www.montereycountynow.com AUGUST 20-26, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 5 831 There is nothing elaborate about the 1970 Chevron B16 Spyder. Frustrated by competing against nimble Porsches, the design team at the British manufacturer shaved as much weight from the chassis and body as possible, until they ended up with a thin wedge of metal over a light frame. “It’s a proper race car,” Mike Sweeney says. “There are no creature comforts in this bad boy.” Sweeney’s company, Pacific Throttle House in Sand City, brought the rare beast to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca during Car Week to participate in the vintage racing events of the Pre-Reunion and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, along with three other historic cars. As he speaks, Sweeney’s father—also Mike—returns from practice laps in a 1997 Porsche 993 RSR. Vintage racing is part of the job. While there are several shops in Monterey County focused on restoring and maintaining classic cars, Pacific Throttle House is devoted solely to those that once competed in anger on race circuits around the world. “All our cars have to have history,” Sweeney explains. “We turn them into period correct.” The shop not only restores vintage race cars, the team also stores vehicles, prepares them for events like the Reunion, performs on-track testing and more. In between race sessions at Laguna Seca, Sweeney rides his scooter around the paddock, checking out other rides or checking in with his motorsports family. “A bunch of us are here in this paddock,” he says, gesturing at the sea of trailers and tents. “All my friends are in racing.” Those who restore and drive vintage racers are a community. And they like to show off their cars. Down one row of trailers, Sweeney chatted with the owner of a Lotus driven by the late Jim Clark, a two-time world champion. He soon found himself piloting the car around Laguna Seca at the invitation of its owner. “Jim Clark and I have shared a car,” Sweeney says with a grin. “How cool is that?” It’s difficult to gauge the vintage racing market. The sales figures are lumped together with classic cars, all told a hobby valued at $69.2 billion a year in the U.S. alone. But according to Historic Sportscar Racing, one of several sanctioning bodies, car counts at vintage racing events have been on the rise. Sweeney opened the shop with his father in 2012 after a career driving in the Grand Am KONI Challenge, which has since become the Michelin Pilot Challenge, that included two wins. He also spent a decade as an instructor for the Skip Barber Racing School. When not at the track or in the shop, Sweeney conducts research. It is fundamental to period restoration— particularly with a car that has history. Enthusiasts may associate the car with a particular year or even a race, so part of his role is to get the livery and trim just right. He is still involved in racing. If Car Week makes for long days at the track, August is a busy month. The weekend before bringing vintage cars to Laguna Seca, Sweeney was at Road America in Wisconsin, spotting for the VasserSullivan race team’s Lexus in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship. A few days after packing the vintage cars away, he was on the way to Virginia International Raceway to join up with Vasser-Sullivan again. Sweeney smiles when speaking about racing, so he wears a grin most of the time. His father brought him to Laguna Seca for a race in 1986, and that was enough to launch a journey. “Patience, precision, discipline,” Sweeney says, defining what it takes to drive a race car. “Your job is to see the race track. You’re painting a line.” Vintage racing is no different, he adds. “You can’t go faster than the car.” As he says this, a battered Corvette arrives by hauler at a neighboring trailer. Its driver tells Sweeney and his father that the car lost its brakes heading toward Laguna Seca’s naggingly slow hairpin. Returning his attention to the Chevron, Sweeney points to one addition to the car lacking in creature comforts: a pad affixed to a metal bar that sits between the driver’s legs. Brake hard, and gravity thrusts a driver forward. “You make that mistake once,” Sweeney says. “That’s the inside racing stuff you won’t get from a gentleman.” The Past Lane Mike Sweeney of Pacific Throttle House is immersed in vintage racing, but also stays in the present. By Dave Faries “Patience, precision, discipline. See the race track.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE DAVE FARIES Mike Sweeney and his team at Pacific Throttle House brought this 1970 Chevron B16 Spyder to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. “When I tell people what I do, it’s motorsports—driving, testing, spotting, coaching,” Sweeney says. PRESENTED BY Join us for lunch as an impressive panel of federal, state, and local elected officials cover topics such as new projects taking place in their jurisdictions, challenges for the business community, and important issues that have impacts on the future viability of our economy. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2026 EMBASSY SUITES MONTEREY BAY SEASIDE 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM $85 PER PERSON • INCLUDES LUNCH REGISTER NOW AT MONTEREYCHAMBER.COM EVENT SPONSORS
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==