The 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance: Of Kings and Queens
If you’ve never attended the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance before, you may be of the opinion that nothing in the “real world” can live up to the reputation that this event has. There are only a small handful of events in the world that have risen to the level of import and prestige that it has, and the ones that have are flung across the globe, are not inexpensive, and some admit only a limited number of lucky ticket holders. To tell the truth, we might have been in that camp of disbelievers for almost two decades, before we had the opportunity to attend.
You might have read the title of this piece and thought that these two chuckleheads must be at a minimum exaggerating, or at most, on the take from the organizers. Neither could be further from the truth. We’ll put this in context. Most of the time, stating something out loud is the best way to approach making a point. The overall winner of this year’s event was once owned by King Leopold III of Belgium and the event also featured a collection of 10 Range Rover and Defender models once used by Queen Elizabeth. And if that isn’t impressive enough for you, just consider that there were another 200 or so other of the most extraordinary vehicles on earth alongside them on the 18th fairway of the hallowed Pebble Beach golf links. That’s serious flex.
But before we laid eyes on any of those cars, we were up and packing at 4am to get on the road for the short drive to the remote parking lot where we hopped on a shuttle bus for an even shorter ride to Pebble Beach Equestrian Center. From there, it was a long snaking downhill walk in the dark to our first obligatory stop. The good folks at Hagerty Insurance provide early birds with complimentary coffee and doughnuts. (noobs, be aware that no coffee shops are open that early) As we were enjoying the much needed warmup and sugar pump, we used our previous year’s experience to position ourselves to be the tip of the spear of the mini hoard of event veterans who vie to score a much coveted Hagerty Dawn Patrol hat. Then, BINGO, we both scored new lids….not that either of us need another hat). Not gonna lie, by 6am we were well dressed, caffeinated, sugared, swagged and ready to roll…not too shabby. At that point there was only one thing to do, and that was to break out the cameras and head out into the pre-dawn on the 18th fairway.
Up and at it early to catch the cars as they first enter the greens.
That’s the point of the day where our pulses started to quicken. We started to hear the engines in the murky distance and the fancy music over the PA system. Then a bark from the guy who directs the coordination of the golf carts to lead each car to the field, and we were on. For the next hour or so, every participating car was led to its parking marks. Some hit the marks on the first try while others took a bit of back and forth and negotiation. You’d think parking would be a pretty simple thing, but you’d be wrong. Some cars are a century old, some have low or no visibility, some are not used to being driven or idling, and some are just plain fickle. You’d also think that taking pictures of cars parking and parked isn’t something “exciting,” but you’d also be wrong about that. We do our best to capture images of as many of them by themselves before the masses make their way down the hill. Click click click….maybe a short video clip. This angle…maybe another…sweet hood ornament...original tool kit…steam…a detail nobody else is noticing…click.
Always follow the guys in the carts.
As mentioned above, the concours featured over 200 entries spanning time and type. Among the vehicles of kings and queens was a diverse array of automobilia. You may be aware of the event’s history of featuring and awarding the likes of Duesenberg, Rolls Royce, Packard, Mercedes, and Bugatti. To be sure, those marques and specimens from before World War II, are all well represented. That said, and since we’ve been attending since 2017, the variety has been moving more toward the post war era. In fact, we heard one statistic that the 2024 event featured 20% more post war cars than in previous years. Look, we love the more “antique” cars for all of their wood and brass, but our hearts beat more for the cars of the second half of the 20th century, and well into the 21st. That tack to the future became apparent when we saw the first of the “Wedge-Shaped Concept Cars & Prototypes Early & Late” classes take their marks. From the 1955 Ghia Streamline X to the 2023 Italdesign Asso di Picche in Movimento, these two groups were simply a tour-de-force of fantasy, design, and innovation, the likes of which we’ve never see before in one place. It was simply awesome to see a collection of cars that has so significantly influenced the complexion of modern vehicle production…the fundamental DNA of the modern automotive industry.
Also at the more modern end of things were the “1990s BPR & FIA GT Race Cars.” For a couple of middle-aged guys, seeing the first race cars we ever fell in love with was, well, RAD! Double rad actually. 2 Ferrari F40s, 2 Jaguar XJ220s, 2 Bugatti EB110s, 2 Porsche 992 racers, 2 Mercedes CLK GTRs, and even 2 McLaren F1s on display was (apologies) straight up, 2 legit!
