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Pebble Beach, 18th and 21st of August

The Pebble Beach Concours d´Elegance is without doubt the heart of the Monterey car week. The Concours is second to none in the world and a class win or even more Best of Show is still the crown for every car collector interested in these sort of events. What started small with just about 30 cars in 1950 became a huge event over the 61 years and this year no less than 227 cars were shown at the 18th fairway of the renown Pebble Beach Golf Course.

But the concours does not start on Sunday but already on Thursday with the Tour d´Elegance. Although the cars entered in the concours do not need to start at the Tour many owners take the opportunity to show their car in motion as a start at the Tour might be an advantage in case of equality in points of several cars in a judged class. Many visitors show up early in the morning at the starting point in the Pebble Beach grounds in front of the tents of Gooding where the cars are unloaded and prepared to start in 3 groups. This is the first chance to look for potential class winners but as not all cars show up one can not be sure what are the favourites as neither last years Best of Show nor this years were present on the Tour. Sir Stirling and Lady Susie Moss lead the first group up the 17 Miles Drive for a loop through the nearby mountains before going south on the highway 1 to the turning point in Big Sur. Many spectators are spread out on the coast line to take pictures of the cars in front of the ocean with a focus on the famous bridges, but most of he crowds are waiting for the cars to come to the center of Carmel to stop for lunch. After the stop a police escort leads the convoy back to the starting point were the cars disappear in the trailers to be detailed for the big show.

The Sunday morning starts very early as the first people arrive on the lawn on 5:30 am for the so-called “dawn patrol” to wait for the cars to enter the fields on 6:30 am. Many cars are already standing in front of the gate to be first in line as later the traffic outside is getting worse and some of the late entering cars suffered from overheating by standing in the traffic jam. Over the next hours the volunteers are busy to guide all of them to the correct spot were the cars are lined up by classes. Many of the cars are professionally prepared in advance but there are also several owners still busy to detail their cars for the coming judging, photographers run around to get their shots before the visitors are coming in at 10:30 am when the field is getting crowded very fast.

As soon as all cars have reached their destination a quick look around gives an impression of this years highlights. Beside the usual classes for American and European pre- and post-war cars open and closed ever year sees some special classes with featured marques and cars. A main focus this year was on the American Stutz celebrating the centenary with 3 classes. The cars were produced until 1939 in Indianapolis, but the racers were not just entered in the Indy 500 but also later in Europe at Le Mans were the huge Blackhawk raced against the Bentley Boys. Classes included the early years plus and a special class for the DV32 model and a classic class that featured several different bodywork from Lancefield or Hibbard&Darrin to name a few.

Whereas Stutz did not survive the financial crises before the war the second featured marque is still very strong after a history going back 125 years: Mercedes-Benz. The inventor of the automobile was honoured with no less than 6 classes on its own.

The first class was dedicated to the early history when the name Mercedes-Benz was still not established. The first car, the Patent Motorwagen was displayed as a accurate replica as the original does not exist anymore, the oldest car was the 1894 Benz Victoria Vis-a-Vis but this was exhibited at the preserved class in original condition. This preserved Mercedes class was one of the many highlights of the concours with cars ranging from the Benz Victoria over a wonderful Type S brought by noted Mercedes- collector Arturo Keller, a very well patinated original 540 K Special Roadster to a 600 Presidential Landaulet that won its class. Another car would have been a great addition to this class but the unrestored S-type Murphy Speedster that was sold last year at the same place was already brought to full concours condition and entered in the classic era class. This boattail racer was once owned by one of the Marx-brothers and drew much attention at the Gooding auction last year, during the restoration the colour changed to a more fashionable black and the car finally won its class against strong competition. The 1920s with the supercharged 6-cylinder cars designed by Ferdinand Porsche are considered by many as the golden era of the marque, this class featured several S and SS Tourer. The race cars of this era are often called white elephants due to their size and the white German racing colour. A separate class was devoted to this part of the race history before the silver arrows came up, this class featured Grand Prix cars from 1906 to the latest SSK, the earlier ones with huge engines and plenty of power but still without front- brakes. One of the favourite cars in this class was the sleek Blitzen-Benz that developed 200 hp back in 1911. Unfortunately the era of the immortal Silver Arrows was ignored this year as they were lined up just a two years before at the waterfront for a celebration of their own.

