by Wallace Wyss –

It makes perfect sense. There you are, at Monterey Car Week, with some of the best cars in the world going to all these events and some of the world’s best experts walking by, but when can you get a chance to hear their opinion?

That’s why the Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum was created. Sponsored by AIG and BridgePoint, it’s an opportunity to see and hear most of the experts you have heard of. You look at the list of speakers, speaking from August 23 through the 25th and you sign up. They are all at the delightful hotel by the sea, within the Pebble Beach area called The Inn at Spanish Bay.

The most famous name, entertainment wise, is Jay Leno but he’s joined by Donald Osborne, and they’re going to give a history lesson on car development, not only the breakthroughs but the backfires.

Spike Feresten will press Jerry Seinfeld to divulge some inside stories from his popular web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Seinfeld, by the way, is a world class expert on Porsches of the Fifties.

And Wayne Carini, who you have probably seen on TV buying cars at auctions, will be a co-host.

The subjects really vary this year. While I’d like to hear the presentation called “The Truth about Tucker” I’m also interested in future collectibles and what is Big in Japan. You would think with every smart phone and camera you wouldn’t need a lesson on how to photograph cars like a pro, but there’s snapshots and there’s photographs and this presentation might tell the difference.

And there’s one forum on avoiding the mistakes top car collectors often make.

We can’t all collect cars but there’s a forum on how to find and display top tier automobilia.

Most sessions are free, although a few featured sessions (with speakers like Leno) cost $85.

A note from Pebble Beach,

We do not have an official wait list but you are welcome to arrive early for any forum to take advantage of no-show seats.

Katee Waller
Director of Sales and Brand Management
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

Here’s a run down, day by day of who’s heading up each forum. It’s like trying to choose the best dessert at a gourmet buffet….

Thursday August 23

1:00 pm A Career with Cars and Cameras

Michael Furman
Michael Furman’s studio photography is the best in the car world. That led in 2005 to the founding of Coachbuilt Press, through which he has published of many landmark titles. He can be found at many major concours as featured artist, author, judge and sponsor.

3:00 pmThe Truth About Tucker

Ken Gross – Moderator
Ken Gross serves as a member of the Selection Committee and a Chief Class Judge for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. An automotive writer for 44 years, Ken has received the Washington Auto Press Golden Quill Award, the Society of Automotive Historians’ Cugnot Award, and the James Valentine Memorial Award for excellence in automotive historical research.

And Ken has owned a few sports cars himself, including a Ferrari 375GTB. So he’s got lots of stories to tell. Also included is John Tucker Jr. is the grandson of Preston Tucker and Steve Tremulis the nephew of Alex. And he’s got his uncle’s incredible archive of photographs, drawings, letters, speeches, and models from over a half-century of automobile design. Others on the Tucker forum are Hampton Wayt, a specialist in automobile styling, industrial and Mark Lieberman. president of Nostalgic Motoring, which deals in classic and collectable automobiles, plus Rob Idawhose grandfather Joe Ida owned a Tucker Dealership in New York.

Friday August 24

9:00 am Estate Planners Perspective: Top Mistakes With High-End Collections

Eric A. Ess
As a member of Husch Blackwell’s Financial Services & Capital Markets industry group, Eric Ess concentrates his practice on estate and tax planning, probate and trust administration, business succession planning, and lifetime gift planning for high-net worth individuals and families.

11:00 am Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

Session Sold Out

Spike Feresten sits down with comedian Jerry Seinfeld to discuss his hit Netflix series.

Jerry Seinfeld
Entertainment icon Jerry Seinfeld’s comedy career took off after his first appearance as a stand-up comedian on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1981. Eight years later, he teamed up with fellow comedian Larry David to create what was to become the most successful comedy series in the history of television: Seinfeld. His latest project is the Web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, on Netflix.

Spike Feresten
Spike Feresten, host of the hit car-buying show Car Matchmaker, is renowned as a writer/producer for TV shows such as Seinfeld and Late Show with David Letterman and as the star of FOX’s Talkshow with Spike Feresten. friends and family.

