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 2006, 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.

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Coming in 2008

Above: 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California with short wheelbase and fared-in headlights will be displayed at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

One of the most renowned classic Ferraris, the 250 GT Spyder California will be featured in a special exhibit at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Manufactured starting in 1958, about 105 were built and six examples, including the prototype, will be on display. Twelve of the 105 Spyder Californias were built specifically for competition at which they were successful in the significant races of the day.

The Concours will also showcase the only Ferrari 400 Superamerica built by the factory with Spyder California coachwork. Its Pebble Beach appearance in the GT Class marks the first showing of it anywhere in the world.

Author: Paul Pollock