The next class was devoted to the 8-cylinder supercharged series built before WWII. The oldest of the cars in this class was the superb 380K Zapon Roadster, a Kombinationswagen that featured a folding down top that can be replaced by a hardtop. The car already won several prizes in Europe and became second in class here. The 540K was present with not fewer than 3 Special Roadsters in different style. Beside a Roadster by the British coachbuilder Mayfair two works bodies with either short and long tail were lined-up so with the unrestored all in all 4 Special Roadsters could be seen that day. With the three Roadsters sold the day before at RM this might be the largest gathering of this sort of cars in one town since the 1930s. The class was rounded off by a huge 770K Pullman Limousine, the largest car build by Mercedes before the war.

Other single marque classes included Duesenberg and Rolls- Royce with an own class for the Silver Ghosts. Ferrari usually has a class on its own as well and this year was no exception but the highlight of the weekend was without doubt the line-up of 20 examples of the 250 GTO. Few cars are more iconic and whenever one of these shows up it is a certain crowd puller so expectation were huge when the rumours arouse of a separate GTO-class. At the end 20 cars including the 4 litre model could be counted and they were lined up in front of the Pacific plus the prototype, the 250 Sperimentale. Officially the GTO celebrates its 50th anniversary next year but the organizers of the Pebble Beach Concours rated the Prototype as the birth. Unofficially there might be another explanation: as the date of in August is rather late in the season other concours and meeting like the Cavallino Classics and Amelia Island will feature the 50th anniversary as well and so the history of the prototype was used to be first in line. The owners of these cars are a very exclusive group that usually comes together every 5 years for a tour so this was a good reason to meet in between, the tours by Moet et Chandon do not feature less cars but as they are very private this was a rare opportunity for others to see these cars in such a quantity. At the end the first example (3223GT) won the class, recently restored back to the specification of the class win at the 24h of Daytona in 1966 including the original nose, the fog lights and the race number. Third in class came the only unrestored car (3647GT), today in the longest single ownership since 1967. The car was driven in 1962 by John Surtees who was present this Sunday to be reunited with his championship winning Ferrari 158 F1 and his MV Agusta 500 as he still is the only world champion both on 2 and 4 wheels.

Another reunion was Sir Stirling Moss and his Mille Miglia winning Mercedes 300 SLR “722” that had one of its rare outings from the museum being the poster car of this years Concours.

At the end of the winners ceremony with all the class winners and special prizes and annual charity raffle presented by Jay Leno it was time for the moment of truth: Best of Show.

To become nominee for BoS one has to win its class so the class awards are already an important step. The cars of the European Coachbuild classes pre-war either open or closed are usually strong competitors for the crown of the concours and to win this class is tough. When Egon ZweimĂĽller drove the 1932 Austro Daimler 635 Armbruster Sport "Bergmeister" Cabriolet to the lawn not few saw the future BoS coming in. The car was restored by ZweimĂĽller for no one less than Dr.Wolfgang Porsche, grandson of its designer Ferdinand Porsche so this car united not just a stunning design in stylish 2-colour paint and great attention to detail but also a prominent owner. But the Austro Daimler was out of the race when it just came second in class, just behind the later BoS.

So the nominees entering the winners circle were the three class winners of the European Classic classes: the 1929 Bentley Speed Six Gurney Nutting FHC by Daniel Sielecki, the 1934 Voisin C-25 Aerodyne of Peter&Merle Mullin and the 1938 Talbot- Lago T150C Figoni&Falaschi Coupe by Richard Stephens (the car that was sold last year at RM in Monterey).

At the end the jury came to the conclusion that this years BoS is the Voisin. Whereas Daniel Sielecki became second in two successive years American collector Peter Mullin finally won the prize at his 27th appearance. Maybe “elegance” is not the first word that comes into ones mind when looking at the Voisin but nevertheless it is a deserving winner. The design of the Voisin is timeless and it was maybe years ahead of its time when shown to the public in 1934. The car has many interesting details both inside and outside that were painstaking restored to original condition making this car a piece of art. When looking at the interior the first that catches your eye is the Art Deco upholstery that had to be re-fabricated, other details are the engraved ashtrays or the functional dashboard whose instrumental layout shows the roots from the aircraft construction. But highlight is the sliding roof with three windows that overlap with the fixed back window for visibility when open. This award does not only honour the enthusiasm of the owner and the team that restored this car to perfection but it is also a tribute to the work of Gabriel Voisin that is highly respected among experts but less known by the public.

The car will become the centrepiece in the Museum in Oxnard to be surrounded by other Voisins, Bugattis, Delahayes and Delages of Peter & Merle Mullins stunning collection.

