Sprawling green lawns graced with the clean rubber of multi-million dollar automotive masterpieces, a shared passion for fine automobiles that you could cut with a knife, and most importantly cars, cars and more cars. What could we be talking about other than the world-famous Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance. There are many exciting Concours events that happen across the country and each carry that spirit of appreciation and excitement for cars, but Pebble Beach, this is the end all be all of Concours events. Think of it as the Academy Awards of automobiles, but at this show the most coveted and awarded vehicles are those that are decades old and anything but mainstream. California and its driver-focused cities, such as Los Angeles, have helped deem the state the foremost destination for automobiles, but how did an ocean side car meet become the world-class showcase that it is today?
Initiated in 1950, the first Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance was held in conjunction with the first Pebble Beach Road Race and had just a few dozen entrants in three classes. By 1957 the races moved to Laguna Seca and the Concours proceeded as a single event already attracting about 10,000 spectators. A decade later in 1967 the event becomes celebrity clad with the likes of Bob Hope as peripheral entertainment to spectating of the fine automobiles there; by this time the momentum the event gained was unstoppable. It wasn’t only entertainment royalty that was regularly working and attending the event, but in 1979 Mrs. W. O. (Margaret) Bentley herself was on hand to present special awards to featured Bentley automobiles. Does it get more legit than that? At this point it didn’t seem as if Pebble Beach Concours couldn’t be legitimized as the premier automotive event anymore. But, in 1985 the event united all six super rare Bugatti Royales for the first time ever, a truly amazing feat.
As you can imagine, each and every year the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance continues to blossom into an even more significant automotive showcase, not to mention the dozens of amazing events that help bolster its continued success. Today, not only are the world’s rarest classics brought together in one place at Pebble Beach, but the most anticipated concepts and releases also call Pebble Beach Concours their home, making it the destination for catching a glimpse of future classics. For example, this year patrons are to be graced with sights of the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, Aston Martin Vanquish and more, with very exclusive private viewings of cars like Mclaren’s F1 successor. This is serious business not only for enthusiasts and consumers but for manufacturers as well.
Convinced that the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance is the end all be all? You probably didn’t need much convincing, and our goal really wasn’t to convince but to shed a bit more light on an event that we enjoy so thoroughly. In addition, the fact that it is only about 70 miles away from our headquarters reinvigorates the pride we have in our automotive community and the significance it holds globally. If you’ve never made it to Monterey Car Week or the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance, it may be too late this year, but we have a fleet of Exotic Auto rentals waiting for you to drive up in style next year. And even though you aren’t there, stay tuned for all the latest news from us.
