Help me with my bucket list - Looking for something nice to drive highway 1

So I am currently in Monterey CA to visit some of my wife's family. And to go see the Monterey Historical while we are here of course, which will take care of an important bucket list item.

While here, I would like to take care of another item on my list, drive highway 1 south from Monterey. I did a stretch of it, but I was stuck driving a rental Crown Victoria LX.

Anyone know of a good GRM/CM approved place that rents classics for this kind of thing? All I can seem to find are places in Vegas or Los Angeles. And they all seem to rent either new supercars (too expensive and not my style) or automatic, 6 cylinder, convertible 60-something Mustangs (might as well drive the Crown Victoria).

I'm looking more for something like a British roadster (MBG, TR, or something), a 356 replica, or something like that. Is there such a place?

Any suggestions are welcome.

Can't help on the rental car. That is a nice drive. I grew up on highway 1 just north of Santa Barbara. There are several interesting stops along the way.

I drove Highway 1 in the summer of 1975 with my new wife in a 1973 POS Mercury Comet. Highway 1 is great in any car! Make sure to stop in Morrow Bay.

Last time I did it we rented a XK8 from hertz (I think). What a perfect car for a relaxed drive!

Try https://relayrides.com/

Lots of funky stuff on there.

I wanted to say thanks to you guys. After a few attempts at finding something (thanks white_fly, that site is great), I just couldn't make anything happen.

So I just took the rental for the drive. I'm glad I did.

While the scenery and the road are both amazing, highway 1 is a lousy drive. VERY over-crowded with people not looking where they are going. It would have been a waste of a good driving machine.

Interesting, the section of it I drove (somewhere south of Ukaih to San Francisco) was nearly empty. My main problem was that, being from Georgia, I'm used to estimating distances as straight lines, and got to my destination way late. You need fractal dimensions to figure out how long a stretch of Highway 1 is on a map.

Howsbout "The Timble Drome Special"?

Rent a Miata and pretend you are in an MG.

Last time I drove the good stretch of the coast highway was in my Jensen CV-8. Tons of passing power (big block Chrysler sixpack engine), but right hand drive so you can't see what is coming. Learned to gauge proximity of oncoming traffic by moving toward the centre line a bit and listening to the tone of my wife/navigator's scream. Didn't go for the pass if she emitted a serious 'We're going to die!' scream, as opposed to a milder 'There is (or might be) a car in tha far distance so prudence dictates that you shouldn't try it'

As a first-timer on Highway 1 during this year's Monterey Car Week, I agree that it is beautiful and worth doing once (a rented Nissan Maxima was my weapon of choice, limited as my choices were at 2 AM when I hit SFO). I drove it on Tuesday after going to the Carmel Concours and 1 wasn't horribly busy but annoying in spots. Put my camera on the center of the dashboard and got some pretty nice video.

If anyone visiting Monterey has a little extra time, also try to cruise Highway 152 through Hecker Pass; lots of twisties and ups and downs to put a smile on any driver's face. Still smiling thinking about that drive now... Highway 17 from Santa Cruz to San Jose is pretty interesting if the traffic's actually moving (still scenic, though).