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It was a Dusey . . .
The 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance!
Forgive me for that intro but Duesenberg was one of two featured marques this year and I couldn't resist. Duesenberg also won the coveted Best in Show award but more on that later. It's officially known as "The Annual Pebble Beach Automotive Weekend" but for auto enthusiasts it's the collector car holy grail. There is no other collector car gathering that packs as many events into one long weekend . . . . three major Concours, six auctions, three days of vintage racing, and countless sideshows and tours.
It started for me on Thursday morning in Los Angeles. With the sun peeking over the mountains I packed my rental and headed north to join my buddies in Carmel for lunch. Anxious to get there, I was going a little (OK a lot) over the limit. I explained to the trooper that I was covering the PB Concours for our club newsletter and that I didn't want to be late. He was not impressed, normally this would have ruined my day but not this time . . . . Monterey here I come!
The "Tour"
As I make my turn onto Ocean Drive in Carmel I'm confronted with a sea of people as far as I can see. The Pebble Beach Tour has arrived for their lunch stop and Carmel is alive with thousands of admirers of the rolling art that has been laid out for them on the town's main street. There are several tours during this weekend but the "Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance" (its official name) is the grand dame of them all. This event was added to the Pebble Beach Concours ten years ago and has become not only a favorite for the spectators but in fact has changed the Concours itself.
The event is only open to Pebble Beach Concour entrants as a motivation for the owners of these incredible automobiles to put their cars on the road for all to see . . my kind of people, drivers! Besides giving the owners a chance to drive their cars on the road and the spectators an admission free show the Tour was added to discourage the trailer queen mentality because taking part in the Tour could effect the scoring in the Concours. If two cars are tied in points and only one has taken part in the Tour, that car is the class winner. If you are planning a trip to Pebble Beach next year don't miss lunch in Carmel on the Thursday before the Concours.
The Concours . . .
There are three major Concours/Gatherings during the weekend . . . the "Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the "Motorsports Gathering at the Quail" and the "Concorso Italiano". The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is all about style and grace. I expect magnificent cars and for sure they are here laid out on the eighteenth fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links but the event is so much more. Designers, stylists, engineers, collectors, artists, restorers . . . they are all here and add electricity to the air.
The featured marques this year were Aston Martin and Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg. Being an old hot roder I was delighted to see a special class of "Deuce" rods to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the 1932 Ford . . . a V8 for the masses and the basis for hot rod legends. One of the most unlikely Deuce owners is none other than Ian Cullum, design director for Jaguar.
There was no less that 35 Astons on the grass! The most magnificent collection I have ever seen. Each more exquisitely restored than the next. A beautiful sight! Parked along the cliff there was a line of incredible Duesenbergs, the other featured marque. There were many standouts in this class but my favorite was the one with the long hood and short deck that was a gift from Carole Lombard to Clark Gable. I never had a girl friend like that!
The most coveted prize in all of collector car kingdom is Best in Show at Pebble Beach. Winning this award confers instant celebrity status to both owner and restorer. This year the winner was the outrageous 1935 SJ Special, the Mormon Meteor owned by Harry Yeaggy. This car set a world record in 1935 by averaging 135 MPH for 24 hours at Bonneville.
The Gathering at the Quail is a horse of a different color . . . more relaxed, more picnic like. Held on the lawn of the Quail Lodge, this very exclusive event is limited to 3000 guests at $200 a head, but it's one of the best events of the Monterey weekend. It is not a concours in the true sense but they do award a best in show. This was the fifth running of the Quail and honored the 100th birthday of Briggs Cunningham and the 50th anniversary of the Ferrari 250GT cabriolets.
As expected, there was an impressive display of both Cunninghams and Ferraris. It was reported that the presentation of sixteen early Ferrari cabriolets was the largest gathering of this model in history. The field included a vast array of sports and racing cars including my favorite . . . Phil Hill's XK120 that he raced in Pebble Beach in the fifties.
A unique feature of the Quail is the first class food, wine and champagne that is included with in price of admission. About midday the ground began to shake. To the delight of all the entire Group 6 (Cobras, Corvettes, Shelby GT350s) from the Monterey Historic Race event drove onto the field . . an exciting sight. Best in show was won by Fred Simione with his Cunningham C4R that won Sebring in 1953.
The Concorso Italiano is billed as a "Celebration of Italian Style" . . . music, cuisine, fashion and especially those wonderful Italian cars. The event is held on the Bayonet Black Horse Golf Course overlooking Monterey Bay. Much more laid back than the other Concours this event is less about being judged and more about wine and living La Dolce Vita! The feeling here is more like a car club meet than a Concours. Best of show went to Tazio De Nicolo for his 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS.
The Racing . . .
If there is any thing better than admiring these automotive masterpieces it has got to be watching them on the track. The Monterey Historic Races is an integral part of this collector car weekend. This year the event, which is held over three days at Laguna Seca Raceway, honored the legacy of Indy's "Roadster Era" as well as champion drivers.
There was a full grid of Indy legends and when the "Gentlemen start your engines" command was given about 30 roadsters came to life with a roar that only an Offy can make. Winning drivers there included Al Unser, brother Bobby, Johnny Rutherford, Emerson Fittipaldi, Bobby Rahal, Danny Sulivan, and this years winer, Dario Franchitti. For a brief moment we were all transported to Indy in the fifties! Thanks to the organizers for this special moment.
Even without the Indy cars there is an incredible array of racing machinery to behold and watch on the track. There were about 400 cars in the paddock from Can-Am cars to Ferrari 250 GTOs, to Porsche RSRs and 935s and of course, Jaguars. The 400 cars are divided into 14 groups based on age and engine size. Seven races are held on Saturday and seven on Sunday.
A first this year was the "Race of Legends" hosted by Toyota. Drivers holding championships from nearly every level of racing (Formula One, Indy, Le Mans, etc.), competed in an eight lap charity event on Saturday driving Scion tC sport coupes. The field consisted of names such as Bobby Unser, Al Unser Sr., Johnny Rutherford, Bobby Rahal, Parnelli Jones, Vic Elford, Emerson Fittipaldi, Ove Andersson and Derek Bell. This was no parade, think demolition derby. These guys are still fierce competitors. Derick Bell was the winner.
The Auctions . . .
There were no less than six classic-car auctions at this year's event running from Thursday to Sunday. Following the Tour in Carmel, we went to Christies auction at the jet port to see what Steve McQueen's 1963 Ferrari 250GT Lusso would fetch. One million was the consensus. Well shows what we know, the car brought a cool $2.3 million!
The Russo & Steele and RM auctions are held in downtown Monterey. It's exciting to see all the cars lined up outside to enter the auction platform. The crowds are huge and filled with the top names in the collector car industry, from Chip Fosse to Jay Leno. Some of the top sales were $4.95 million for a 1959 Ferrari California Spyder Competizione at RM, $4.45 million for a 1959 Ferrari California GT at Gooding and $4.51 million for a 1931 blower Bently also at Gooding. All together, 541 cars were sold for $135 million.
If you love cars attending the Pebble Beach collector car weekend is a must. We are already making plans for 2008.
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