71st Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

As is typical for August in Pebble Beach, the 18th fairway was foggy and wet for the 71st annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Undeterred by the weather, over 200 of the world’s most beautiful automobiles were prepared to glide into view, guided by the field staff, to their respective classes.

Individual marques were honored, which included Lincoln’s 100th year of production under Ford ownership, McFarlan cars and 1932 Ford historic hot rods. There were special classes featuring Swiss coachwork builder Hermann Graber and Fiat’s Otto Vu, a sports car powered by a 2-liter V-8 engine.  Another special class honored the Alfa Romeo 8C2300, a race-bred touring car that delivered a high level of performance. Talbot Lago, the creator of the famed tear drop coupes, was give special attention with a class for its post-war luxury model the Grand Sport and unorthodox propulsion cars, powered by unusual steam and electric motors were on the field, as well.  The most anticipated and certainly the biggest crowd-pleaser was the initial event celebrating the upcoming centennial of the 24 hours of Le Mans.

The Concours drew a very large crowd as the fog lifted.  The feeling of excitement grew as the procession of class winners drove up the ramp to receive their awards. This is the most acclaimed classic car show in the world and the competition is fierce. The anticipation of which car will win the coveted best of show trophy generates a palpable rush of adrenaline. At the end of the day, there can only be one winner. This year the trophy was presented to the owners of the 1932 Duesenberg Model J Figoni Sports Torpedo.  I must agree with the judges. The car caught the eye of everyone from the moment it rolled onto the lawn.

There is a reason why the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is held in such high esteem and this year’s winner proved it.