by Wallace Wyss –
Pebble Beach, as the Nation’s most famous concours, tries to be all things to all people and it never fails to impress me that each year they make small improvements to make the experience more satisfying for spectators.
Sometimes they retain a class that’s arguably no longer as relevant as it once was, but they make up for it by inaugurating a new class.
The Antique class for instance, with the newest car a 1914 model, you kind of wonder who in 2026 remembers them? You’d have to be pretty damn old…
But this year they had an early Speedster class before World War I and you have to admit it may have been the zeal for Speedsters that whetted the appetite for cars in the US. It founded The Need for Speed.
1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster shown by Harry Yeaggy – Best of Show
Many of the cars had a story of a strong personality that created it. In American Classics for instance, they had a Dutch Darrin built Lincoln Continental and few remember Dutch as a man who tailored cars already made, a sort of early bespoke customizer so to speak.
Pebble also commemorates, or replays in a way, certain exhibitions like this year the cars from the ’33 Century of Progress exhibition of five American luxury cars including a ’33 Duesey nicknamed “Twenty Grand”, when that was a lot of money.
This year there was a huge emphasis on “streamliners, pre World War II and it is always so sad to me that the streamlining came to an abrupt end when war started–just when streamlining was getting so artistic, combining the influence of art deco and minimalism. The round door Phantom I from the Petersen Museum is one of the best, based on a RR Phantom I. That car has an obscure story too, like once being a circus tent moneymaker.
Pebble Beach has paid attention to the zeal in India for classics before and this year they had four Indian entrants with a Mercedes, a Pierce Arrow, a Packard and a Bentley.
A few years back they had a tribute to the Bugatti Royale and all seven made showed up. This year there were two, one belonging to a name you might know– Rob Walton–who also indulges in vintage sports car racing at Laguna Seca.
A special treat was three BAT Alfas by Bertone–one of the most daring ventures of a coachbuilder when back in the ’50s Nuccio Bertone built three wild super-aero coupes. One even survived having its tail fins cut but now all three are restored.
Bizzarrini Targa Aperta, the first of several that will be made each customized to his buyer. This was at Pebble in the front courtyard of a store, the first time the shops have been used for display and a brilliant idea because visitors who didn’t go into the concours could see the cars for free.
PRESERVATION CLASSES
Pebble was one of the first to recognize that not everyone wants to see a 100% restored car with fresh paint and upholstery, Why not see it as it looked when found–maybe a scratch on the paint here, a tear on the upholstery there. In short, cars that have been through it all, and yet soldier on. One was an almost forgotten marque — Cunningham, from when Briggs Cunningham built his own line of cars bodied in Italy by Vignale. I enjoyed the unrestored as well as the restored.
And of course a racetrack being in this history of Pebble Beach, when there was racing through the narrow public roads of the exclusive colony, there was seven racing Ferraris, maybe only one old enough to have raced the original Pebble but leading up to a ’73 Daytona coupe one of the last front engined Ferrari race cars of the ’70s.
The three Alfa Romeo BAT prototypes were eventually found and restored. One-egad–had its fins cut off but they were restored. The trio was one of Carrozzeria Bertone’s greatest publicity stunts.
Ferrari Competition had a larger class, including two GTOs, the models most valuable in Ferrari history. But the surprise to me was to see how good the ’63 330 LMB coupe looked–like a customized Lusso except the street only Lusso came a year later so it preceded the Lusso. Some say the 330LMB was a developmental mule on the way to the GTO. But the real entertainer in this class was something over 70 ft. long, a ’57 Fiat transporter, loaded with very expensive Ferraris. We have always heard about transporters but never saw one in person with millions of dollars worth of cars on board.
This year Vignale, a coachbuilder long gone (last used by DeTomaso who sold it to Ford) two classes of its own, the newest in the Ferrari only class being a 375 America Cabriolet but in the all Vignale class the newest was a 1960 3500GT Vignale Spyder. There were two Lancia Nardi Blue Ray coupes, both strong designs.
MAX YOU ARE REMEMBERED
Now “hot rods” you rarely see at Pebble Beach but you have to admit the name Max Balchowsky skill brings back memories of when his race shop in Los Angeles would cobble up a car out of parts that would beat the hoity toity Euro purebreds so it was good to see the ’59 “Old Yaller” on display among purebreds like a Cisitalia and an Osca.
Tony Hulman Trophy – 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta shown by David SK Lee, Walnut, California
As a Bizzarrini fan I was glad to see a ’63 Iso Grifo A3/C on display brought from Switzerland. Long story short, when Iso dumped making the alloy bodied Grifo, Ing. Bizzarrini packed his bags and left to make the same model on his own, naturally carrying his name.
A new Spyker
When the car was selected by the judges for a class win there was one problem–it wouldn’t go into any gear but Reverse. So the owner dutifully drove in Reverse to the stage to collect his reward.
JAPANESE CARS
Maybe it was because Americans didn’t read about Japanese race cars, but the achievements of Japanese automakers in racing went unnoticed in the US for decades but this year there was a class for them, three entered from Japan, one by automaker Honda, proud of their 2010 LeMans prototype.
THE ORIGINAL PEBBLE BEACH RACERS
It is surprising so many of the original Pebble Beach race cars, which raced on the two lane road around the suburb of Monterey, survived. Among them in the production car class was a ’49 Ferrari 166MM, two Jaguar X-types, two Ferrari roadsters and the Kurtis, another now forgotten American race car. In the special class the name Ken Miles, aka “Sidebite”, later Shelby’s ace driver, came up with his ’54 Flying Shingle Special. Ken was later banned for reckless driving by the event sponsors.