2:00 pmThe Racing Legacy of OSCA–Fratelli Maserati

Session Sold Out

Tim Considine – Moderator
For more than three decades, Tim Considine has written about motor racing. He has been a contributing editor for Road & Track, as well as many other automotive publications, and authored the award-winning book, American Grand Prix Racing: A Century of Drivers & Cars. Most recently, he published Twice Around the Clock: The Yanks at Le Mans, a boxed set of three volumes on the participation of Americans in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Considine is not only speaking but at the age of 17, he purchased a 1500cc OSCA MT4 that will be shown at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Am I the only one who remembers he was a Mouseketeer?

Bob Devlin
At age 14, Robert T. Devlin attended the second running of the Pebble Beach Road Races and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Bob has authored two books: Pebble Beach: A Matter of Style in 1980 and Pebble Beach: The Art of the Poster in 2003, He has also taught for three years at The Academy of Art University, focusing on the history of automotive design.

Michael Lynch
Michael T. Lynch is a consultant, author, historian, researcher and photographer. He is a member of both the Motor Press Guild and the American Automobile Racing Writers and consults with clients on diverse matters, such as event planning, editorial services, research, provenance assurance, expert commentary on radio and TV, and event announcing.

Alfieri Maserati
If the last name sounds familiar, you’re right on. Alfieri Maserati is a master mechanical engineer and the son of Ernesto Maserati who, along with his three brothers, founded Maserati of Modena and later OSCA–Fratelli Maserati. Ernesto designed all Maseratis from 1932 to 1947 and all OSCAs from 1948 onward. Alfieri worked for six years in nuclear research and then founded his own company producing limited slip differentials and special ring gear and pinions, distributed mainly to markets in the United States and Southeast Asia. He recently assisted in the creation of a permanent exhibition devoted to the Maserati Brothers at the Museum of Industrial Heritage in Bologna, an exhibit that was installed to celebrate the 60th anniversary of OSCA.

Adolfo Orsi
A name just as famous in Italy as Maserati is Orsi. A historian of Italian motorsport, a noted collector car expert and a staunch advocate of preservation, Adolfo Orsi has coordinated and overseen the restorations of some of the most significant cars produced in Italy.

3:30 pm Collecting Everything BUT Cars

Jerry Lettieri – Moderator
Jerry Lettieri has been involved with collector cars for the past fifty years. He started collecting automobilia at an early age and then became interested in hot rods, antiques, sports and racing cars. Twenty-five years ago Jerry established Automobilia Auctions, specializing in automobilia and literature. Here’s where you find out if it’s worth keeping that ’53 Pontiac hood ornament, you know the Indian chief that lights up at night.

Rory Brinkman
Rory Brinkman in his 17th year as Automobilia Director for Barrett-Jackson Auction Company, where he has overseen some of the largest and most successful automobilia auctions in the history of collecting.

Ben Horton
I met Ben Horton back in the ‘70s when he first started his rare book business in the UK and I have seen it grow each year as he almost defines the book collector market. Now he’s guest speaker, talking about helping to build some of the world’s foremost motoring libaries.

David Kayser
David Kayser back in 1992, founded Chelsea Motoring Literature, specializing in original automobile sales literature from the 1950s through the ’70s, as well as difficult to source factory service documents and obscure period ephemera.

Jerry LaBant
As a lifelong British car enthusiast Jerry LaBant would often accompany his brother on a high-speed dash to dry off his 1967 MGB. Fifty years later, Jerry now focuses his love of British cars on period automobilia. His business, Liverpool Motorworks, specializes in original tools, literature and accessories for British marques.

