Yes, Monterey was great and record-setting to the point of breathtaking, but now its September and the classic car hobby needs to refocus its attention -- and to do so quickly. After all, Labor Day weekend is upon us and that means Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg and the start of those so-called dog days of summer and, for much of the country, the final weeks of driving and showing our cars before we're forced to put them away for the winter -- or at least until we head for winter quarters in Florida or Arizona.

For nearly six decades, the Labor Day weekend has signaled a homecoming to northeast Indiana for enthusiasts of the Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg brands. Auburn, Indiana, not only is the site for the A-C-D Festival, but for two grassroots-level classic car auctions -- the Auctions America by RM Fall sale and the Auburn Auction by Worldwide.

Among the featured lots at the Auctions America event are the 1955 Cadillac Series 75 Presidential limousine built for First Lady Mamie Eisenhower; the 1933 Cadillac V12 convertible see in the movie Seabiscuit; the 1938 Packard V12 custom laundulet built for tobacco heiress Doris Duke; 68 vehicles from the Rag Tops Auto Museum collection; and a variety of historic motorcycles.

Friday morning, a Hot Rod and Custom Car Seminar will feature the likes of Darryl Starbird, John D'Agostino, Bo Huff, Chuck Miller and Joe Bortz.

Meanwhile, the Worldwide event will include a 1948 Delahaye 135M Chapron drop head coupe (see photo) built for the Paris auto show but barn-found in Washington state still coated with ash from the eruption of Mount St. Helen's in 1982; a 1912 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost London-to-Edinburgh Type tourer with coachwork by Mann Egerton; one of 36 1965 Shelby GT 350 Competition models; a 1925 Bentley 3-Litre Touring with open coachwork by Gurney Nutting; the fourth of 50 1963 Ferrari 330 GT Americas produced; and an unrestored 1939 GMC Futurliner.

The weekend after Labor Day weekend -- September 10-11 -- includes the 61st annual Old Car Festival, which brings cars manufactured before 1933 to the streets of Greenfield Village at the Henry Ford museum in Michigan; and the 31st annual Wheels & Wings car show at Motorbooks, the automotive book publisher in Minnesota's Twin Cities.

The annual Fairfield County Concours d'Elegance and the Glenmoor Gathering of Significant Automobiles take place September 17-18. The Fairfield event at Westport, Connecticut will feature Formula One racing cars, Hemi-powered vehicles, CCCA Grand Classic 100-point winners, and a Bonhams auction while the Glenmoor at Akron, Ohio, will showcase early front-wheel drive vehicles, cars with 16-cylinder engines and cars designed by Howard "Dutch" Darrin.

Scheduled for the weekend of September 23-25 are the Barrett-Jackson auction at Las Vegas, the Coronado Speed Festival vintage races at San Diego, the annual Orphan car show at Ypsilanti, Michigan, where -- believe it or not -- Oldsmobiles become eligible for the first time.

Click here for event calendar.

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