The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on Sunday is traditionally the highlight not only of Monterey Car Week, but also of the entire North American collector car calendar. This year marked the 75th anniversary of the globally famous event, prompting organizers, museums, manufacturers, and private collectors to gather on the historic golf course on the Californian coast to display the finest, rarest, and most valuable metal in automotive history.
Alongside display-only pieces, a total of 218 cars across roughly two dozen classes faced the critical judgment of the expert jury. Automotive diversity was rarely greater at the famous concours. The anniversary categories covered a wide spectrum ranging from pre-World War I American speedsters to Japanese Le Mans racers from the 1980s and 1990s.
Fittingly, given the surging prices for models decorated with the Cavallino Rampante, Ferrari was featured as the honored marque this year. In addition to classic production models, two special exhibits featuring graceful Vignale coachwork and Luigi Chinetti's NART race Ferraris added variety. Dedicated categories were devoted to them. Among the custom-bodied Ferraris from the Turin firm, the 1954 375 America Vignale Cabriolet won, while a 166 MM Touring Barchetta from the marque's early days triumphed among the Italian-American racing team's cars. There was also a cross-brand category for Vignale-bodied cars, in which the Alfa Romeo 1900 C Super Sprint Cabriolet known as La Flèche stood out.
Two Maranello thoroughbreds were nominated for the highly coveted Best of Show award, which includes an engraved Rolex Perpetual 1908. The 1955 Ferrari 375 MM Pinin Farina Berlinetta and the aforementioned 1954 Ferrari 375 America Vignale Cabriolet ultimately lost to Harry Yeaggy's 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster once owned by early Hollywood legend Clark Gable. The Pebble Beach jury has long favored the American luxury brand, which filed for bankruptcy in 1937 and remains among the most frequent overall winners since the inaugural event in 1950. Another contender was an Art Deco French beauty, a 1938 Delahaye 165 with sweeping cabriolet bodywork by Figoni et Falaschi.
Although overall victory went to the Duesenberg under the traditional confetti showers late in the afternoon, the anniversary edition offered numerous highlights beyond the main prize, demonstrating the multifaceted nature of international automotive design. Highlighting Maranello's central role, the Ferrari Grand Touring class saw the Best of Show-nominated 1955 Ferrari 375 MM Pinin Farina Berlinetta secure a convincing class win. A historic Ferrari race transporter, a 1957 Fiat 642 RN2, was rightfully one of the most popular photo subjects, carrying both a 250 GTO and a 250 Testa Rossa on its back.
Even more spectacular were the Alfa Romeo BAT concept cars that graced Carrozzeria Bertone's show stands between 1953 and 1955, glowing on the manicured lawn over seventy years later. Designed by Franco Scaglione, one of the design house's most talented visionaries, the BAT 5, BAT 7, and BAT 9 aerodynamic prototypes look with their wide wing-like tail fins and covered wheel arches as if they came from an Italian Batman's garage. Their name matching retro-futuristic design so well is merely a coincidence, as the acronym simply stands for Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica.
The Automobiles of Royal India class presented a complete contrast in style. Instead of Italian aerodynamic avant-garde, opulent luxury tailored to Indian Maharajas took center stage. Here, a majestic supercharged six-cylinder 1929 Mercedes-Benz 630K Sports Tourer prevailed, bringing vintage Indian elegance to the California coast. Meanwhile, the Pebble Beach Road Race Veterans recalled local traditions, specifically the road races through Del Monte Forest held between 1950 and 1956, which are closely linked to the concours' history. In the production-based racing class, the 1953 Ferrari 250 MM Vignale Spyder placed first, while the HWM-Chevrolet Stovebolt Special triumphed among modified specials.
A touch of the Far East drifted through the otherwise western-dominated event with motorsport technology from Japan celebrated in the new Japanese Motorsport category. Here, the 1985 Toyota 85C L Longtail Le Mans Coupe endurance racer took first place. Missing out on the podium was the Mazda 787B, which won Le Mans in 1991 with its quad-rotor Wankel engine and captured the hearts of car fans worldwide with its unique sound.
William E. "Chip" Connor was likely among the happiest collectors of the weekend. His breathtaking 1937 Talbot-Lago T150 C-SS Figoni et Falaschi Teardrop Coupé, considered one of the world's most beautiful cars thanks to its streamlined Art Deco body, earned the J.B. & Dorothy Nethercutt Award for Most Elegant Closed Car. Another car from Connor's collection claimed a class win in Postwar Sports Touring: the 1972 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV Coupé, which participated in a special showcase marking the 60th anniversary of the first true supercar. For this outstanding gathering, a previously unused section of the golf course was opened for these automotive treasures.
This year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance was one of the most spectacular editions to date, owing to major anniversaries and exceptional variety among participating entries. Enthusiasts can look forward to seeing which rarities collectors and organizers present at the 76th edition on August 15, 2027.
Photos by Tom O'Neal for Rolex