The cars of Maserati were also a featured class, placed artfully, and maybe a little precariously, along the water’s edge. The Maserati brothers built their first car in 1926, and from then on, focused strongly on competition models. In 1948, under direction of the Orsi family, they produced non-racing sports cars and then some famed GT cars. At the same time the history of Maserati was featured on the 18th fairway the Pebble Beach concept law displayed the latest from the company in the form of the GT2 Stradale.
Now back to the more traditional concours fare….….
There was an impressive assemblage of 8 amazing Packards on hand, celebrating the founding of the company 125 years ago. The Packard marque has won best of show at Pebble beach 4 times in the past and is the event’s most featured American make. It’s easy to understand the appeal of these most luxurious and innovative cars that have been owned and coveted by countless titans of industry and celebrities. Packard is quite simply more of the things. More chrome, more luxury, more style, more cylinders, more length, and of course, more money….then and now. Every example on the field was amazing to take in and begged all onlookers to imagine how they were perceived in their day. We have exclusive, small-batch cars today, but nothing like these hand built and bespoke manifestations of status and opulence.
After being so impressed and inspired by last year’s Best of Show winning 1937 Mercedes Benz 540K Special Roadster, we thought it would be just plain rude not to acknowledge the THREE 540K cabriolet/roadsters in this year’s show. Though none were judged Best of Show this year, we don’t think anyone (except maybe the owners/restorers) were upset. Each of these three straight eight supercharged, in-house coachbuilt wonders epitomize the name and concept of Grand Touring. If we had to sum up our concept of the best stuff of style, speed, luxury, and performance of the 1930s, we’d be hard pressed to find better examples than these.
And speaking of the best….
Every time we cover an event, we try to capture as much detail as possible to give our readers as comprehensive a take as we're able to deliver. One of the things any attendee of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance will be struck by is the sheer number of individuals involved in the production of the annual spectacle, and one image we always try to include in our coverage is that of a swarm of concours judges probing every aspect of a car on the field. As we were going though our thousands of images from this year's concours, we realized that we just happened to pick the perfect scene to capture the judges at work.
At the center of this all is Fritz Burkard, educating the judges and docents about his 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports, which was competing in the preservation-class. Just a couple of hours after this moment was captured, this Type 59 was crowned the 2024 Best of Show, the first Bugatti to take the prestigious award since 2003. But what's more, its the first preservation-class car ever to win best of show in the 73 years the event has been held...a truly historic and impressive feat.
For us it was a clear connection to the history of what has become Monterey Car Week and the capstone event on Sunday at Pebble Beach. The concours began as a social gathering in 1950 after the conclusion of the Pebble Beach road races, which in later years were moved to Laguna Seca Raceway. That over 70 years later a one time racecar would win the top honor was the perfect call back to the history of motorsport that launched both the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
And last but not least…..The Fit
We and many other attendees like to get a little dressed up for the concours. Some people get a lot dressed up. For the last few years, we’ve included a portion of our report devoted to the clothes, hats and sometimes shoes of Pebble Beach. If you go to this event and you’re not stopped in your tracks by some display (probably more than just one) of sartorial expression, you’re not doing it right. The fit is another show all of its own and absolutely deserves a shout.
That a well-worn, warts and all, racecar won Best of Show this year really left a great impression on us. It and the other changes we’ve seen in the event in the relatively few years we’ve been privileged to attend are refreshing and invigorating. Pebble Beach continues on a trajectory that keeps it relevant in the automotive world. Between the Concours, the concept lawn, and Casa Ferrari (plus the Gooding Pebble Beach Auction and spectacular manufacturer displays just above them) that unfold just outside the main show, there aren’t (m)any events that can hold a candle to it. We’re certainly grateful that we were able to attend this year and certainly hope we’ll be accommodated again in a year’s time. Coupled with the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, these events are the true genesis of this “thing” that we now call Car Week (used to be a weekend….just sayin). Attending is absolutely worth all of the planning, travel, expense, and of course sartorial consideration necessary. We probably had our best Car Week ever this year and have already begun planning for 2025. Please take some time to enjoy our mega gallery below and email or hit us on our socials if you have any questions or need advice on attending.
As always, we’ve included a mega gallery to make up for the failings of our prose. Please enjoy.
-The Loud Pedal
