The Monterey Bay area is famous for an eclectic array of things: Cannery Row, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, John Steinbeck tales, the Monterey Jazz Festival, the charming Carmel-by-the-Sea, and the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, at which Jimi Hendrix finished his set by playing "Wild Thing," then lit his guitar on fire before smashing it to bits in front of a half-stunned crowd. Jim Marshall (www.marshallphoto.com), who was photographing the festival, snapped the now-iconic image of Hendrix squirting lighter fluid on his burning ax as it continued to wail, and remembers Hendrix warning him before the show that something unexpected was coming: "Jimi said, ‘Just have a lot of film ready,’" he says. Other witnesses to the historic set included my parents, who had graduated from high school the day before, climbed into my father’s VW bus, and headed straight for the festival. I was born around nine months later, already a Hendrix fan. (Despite my current unexplained memory lapses, I am grateful to have been a part of the experience—even a microscopic one.)

You could say the area has mellowed over the years. Now it is perhaps best known as the home of the annual Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach, where the closest semblance of a psychedelic experience is the rainbow of sherbet colors created by the slew of Lamborghinis on the course greens. This event is among the stars of this month’s collectors issue, which also takes a hard look at the newly revamped Concorso Italiano, and peeks into the top restoration shops behind the concours at Pebble Beach, Amelia Island, and Meadow Brook. We also bring you divine residences in Carmel and San Francisco, a guide to the world’s top art and antiques fairs, and a roundup of our favorite convertibles, just in time for you to catch some wind in your hair on your way to the summer concours.

Monterey could stand a bit of jazzing up this year. I’m not suggesting you set anything on fire, but if you go, don’t forget to bring a little of that wild spirit with you.