Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance

WINTER '08

Driving along California Route 156 heading towards Monterey, I am passed by a yellow 1970s DeTomaso Pantera. It is one of those stylish 70s monoliths, Italian chic design powered by American muscle—the kind of car that prompts words like “sexy” and “beautiful” and as the epitome of cool enjoyed substantial celebrity ownership, including Elvis himself, who famously shot his once when it refused to start. The Pantera is joined by a Ferrari Testarossa, looking like a teenage bedroom-wall poster as they speed away.

This is the kind of scene that characterizes a visit to the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance, an annual event that has become known as the most prestigious judged car show and exhibition in the United States, if not the world. Named for the Concours d’ Elegance events of France in the 1930s, a time and place in which some of history’s prettiest cars were produced, the Sunday event takes place every August on the 18th fairway of the golf course in Pebble Beach (an appropriately named rocky stretch of coastal real estate just south of Monterey), an area better known to for hosting a golf tournament each year.

1938 Talbot T150-SS: The 1938 Talbot Lago T-150-SS is often referred to as the “Teardrop” for its aerodynamic form. This particular Teardrop, owned by Peter Mullin of Los Angeles, placed second in the European Classic Closed class.

Widely regarded as an American automotive anomaly somewhat ahead of its time, the Tucker Torpedo offered safety features like seatbelts and a turning center headlight, as well as engineering innovations like a rear configured helicopter engine. One of just 51 produced, this 1948 Tucker sold at RM’s Sports and Classic of Monterey auction for $1,017,500.

The once-isolated car show has burgeoned into ten days of related events that highlight classic car collecting and racing. Chief among these are the Monterey Historics, a heralded series of races involving classic cars held annually at the nearby Laguna Seca racetrack. The Quail Motorsports Gathering, an even more discriminating though less established judged car show that occurs the Friday preceding the Concours itself, and Concorso Italiano, a car show dedicated solely to Italian makes, both claim a similar level of prestige.

Several classic car auctions round out the week’s events. Though RM Auctions is the biggest and oldest auction on the circuit, David Gooding’s Gooding & Company has earned the lofty endorsement of being the official auction of Pebble Beach. Not to be left out of the action, Bonham’s, a company that has established a reputation second only perhaps to Christie’s through its history of general auctioneering, set up shop at the Quail Lodge to hold its auction following the prestigious Motorsports Gathering.

The Concours d’ Elegance highlights several automotive makes or milestones each year, and this year’s show, the 58th annual installment, was no exception. This year’s focus featured Lamborghini, the Italian supercar manufacturer, Lancia (pronounced Lonn-cha) a storied Italian carmaker that consistently fielded roadcars well ahead of their time, the concept cars of General Motors’ Motorama car shows of the 50s, and the 50th anniversary of the beloved classic sportscars, the Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California. Entrants represented 25 states and 11 foreign countries.

The walk down to the golf course features a trip through the Pebble Lodge’s retail square, a group of high-end shops that surround a lawn that for the day is dubbed the Concept Car Lawn. Brand new concept show cars, like those featured at the famous Detroit and Los Angeles auto shows, form a circle around the manicured lawn, displaying the latest ideas from the design studios of various auto manufacturers. Dodge, Lexus, Spyker, Lamborghini and Mercedes-Benz were just a few of the companies to showcase some of their recently realized ideas.

This year’s Concours featured judging in 26 different categories, or classes, that comprise the scope of automotive history. The classes represent different eras or periods of automotive design, often making distinctions between pre- war and post-war (referring to World War II), preserved or restored and open or closed (generally, a sedan or a convertible). To stress the highlighted makes, Class E1 and E2 were respectively Lancia Prewar and Lancia Postwar, and Class N was Lamborghini, the first time in Concours history that the make had been recognized with its own class.

The Lamborghini highlight was accented by the presence of long time Lamborghini Chief Test Driver Valentino Balboni, who offered an enjoyable glimpse of his 40-year relationship with the company as well as his considerable Italian charm. As he drove Adam Gordon’s 2nd in Class 1968 Lamborghini Miura Bertone Roadster (a rare open top version of the supercar) over the awards platform, Valentino described company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini as “a beautiful farmer.” After all, prior to producing some of the world’s best exotic cars, Lamborghini made tractors.

