600 hp) and 800 Nm of torque. The BMW ALPINA B6 Bi-Turbo Coupe accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds, onto a top speed of 330 km/h. Combined consumption according to ECE Norm remains at 9.4 l/100km and 219 g/km CO2. The ALPINA sport suspension with Adaptive Drive comprises electronically adjustable dampers and active roll stabilisation.