The 61st edition of the annual Concours d´Elegance had many highlights to see making this a culmination of a week full of cars. In the evening Gooding&Company runs its second auction day that officially ends the “Monterey Madness”. Unfortunately the weather this year was not that great all of the week and Sunday made no exception with mist over the bay most of the day but this is the only taint. We have seen many cars from the last years auctions making their concours debut and one can be curious which cars of this years sales will be on the lawn next year. Without doubt next years event will feature again some great cars and it is always stunning to see how this event can attract that amount of “new” cars of equal quality. Many restorers are already busy to finish a ongoing restoration for 2012 and collectors are looking for the one car that might become BoS but the last years have set the bar very high.

Report&images Peter Singhof www.ClassicCarPhotography.de

Pebble Beach Concours Entries and VIP's
A-01 1906 Adams-Farwell 6A Connolly Runabout
A-02 1907 Stevens-Duryea U Touring
A-03 1909 Knox Open Touring
A-04 1910 Packard 30 Touring
A-05 1910 Rambler Model 54 Five Passenger Touring
A-06 1911 Stevens-Duryea AA Torpedo Five Passenger
A-07 1912 Hispano-Suiza 15/45 HP Alfonso XIII Jaquot Torpedo
A-08 1914 Marmon 41 Speedster
A-09 1914 Packard 3-48 Seven Passenger Touring

C1-01 1931 Cord L-29 Phaeton Sedan
C1-02 1931 Marmon Sixteen LeBaron Convertible Sedan
C1-03 1931 Packard 845 Deluxe Eight Waterhouse Convertible Victoria
C1-04 1933 Packard 1005 Twelve Dietrich Convertible Victoria
C1-05 1933 Packard 1006 Custom Twelve Dietrich Convertible Sedan
C1-06 1934 Cadillac 452D Fleetwood Convertible Sedan
C1-07 1934 Packard 1106 Twelve LeBaron Runabout
C1-08 1936 Auburn 852 Supercharged Speedster
C1-10 1937 Packard 1508 Twelve Convertible Sedan
C1-11 1938 Packard 1601 Eight Graber Cabriolet

C2-01 1927 Pierce-Arrow 36 Enclosed Drive Limousine
C2-02 1929 duPont Model G Merrimac Club Sedan
C2-03 1933 Cadillac 452C Fleetwood Imperial Sedan
C2-04 1935 Pierce-Arrow 845 Coupe
C2-06 1940 Cadillac Series 60 Special Fleetwood Town Car

D1-01 1913 Stutz Series B Four Passenger Touring
D1-02 1913 Stutz Series B Bearcat
D1-03 1914 Stutz Series E Bearcat
D1-04 1915 Stutz White Squadron
D1-05 1916 Stutz Series B Bearcat
D1-06 1918 Stutz Bearcat
D1-07 1921 H.C.S. Type III McFarlan Five Passenger Touring
D1-08 1923 Stutz KLDH Bearcat

D2-01 1925 Stutz 695 Speedway Sportster
D2-02 1928 Stutz BB Robbins Speedster
D2-03 1929 Stutz M Weymann LeMans Tourer
D2-04 1929 Stutz M LeBaron Town Car
D2-05 1929 Stutz M Hibbard & Darrin Convertible Victoria
D2-06 1930 Stutz M Lancefield Coupe
D2-08 1930 Stutz SV-16 Weymann Monte Carlo
D2-09 1931 Stutz MB LeBaron Convertible Sedan
D2-10 1934 Stutz SV-16 John Charles Ltd. Sport Saloon

D3-01 1931 Stutz DV-32 LeBaron Speedster
D3-02 1932 Stutz DV-32 LeBaron Bearcat
D3-04 1933 Stutz DV-32 Super Bearcat
D3-05 1933 Stutz DV-32 LeBaron Roadster
D3-06 1933 Stutz DV-32 Rollston Convertible Victoria
D3-07 1933 Stutz DV-32 Weymann Monte Carlo
D3-08 1933 Stutz DV-32 LeBaron Phaeton
D3-09 1933 Stutz DV-32 Waterhouse Convertible Victoria

G-01 1927 Duesenberg X McFar1an Roadster
G-02 1929 Duesenberg J Murphy Convertible Coupe
G-03 1930 Duesenberg J Murphy Convertible Sedan
G-04 1931 Duesenberg J Packard Roadster
G-05 1934 Duesenberg J Murphy Convertible Coupe
G-06 1935 Duesenberg J Rollston Limousine
G-07 1936 Duesenberg SJN Rollston Convertible Coupe

H1-01 1907 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Barker Seven Passenger Tourer
H1-02 1907 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Seven Passenger Tourer
H1-03 1911 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Hooper Limousine
H1-04 1912 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Labourdette Torpedo
H1-05 1912 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Barker Style Tourer
H1-06 1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Alpine Eagle Portholme Torpedo
H1-07 1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Shapiro-Schebera Skiff
H1-08 1915 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Maythorn Torpedo

