And there you have it, ladies and gentleman, the 2010 edition of the grandiose Pebble Beach concours d'Élégance has come to a close. The 60th anniversary of the Concours coincided with many other many milestones including the 100 years of Alfa Romeo, 75 years at Jaguar, 60 years of Porsche in North America, Pierce-Arrow and the designs of Ghia.
The event also welcomed some Hot Rods including lakesters and Bonneville racers and Indy Cars. What the event also did was introduce me to the true nature of a Concours d'Élégance. The Quail event was loaded with lovely Ferraris, Maseratis, Mustangs and a few oddball cars from the Italian designer Zagato. This was an agglomeration of cars you might see on the road occasionally with a few exceptions obviously. It was also a collection that cattered mostly to the swinging 60s and disco 70s. Again, with a few exceptions.
The 18th hole of the famed Pebble Beach Golf Course was covered in treasures from the 10s, 20s, all the way to the 60s. Cars from such brands as Duesenberg, Cord, Pierce-Arrow, Bugatti, Packard, Lister, Miller were basically common-place. All of them were parked along-side Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, Porsche, Bentley and other storied brands. What a sight!
What's important to note is that all of these pristine ultra-rare mega-expensive cars were all in running condition. I witnessed a few judgings including that of a Tatra and they really do check everything. Some cars stood out because they were not a “10”. The trend of the preserved or unrestored classic seems to be growing and I could not agree more with having a car in its original state as opposed to being restored to better than new conditions.
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| 1933 Delage D8S De Villars Roadster (Photo: Kimball Studios/Courtesy of Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance) |
The event also welcomed some Hot Rods including lakesters and Bonneville racers and Indy Cars. What the event also did was introduce me to the true nature of a Concours d'Élégance. The Quail event was loaded with lovely Ferraris, Maseratis, Mustangs and a few oddball cars from the Italian designer Zagato. This was an agglomeration of cars you might see on the road occasionally with a few exceptions obviously. It was also a collection that cattered mostly to the swinging 60s and disco 70s. Again, with a few exceptions.
The 18th hole of the famed Pebble Beach Golf Course was covered in treasures from the 10s, 20s, all the way to the 60s. Cars from such brands as Duesenberg, Cord, Pierce-Arrow, Bugatti, Packard, Lister, Miller were basically common-place. All of them were parked along-side Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, Porsche, Bentley and other storied brands. What a sight!
What's important to note is that all of these pristine ultra-rare mega-expensive cars were all in running condition. I witnessed a few judgings including that of a Tatra and they really do check everything. Some cars stood out because they were not a “10”. The trend of the preserved or unrestored classic seems to be growing and I could not agree more with having a car in its original state as opposed to being restored to better than new conditions.
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| 1934 Pierce-Arrow 836A Cantrell Station Wagon (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com) |