The selection of Lambos on display was quite astounding, not relying heavily on the flashy models of recent years, the Countach, the Diablo and the Murcielago. Rather, in addition to featuring several one-off Lambo concept cars, the selection relished in the brand’s past, drawing particular attention to the Miura as well as the sleek and ever more attractive GT cars made prior to Lamborghini’s status as a supercar producer and Ferrari competitor. A 1964 Lamborghini 350GT Touring Production Prototype took honors as Best in Class. With its curvaceous and understated body, the car was so rushed into production that Lamborghini had not yet perfected the bull logo that would eventually grace all of its hood badges, and wears a badge from the company’s tractor production days.

1954 Pontiac Bonneville Special: This 1954 Pontiac Bonneville Special, owned by Joseph E. Bortz of Highland Park, Illinois, was originally displayed as a concept car in General Motors’ Motorama auto shows of the 50s. Displaying futuristic design elements like an aircraft inspired bubble canopy, this and other GM Motorama cars now seem more consistent with The Jetsons cartoon than the future that actually emerged.

1956 Ferrari 250 GT TDF: The 1956 Ferrari GT Tour de France Berlinetta, more commonly referred to as the TDF, is one of the most esteemed dual-purpose Ferraris, as suited for grand Touring as for racing. In a reflection of the weakened market for top-dollar cars, this TDF failed to sell at RM’s Sports and Classics of Monterey auction when the high bid of $3.9 million was insufficient to reach the seller’s reserve.

1938 Alfa BiS award: The 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta owned by Jon and Mary Shirley of Medina, Washington claims top honors as the Best in Show.

After taking the field at dawn, the cars wait through a judging period that takes several hours. At around 1:30 pm, a long awards ceremony commences in which the top three winners in each class drive their cars slowly over the Concours stage, receive their award ribbon and drive off in a victory lap. After all class awards are presented, the Concours emcee presents a small group of sponsored prestige awards, followed by the Best in Show. This year’s Best in Show was a 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta owned by Jon and Mary Shirley of Medina, Washington. A few hours later, a similar 1938 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300B Mille Miglia sold at the Gooding auction for $2.35 million.

RM held its two-night auction a few miles away at the Portola Hotel in downtown Monterey. The hotel offered a posh setting for the event compounded by a turntable on which the car was spun for optimal 360-degree viewing, lit with an exciting multi-colored flash of spotlights to celebrate the sale of an important lot. The effect was an intriguing combination of kitsch and class.

The Shirleys’ 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta also won Best in its Class, European Classic Closed.

David Gooding’s offering back at Pebble next to the heart of the Concours had an altogether different feel. Held in an open tent, it had exactly the opposite effect, as the open air environment allowed for running the cars longer, giving the viewer a heightened sense of their power and drivability that the closed room of RM’s hotel location could not afford. Auctioneer Charlie Ross used a straightforward speaking style, classy and free of cliché while host Gooding carried himself with an air of elegance.

The two styles are a different means to the same end. RM’s auction earned a total of $44.1 million while Gooding’s earned $64.2 million. Both auctions had similar offerings but used approaches that can perhaps be compared to the difference between two “car guys,” one who spends more time in his garage and the other who spends more time in his auto library. Of course each auction offered something for both those guys.

1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Cal Spyder: Just last May, a California Spyder formerly owned by James Coburn set a world record for a collector car auction with a selling price of almost $10.9 million. This 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder crosses the auction block at Gooding and Company’s Official Pebble Beach auction, where it would eventually sell for $3.63 million.

Though million-dollar car collecting seems to be the area of the auto industry least affected by the economic downturn, one could not help but notice its specter at both auctions. The truly significant lots drew good money, sometimes even more than the pre-auction high price estimates, but most lots fell far short of their estimates, with some failing to sell at all as their reserve was not met by the bidding.

The Pebble Beach Concours, and its surrounding events, constitute a car enthusiast’s ultimate fantasy event. Offering something for all types of car nut, the Concours is an event that all auto enthusiasts should try to attend once in their lives. Information regarding next year’s show can be found at www.pebblebeachconcours.net.

If you are thinking of attending, here are a few tips:

Book your hotel arrangements as early as possible. The rooms fill up quickly and expensively in the months leading up to the Concourse. By early August, the entire Monterey peninsula and inland Salinas are booked.

Arrive early. The event is very popular (read crowded) and if you want to avoid lines of traffic arrive prior to 8 am.

Bring cold weather clothes as well as an umbrella and folding chairs. Even at the height of August, Monterey weather is subject to cool, misty periods of drizzle, and temperatures in the windy coastal locale are low enough at times to warrant a jacket or warm pullover. And there is very little seating provided on the golf course.

Bring sunscreen. Despite the fact that it can be overcast, the weather changes quickly allowing for intermittent periods of sunshine.