Jacques Vaucher
From the age of four Jacques Vaucher was the unofficial test driver of pedal and motorized cars for Eureka, a French toy manufacturer by his godfather. His schooling at Winfield, France’s famous racing school, led Jacques to touring car endurance racing in the United States, and he produced winning results at Lime Rock and Watkins Glen. Concurrently, he sold Maseratis for the importer Bob Grossman and later managed the New York showroom of Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti. Jacques turned the showroom into a gallery, covering the walls with automotive art to complement the moving sculptures displayed on the floor. That led to his own gallery L’art et I’automobile, owned by Jacques and his wife Karen. They are now based in Texas but still selling the same European art they were selling in NYC.

5:00 pm Big in Japan: Future Collectibles from the Model A to the 240Z

Ed Loh – Moderator
Ed Loh has more than 17 years of experience in automotive journalism and has held leadership positions as editor-in-chief of Import Racer! Magazine (2003), managing editor of Road & Track Speed magazine (2005), and editor-in-chief of Sport Compact Car (2006).

Tom Matano
Known as “the father of the Miata” in the design community, Matano attracted my attention when he bought the flawed but beautiful DeTomaso Vallelunga. He has 30 years of experience in the automotive design industry. Prior to joining the faculty at the Academy of Art University, he held design positions at General Motors Design in Michigan, GM Holden’s in Australia, and BMW in Germany. In 1983, he became the Chief Designer at Mazda North America, and he went on to become VP of Design and EVP of the Western R & D operations. From 1999 to 2002, he was an Executive Designer at Mazda Headquarters in Japan. Matano currently serves as the Executive Director of the School of Industrial Design at the Academy of Art University,

Randy Nonnenberg
Randy Nonnenberg is the Co-Founder and CEO of Bring a Trailer, the leading online auction venue and community dedicated to historic, special interest vehicles. BaT Auctions has handled the sales of hundreds of collectible Japanese cars and trucks, ranging from a Toyota 2000GT to a preserved Honda CRX and everything in between. Randy is a noted expert on their values and appeal, as well as trends in the marketplace.

Eric Bizek
Eric Bizek is the host of Motor Trend’s hit series, JDM Legends. Born of a passion for classic Japanese vehicles, Eric founded his Salt Lake City shop, JDM Legends, almost 10 years ago, in 2009. Bizek now serves as one of the only restorers of imported Japanese domestic market cars in the United States. I venture to say that without him leading the way, we wouldn’t know which Japanese cars are worth collecting.

RJ de Vera
As a former editor at Super Street magazine, RJ de Vera became well immersed in the automotive industry. De Vera was a consultant and actor in the first Fast and Furious film, helping to launch one of Universal Studios’ most successful movie franchises. Over the last decade, de Vera has consulted on numerous projects within the automotive aftermarket community and has served as a spokesperson for major brands such as PepsiCo, Xbox, Valvoline and various OEMs. De Vera has served as an automotive stylist for more than 30 high profile vehicles and remains active within the car hobby.

Alfonso Albaisa
Alfonso Albaisa is Senior Vice President for Global Design for Nissan Motor Co., leading global design teams to reinforce a common essence across all models within the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands and deliver inspiring and exciting designs for customers.

Saturday August 25

10:30 am Pioneers, Breakthroughs & Dead End Technology and the Development of the Automobile

Session Sold Out

Assess & Caress with Jay Leno’s Garage

Jay Leno
Acclaimed late-night TV show host, admired stand-up comedian, best-selling children’s author, much-in-demand corporate speaker, lovable TV and movie voice-over artist, pioneering car builder and mechanic, and philanthropist (most notably helping a vocational school teaching youngsters car restoration).

Donald Osborne
Donald W. Osborne, ASA, has shared his considerable knowledge and experience of collector car values and trends with millions of television viewers during his regular feature “Assess & Caress with Donald Osborne” on the popular CNBC Primetime show Jay Leno’s Garage. He is a monthly columnist for Sports Car Market magazine and has been published in The New York Times, Art & Antiques, The Wall Street Journal Online and other publications.