H2-01 1923 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Oxford Tourer
H2-02 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Murphy Convertible Coupe
H2-03 1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Brewster St. Andrews
H2-04 1932 Rolls-Royce 20/25 HP Graber Cabriolet
H2-05 1932 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Brewster Croydon
H2-06 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Brewster Newport

I1-01 1886 Benz Patent Motor Wagen Replica
I1-02 1904 Mercedes 28/32 HP Rear Entrance Tonneau
I1-03 1911 Mercedes 40 HP Seven Passenger Touring
I1-04 1911 Mercedes 50 HP Maythorn Five Passenger Tourer
I1-05 1915 Mercedes 28/60 HP Towncar

I2-01 1928 Mercedes-Benz S Murphy Speedster
I2-02 1928 Mercedes-Benz 710 SS Tourenwagen
I2-03 1929 Mercedes-Benz S Erdmann & Rossi Cabriolet
I2-04 1929 Mercedes-Benz 710 SS Tourenwagen
I2-05 1929 Mercedes-Benz S Tourer
I2-06 1931 Mercedes-Benz 370 S Mannheim Cabriolet
I2-07 1936 Mercedes-Benz 290 Cabriolet A

I3-01 1934 Mercedes-Benz 380K Zapon Roadster
I3-02 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Mayfair Special Roadster
I3-03 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster
I3-04 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Sports Tourer
I3-05 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster
I3-06 1943 Mercedes-Benz 770K Pullman Limousine

I4-01 1894 Benz Victoria Vis a Vis
I4-02 1927 Mercedes-Benz S Rennwagen s/n 35309
I4-03 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster
I4-05 1969 Mercedes-Benz 600 Presidential Landaulet

I5-01 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing
I5-02 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Race Car
I5-03 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing
I5-04 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing
I5-05 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SC Cabriolet
I5-06 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing
I5-07 1962 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Alloy Roadster
I5-08 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster
I5-09 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster

I6-01 1906 Mercedes 120 HP Grand Prix
I6-02 1908 Mercedes 150 HP Race Car
I6-03 1908 Benz Grand Prix
I6-04 1911 Benz 200 HP “Blitzen Benz”
I6-05 1914 Mercedes 115 HP Grand Prix
I6-06 1922 Mercedes 28/95 HP Targa Florio Race Car
I6-07 1927 Mercedes-Benz SSK Open Two Seater

J1-01 1923 Bugatti Type 23 Brescia Lavocat et Marsaud s/n 1709
J1-02 1923 Hispano-Suiza H6B Million-Guiet Torpedo
J1-03 1925 Hispano-Suiza H6B Kellner Landaulet
J1-04 1928 Aston Martin T-Type Bertelli Short-Chassis Sports
J1-05 1929 Bentley Speed Six Gurney Nutting Fixed Head Coupe
J1-06 1929 Minerva Type AM Murphy Convertible Sedan

J2-01 1932 Austro Daimler 635 Armbruster Sport "Bergmeister" Cabriolet
J2-02 1932 Lancia Dilambda Viotti Phaeton
J2-03 1933 SS Cars SS1
J2-04 1934 Voisin C-25 Aerodyne
J2-05 1937 Lagonda LG45 Rapide
J2-06 1937 Railton Rippon Brothers Special Limousine
J2-07 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-SS Figoni & Falaschi Coupe

J3-01 1938 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Touring Coupe s/n 815025
J3-02 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Gangloff Cabriolet
J3-03 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante
J3-04 1938 Talbot-Lago T150-C Figoni & Falaschi Coupe s/n 90034
J3-05 1939 Bugatti Type 57 Galibier Sports Saloon s/n 57752
J3-06 1939 SS Cars SS100 Two Seater Sports
J3-07 1939 Talbot-Lago T120 Baby Sport Cabriolet d’Usine

K-01 1932 Ford Model 18 Carlton Cabriolet
K-02 1934 Ford Model 40 Special Speedster Roadster
K-03 1936 Ford Model 48 Gläser Convertible Cabriolet
K-04 1937 Ford Model 78 Darrin Convertible

L1-01 1910 Daimler 57 HP Hooper Limousine
L1-02 1916 Winton Model 33 Touring
L1-03 1926 Renault 40CV Labourdette Skiff
L1-04 1931 Lincoln K Willoughby Brougham
L1-05 1932 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Windovers Coupe
L1-06 1937 Frazer Nash-BMW 328
L1-07 1938 Lincoln K Brunn Seven Passenger Cabriolet Limousine

