The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, held every August on the 18th fairway of the Pebble Beach Golf Links, is the world's premier classic car event. The cars make the Concours what it is and every year the available selection is nothing short of extraordinary. To enter a car at Pebble Beach it has to be invited and although many apply, only the best are chosen.

The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance*, or simply "Pebble" as it is sometimes known, is a culmination of a week of car events held on the Monterey peninsula. The other major event is the Monterey Historics, a vintage race held at nearby Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The gathering, sometimes collectively known as "Monterey" or "Car Weekend" has become an annual pilgrimage for the hard core car enthusiasts.

Some History
The first Pebble Beach Concours was held in 1950 in conjunction with a sports car race on nearby 17 mile drive. As was the practice of the day, protection for both spectators and driving participants was minimal and an accident in the 1956 race, resulting in the death of a Ferrari driver, put an end to the event. But the concours continued, with the competition located at the nearby Laguna Seca racetrack. By that time the car count was about 100 with 10,000 spectators in attendance.

Admission in the early days was free; in later years you were asked to give a one dollar charitable contribution upon entrance. The cars may be the same, but passing through the entry gate will, at least in 2010, set you back $150. That is the advance-order price; show up on Sunday and it is $175. That may seem steep but you do get your moneys worth. While most classic car shows typically have one or three really drop-dead gorgeous pieces, every car at Pebble is nothing less than spectacular. It is better experienced than described.

*Concours d'Elegance translated from French to English courtesy of babelfish.altavista.com, means "Contest of Elegance".

Judging the cars that are eligible for awards (not all are) is taken very seriously at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Like the cars, only the most qualified are in judges' driver seat. In addition to being experts in their given field, they also are equipped with extensive documentation about particular cars and ask probing questions of the owners.

(Best of Photographs)

Coming in 2010

For 2010, the 60th anniversary of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance will focus on the 75th anniversary of Jaguar.

Jaguar has had a prominent place in the early years of the Pebble Beach Concours; in the first five years of the event, a Jaguar was awarded Best of Show three times. Among the cars expected are the 1935 SS90 that served as the prototype for the first car named Jaguar and early examples of both the SS1 and the SS100. Also on hand will be several remarkable race cars, including the first C-type sent to the U.S. - and campaigned by Phil Hill throughout the country - as well as a Le Mans winning D-type, and the prototype XJ13. Key show cars, like the actual E-type that debuted at the New York Auto Show, will also be on display.

In addition to Jaguar, the 60th Pebble Beach Concours will feature Alfa Romeo and Pierce-Arrow, showcase Italian designer Ghia, and include special classes focusing on the 50th anniversary of the Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta, the centennial of the Indianapolis 500, Hot Rod lakesters and Bonneville racers, and Prewar American Motorcycles.

Ferrari 250 GT Short Wheelbase Berlinetta

The 50th anniversary of the Ferrari 250 GT Short Wheelbase Berlinetta will be honored with a special class for the first Ferrari designed to be built in quantity. 165 were made, 75 of which were intended for serious competition.

Eight cars will be in the special class at the Concours. Among those invited to participate in the Concours celebration is the very first 250 GT SWB Berlinetta produced. It's the car that debuted at the Paris Auto Show in 1959 and also took 6th place overall at Sebring in 1960. Three of the 1961 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competition cars will also be on display, including a Le Mans class winner.

The term "berlinetta" literally means little coupe in Italian.

2010 Posters

The 2010 Pebble Beach Retro Auto poster will feature two Jaguars racing through the Del Monte Forest. Tim Layzell, the artist, has placed the white D-type driven by Pearce W. Woods in the 1956 Pebble Beach Road Race just ahead of the black XK120 driven to victory by Phil Hill in 1950, the first year the races were conducted. The cars are depicted dramatically coming out of a corner and dappled by light and shadow.

The 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance poster is being painted by Harold Cleworth and features one of the world's most legendary and prized cars - the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza. Designed by Vittorio Jano, the 2.3 liter was Alfa Romeo's primary racing engine throughout most of the 1930s, and it also powered 188 production road cars. Alfa Romeo's victory at the 1931 Italian Grand Prix at Monza gave the "Monza" name to the twin-seater GP car - a shortened version of the Spyder.

The 2010 Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance poster by British automotive artist Barry Row celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta. Specifically, the poster will show the ultimate SWB 250, a 1961 SEFAC (as Ferrari's racing team was then known) competition berlinetta, chassis and engine number 2807. While specifications varied, most SEFAC "Hot Rods" (as the competition berlinettas were popularly named) featured a lighter, more rigid chassis, a Testa Rossa-spec engine and were stripped of road car interior pieces and insulation. These cars were very successful on the race track, including a first in class at Le Mans in 1961.

Author: Paul Pollock