1:30 pm Spike’s Car Radio Records Live with Michael Strahan

Michael Strahan
Two-time Emmy winner and Super Bowl Champion Michael Strahan currently co-hosts ABC’s Good Morning America, is an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, and hosts ABC’s primetime game show favorite $100,000 Pyramid. Michael is the co-founder of SMAC Entertainment, a multi-dimensional talent management, music, branding and production company, which has created a major presence in the sports and entertainment arena. For four years, Strahan co-hosted the hit talk show LIVE with Kelly and Michael, and prior to joining the ranks of the top sports broadcasters in the country, Strahan had a spectacular NFL career that resulted in him being named to the 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

Spike Feresten
Spike Feresten, host of the hit car-buying show Car Matchmaker, is renowned as a writer/producer for TV shows such as Seinfeld and Late Show with David Letterman and as the star of FOX’s Talkshow with Spike Feresten..

3:00 pm Car Guys in TV

Session Sold Out

Wayne Carini – Moderator
Wayne Carini is the host of Chasing Classic Cars on the Velocity channel, currently in its tenth season, and the proprietor of F40 Motorsports sales and restoration services. He is a noted collector and a recognized collector car authority.

Jay Ward
I have to say that for the kids of today, nothing made them more into car enthusiasts than the CARS films. And Jay Ward, was the automotive and later franchise creative consultant on all three CARS films, the Cars Toons, and Cars Land at Disney’s California Adventure Park in Anaheim, California. Prior to joining Pixar, Jay co-created and ran the traditional hot rod & custom show Billetproof from it’s inception in 1997 until 2002 and the Asphalt Invitational from 2004 to 2009, after which he branched into other automotive endeavors, including being the Managing Editor for Hop Up magazine. Ward now runs the Pixar campus classic car show, the Pixar Motorama, hosting vehicles from Jay Leno, Chip Foose, and many others.

Mike Brewer
Mike Brewer discovered his passion for motoring as a teenager and knew this would be his career. He quickly built a reputation for being sharp and honest, and soon had the largest 4×4 dealership in the south of England. Mike was hired for the first series of Deals On Wheels and later earned the presenter’s position on Driven for Channel 4, followed by Auto Trader, Pulling Power, Wrecks to Riches, and Revved-up as well as several other non-motoring programs for Discovery Channel and ITV. It was Discovery’s Wheeler Dealers that struck the heart and the toolbox of petrolheads all over the world. Most recently Mike created Wheeler Dealer Trading Up, a series that showcases his motoring knowledge and his selling skills as he trades cars around the world.

Bob Scanlon
Robert S. Scanlon is President of Velocity and Video Content at Motor Trend Group, a consolidated joint venture with Discovery, Inc. that combines Velocity with the entire automotive digital, direct-to-consumer, social and live event portfolio of Motor Trend. He oversees programming, development, production, marketing and communications. Since Scanlon launched Velocity in 2011, the network has grown larger and faster than any other ad-supported cable network. He has led the production of many successful programs including Bitchin’ Rides, Texas Metal, Iron Resurrection, Barrett-Jackson Live, Chasing Classic Cars, Wheeler Dealers and more.

Ray Evernham
Ray Evernham is a consultant for Hendrick Companies, formerly an auto racing crew chief for Bill Davis Racing and Hendrick Motorsports, owner of his own team Evernham Motorsports from 2001 to 2010, and analyst for ESPN’s NASCAR coverage.If you want to see more details on the presentations and figure out how to book a ticket, then go to this sitehttps://www.pbclassiccarforum.com/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_campaign=2018_Guide

MOST SESSIONS FREE

Incidentally many presentations are free if you already have a Pebble Beach concours pass, but there’s a few (like Lenos) that cost $85. I listed some that are sold out but maybe there’s a waiting list….

Let us know what you think in the Comments.

Wallace Wyss

 
 
 
 
 
THE AUTHOR: Fine artist Wallace Wyss can be found on August 25th at Concorso Italiano at his Art & Books booth.