L2-01 1953 Fiat 8V Ghia Supersonic G
L2-02 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Pinin Farina Berlinetta s/n 0416AM
L2-03 1954 Hudson Italia Touring Coupe
L2-04 1954 Jaguar XK 120 M Roadster
L2-05 1957 Porsche 356A Reutter Speedster
L2-06 1963 Jaguar Lightweight E-type Competition Roadster
L2-07 1965 AC Cobra 289 Mark II Roadster

M1-01 1952 Ferrari 342 America Pinin Farina Coupe Speciale s/n 0246AL
M1-02 1952 Ferrari 342/375 America Pinin Farina Cabriolet s/n 0234AL
M1-03 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Pinin Farina Berlinetta Aerodinamica Speciale s/n 0456AM
M1-04 1957 Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Prince Bernhard Berlinetta Speciale s/n 0725GT
M1-05 1959 Ferrari 250 Series 1 Pinin Farina Cabriolet Speciale s/n 1211GT
M1-06 1965 Ferrari 250 LM Pininfarina Coupe s/n 6025
M1-07 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Coupe s/n 09073
M1-08 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Scaglietti Daytona Spyder s/n 14383

M2-01 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Sperimentale Pininfarina Coupe s/n 2643GT
M2-02 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta s/n 3223GT
M2-03 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta s/n 3387GT
M2-04 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO/64 Scaglietti Berlinetta s/n 3413GT
M2-05 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta s/n 3445GT
M2-07 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta s/n 3505GT
M2-08 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta s/n 3607GT
M2-09 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta s/n 3647GT
M2-10 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta s/n 3705GT
M2-11 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta s/n 3729GT
M2-12 1962 Ferrari 330 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta s/n 3765SA
M2-13 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta s/n 3909GT
M2-14 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta s/n 3943GT
M2-15 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO/64 Scaglietti Berlinetta s/n 4091GT
M2-16 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta s/n 4153GT
M2-17 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta s/n 4219GT
M2-18 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta s/n 4293GT
M2-19 1963 Ferrari 250/330 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta s/n 4561SA
M2-20 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta s/n 4757GT
M2-21 1964 Ferrari 250 GTO/64 Scaglietti Berlinetta s/n 5571GT
M2-22 1964 Ferrari 250 GTO/64 Scaglietti Berlinetta s/n 5575GT
M2-23 1964 Ferrari 158 F1 Race Car

O1-01 1946 Allard J1 Competition Whittingharn & Mitchell Open Sports
O1-02 1949 Plate Special Roadster
O1-03 1952 Lancia Aurelia PF200 Pinin Farina Convertible
O1-04 1954 Swallow Doretti Roadster
O1-05 1955 Lancia Aurelia B24S Pinin Farina Spider
O1-06 1955 Siata 208S Motto Spyder
O1-07 1960 Jaguar E2A Race Car
O1-08 1966 Aston Martin Volante Short Chassis

O2-01 1949 Porsche 356/2 Coupe
O2-02 1953 Bosley Mark I G/T Coupe
O2-03 1954 Alfa Romeo 1900 SS Zagato Coupe
O2-04 1961 Jaguar E-type 3.8 Litre Fixed Head Coupe
O2-05 1961 Jaguar E-type 3.8 Litre Fixed Head Coupe
O2-06 1965 Ford Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe

O3-01 1950 Delahaye 135 M Guillore Atlas Cabriolet
O3-02 1950 Talbot-Lago T26 Saoutchik Grand Sport Coupe
O3-03 1952 Lancia Aurelia B52 Vignale Coupe
O3-04 1953 Fiat 8V Ghia Supersonic
O3-05 1954 Bentley R Type Continental Park Ward Sports Saloon
O3-06 1956 Aston Martin DB 2/4 Ghia Supersonic
O3-07 1956 Maserati A6G Allemano Coupe
O3-08 1959 Aston Martin DB MK III Tickford Drophead Coupe

O4-01 1948 Dodge Derham Club Coupe
O4-02 1952 Cadillac Special Roadster
O4-03 1953 Lincoln Capri Derham Coupe
O4-04 1954 Hudson Italia Touring Coupe
O4-05 1954 Packard Panther
O4-06 1957 Dual-Ghia Convertible
O4-07 1960 Plymouth XNR Ghia Roadster

Denise McCluggage
Different approach to the same subject
Donuts and Coffee at the Dawn Patrol
GTO line-up
Jay Leno
Pebble Beach Concours d´Elegance 2011
Pebble Beach Tour d´Elegance 2011
Sheryl Crow
The Pebble Beach Lodge