Monterey Car Week is already well underway, heralded by the arrival of hundreds of the world’s finest classic and collector cars to California’s rugged central coast. This influx of patina and polished chrome is driven largely by one factor: the desire to compete and win big at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. 

However, before the confetti showers the ‘Best of Show’ winner on Sunday, contestants and spectators alike fired up their engines in the early morning for the Tour d’Elegance, tracing 17 Mile Drive and Highway One on route to Big Sur before returning to the finish line at Pebble Beach. More than just a chance to warm their tyres, the Tour provides an all important edge for the competition itself; any car that successfully completes the Tour gets the nod if it later ties in class competition at the Concours. Rémi Dargegen was our man on the ground as we tried to catch a glimpse of the week’s winner-to-be. 

This year marks the 74th edition of the Concours, and no less than three incredible marques are celebrating their centennials. The first is Invicta, founded by Noel Macklin at his home in Cobham, England with the backing of sugar magnate Oliver Lyle, the British Marque was in business for just over a decade, operating from 1925 to 1935. Their early models developed a reputation for being lightweight and agile with their 2.5-litre Meadows engines, and Macklin’s sister-in-law, Violette Cordery, soon put these machines in the spotlight by winning sprints at Brooklands and setting long-distance records at Monza and Montlhéry. Invicta’s most impressive creation was the low chassis S-type, first shown at the London Motor Show in 1930 and boasting a larger 4.5-litre Meadows 6 cylinder engine. Just 77 of these incredible machines were ever built before the Great Depression spelled Invicta’s end. 

Chrysler is the second manufacturer to celebrate their 100th anniversary. Founded by railroad mechanic Walter P. Chrysler in 1925, the marque quickly became known for their technical innovation and collaboration with some of the most exquisite coachbuilders of the pre-war era. Their creations of the 1930s were characterised by a streamlined aesthetic, spearheaded by the Airflow, while the 1940s were dominated by their delightful Town & Country “woodies” — an unmissable sight, especially when equipped with a matching wooden canoe — before graduating to their sleek, finned machines of the 1950s, often bodied in peerless style by Ghia. One of our favourite sights during the tour was the one-of-three Imperial Parade Phaeton, complete with star spangled banners. Chryslers have won top honours twice in the past at Pebble Beach, making this marque one to watch. 

Finally, lovers of Italy’s comparatively petite, jewel-like sports cars can’t miss Moretti’s 100 year celebration. Founded in 1925, the marque initially dedicated itself to motorcycle and microcar manufacturing, before graduating to trucks, and then, after World War II, more conventional automobiles. Moretti was known for designing almost all of their parts in-house, including the engine and transmission, unlike other “etceterinis” as the smaller Italian marques looking to rival Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, and Lancia were known. In their later years, Moretti partnered with Fiat and produced a series of sports cars up until 1989, but it’s their gorgeous two-tone green and white 750 Gran Sport and all-black 1200 Gran Sport coupes that really got our attention during the Tour. 

While not quite as vintage, the Shelby Cobra 427 enjoys its 60th anniversary this year. Inarguably one of the most feared competitors during its era, their 427 cubic inch Ford engines helped Carroll Shelby’s roadsters to dominate SCCA racing from the outset. This year’s event will welcome the four variations of this legendary sports racer — ‘Comp’ (competition), S/C (semi-competition), Street and Narrow Hip — in addition to the first and last production Cobras. 

One of the most unmistakable front ends of the entire Tour belongs to the Type 101-based 1965 Exner Bugatti Roadster by Ghia. Its designer, Virgil Exner, is being honoured at this year’s event with a collection of his finest creations, with the aforementioned Bugatti joined by the 1954 Alfa 1900 CSS Ghia, and a pair of incredible Dual-Ghias including a D-500 and the 1957 Chrysler Ghia Super Dart 400 Prototype. By just 26, Exner had risen to the position of Chief Stylist at Pontiac, and by 29 he became Chief Styling Engineer at Studebaker.

A true design maestro, Exner began his tenure at Chrysler just as he hit 40, in 1949, reshaping the marque’s image first with the ‘100 Million Dollar Look’ in 1955, and then again in 1957 with the ‘Forward Look’. Other Exner-designed roadside highlights we must mention include the Plymoth Asimmetrica Roadster we featured back in 2023, the otherworldly 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt, a beautiful silver 1954 Alfa Romeo 1900 CSS Ghia and last but not least, the lipstick red 1954 Desoto Adventurer II. Even in 2025, Exner’s miraculous sense of proportion can be appreciated on 17 Mile Drive. 

As for the potential ‘Best of Show’ winners, we have a few Classic Driver-approved favourites. Chief among them is the incredible 1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C "Tulipwood" Torpedo by Nieuport-Astra, fresh from a meticulous two-year restoration and looking as majestic as anything on the road with its flowing wooden coachwork. Giving the Tulipwood Torpedo a run for its money is the unique 1939 Bentley Mark V Corniche with its achingly beautiful Mulliner coachwork. Not only is it a stunner, but this Bentley represents the missing link between the fabled Embiricos 4.25-Litre and post-war R Type Continental.

Meanwhile, another front-runner is the 1935 Aston Martin Mk2 Sports Saloon, one of only 24 ever built and recently restored back to glory after being rescued from a suburban garage in Liverpool. At the time of its discovery, it was painted in a flat green, but restoration revealed Aston Martin’s iconic shade of metallic green hiding underneath. A cutting-edge ICI paint technology at the time of its creation, this Mk2 is believed to be the first ever Aston to wear the shade. 

Finally, we must give a special mention to last year’s Best of Show winner, Fritz Burkard of the Pearl Collection, who drove his Bugatti Type 57 Atalante over 3,000 miles from coast to coast to attend this year’s event. If ever there was an ambassador for true classic car stewardship, Fritz is the man. 

The weekend’s festivities are just starting, so be sure to check back next week for our full review of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance to discover the big winners of this year’s event. 

Photos: Rémi Dargegen for Classic Driver