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Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance: 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.
*Concours d'Elegance translated from French to English courtesy of Google Translate, means "Elegance contest".
Click here to download the 1965 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Entry Form.
Click here to download the 1972 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Program.
Click here to download the 1975 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Program.
It's interesting to look at the previous Pebble Beach Concours to see how it has changed and matured over the years. In 1984 the entries were from the west coast with the occasional Illinois, New York, Texas and Colorado participants and one from Australia.
Fast forward to recent times and you'll find cars from all around the United States and international participants are common. Those who do bring cars from far off lands do so at their own expense which is often considerable.
Above and Below: 1959 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. In many ways it is the same event 60+ years later as the cars and the spirit are identical. The crowds and the layout has changed however.
Photo courtesy of Paul Dexler
Above is the early Pebble Beach Concours ramp, below is how it is today. While it appears to be of stout construction, Pebble Beach Concours lore has it that a fire truck cracked it. Apparently its reported weight did not include the added water weight. Yikes!
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