Not fitting nearly into a street drivable class was a land speed record car a ’27 Sunbeam, brought over the pond by Lord Montagu, a Brit who founded the National Motor Museum in the UK.
This was the year for Jaguars, with a class for Historic Jag including a D-type long nose Cunningham race car Steve McQueens XKSS “green rat” roadster, Bob Tullius team was represented by an XJS V12 that belonged to a certain princess who ordered custom changes in the interior, that car loaned from a museum in the Old Sode.
There were places you could buy food, not cheap, but available. And discreetly located bathrooms. And of course souvenirs of Pebble–I noticed a silk scarf popular with both sexes not worn as an Ascot but as a scarf as women do.
The weather at Pebble Beach is always a little overcast so one must prepare (or else buy a coat and umbrella from the shops along the show’s perimeter).
THE CONCEPT CAR LAWN
As a frustrated wanna be car designer (read my critiques on My Car Quest) I am always eager to see the, at least a dozen, cars on the concept car lawn. Now for those who passed by buying a concours ticket I’d say the Concept Car Lawn is worth the gas expense driving even from Los Angeles because it’s a free exhibit. Not to mention the free exhibit of Ferraris only a few feet away. So that’s two free shows in addition to the pricey (around $500 concours ticket). Cost me $140 in gas round trip from Los Angeles, worth it, I’d say.
But some of the cars were shocking to me in various ways. One was a custom Ferrari that looked like, for all the money spent, a used front engined Corvette. It was billed as a Superleggera Veloce 12 Aperta. In that car’s case having a V12 didn’t help it look better than the original.
Chairman’s Trophy – 1957 Fiat Tipo 642RN R2 Bartoletti Transporter shown by Jon & Kim Shirley, Medina, Washington
Then there was the much vaunted Audi Nuvolari. Not so impressive in person–visibility issues rearward being my main concern. But most of all the idea of it being a limited edition exclusive far in price above any production Audi, seemed dubious. I would have liked to talk to the designer, but most of the bigwigs for each marque were ensconced in their terraced dining areas, unapproachable without an invitation so I can’t give a rationale for suddenly coming up with an Audi way way above the usual price.
Then there was a Mazda show car which from a distance seemed to have no headlights or taillights. Was it brought to the show half finished?
And if you’re wondering about glitz, there was one prototype that was in green with bronze, copper or brass, one of those metals used up the wazoo–way too much glitter to be a discreet sports car.
The Aston Martin Valen had one of the most boring noses of any car I have seen. But at least it has a twin turbo 5.2 liter V12.
The BMW M concept had a nose that seems Pontiac Tempest from the ’60s. but at least its stying will only be on electrics.
Hennessey showed a mid-engined supercar the Venom F3-M which will be limited to just 12 worldwide.
I did not get caught in the traffic jam this year but saw more evidence of viewers being transported by bus from remote lots–it all makes sense to eliminating the biggest problem with Pebble–traffic.
In sum, if you are a foreign car enthusiast, and even don’t mind a little education on America’s role in car design and how they interacted with Europe and Japan, it is THE SHOW to go to.
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster shown by Harry Yeaggy – Best of Show
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Complete List of 2026 Winners |
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BEST OF SHOW 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster, Harry Yeaggy, Cincinnati, Ohio
BEST OF SHOW NOMINEES 1938 Delahaye 165 Figoni et Falaschi Cabriolet, The Pearl Collection, Baar, Switzerland 1955 Ferrari 375 MM Pinin Farina Berlinetta, Heinecke Family Collection, Bangkok, Thailand 1954 Ferrari 375 America Vignale Cabriolet, RQ Collections, The Woodlands, Texas
ELEGANCE AWARDS Gwenn Graham Most Elegant Convertible 1935 Duesenberg J Rollston Convertible Coupe The Singleton Collection, Costa Mesa, California B. & Dorothy Nethercutt Most Elegant Closed Car 1937 Talbot-Lago T150 C-SS Figoni et Falaschi Teardrop Coupé William E. (Chip) Connor, Hong Kong Jules Heumann Most Elegant Open Car 1937 Bentley 4¼ Litre Vanden Plas Sports Tourer Harsh Pati Singhania, New Delhi, India Strother MacMinn Most Elegant Sports Car 1953 Fiat 8V Ghia Supersonic SPECIAL AWARDS Alec Ulmann Trophy 1934 Hispano-Suiza J12 Fernandez et Darrin Coupé de Ville Anne Brockinton Lee/The Lee Collection, Sparks, Nevada Ansel Adams Award 1931 Pierce-Arrow 42B Seven-Passenger Tourer Nishant Dossa, Mumbai, India ArtCenter College of Design Award 1974 Lancia Stratos HF Stradale Coupé David & Erin Eichenbaum, St. Petersburg, Florida Briggs Cunningham Trophy 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Touring Spider Dr. Richard Workman, Windermere, Florida Chairman’s Trophy 1949 Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta Jon & Kim Shirley, Medina, Washington Charles A. Chayne Trophy 1938 Tatra T77A Limousine Bruce R. McCaw, Bellevue, Washington Classic Car Club of America Trophy 1934 Buick 98C Fisher Convertible Phaeton The NB Center for American Automotive Heritage, Allentown, Pennsylvania Dean Batchelor Trophy 1954 MG R2 Ken Miles “Flying Shingle” Special Bill Hart, Carnation, Washington Elegance in Motion Trophy 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta Revs Institute, Naples, Florida Enzo Ferrari Trophy 1956 Ferrari 500 Testa Rossa Scaglietti Spyder Larry Solomon, Napa, California FIVA Prewar Trophy 1930 Cord L-29 Murphy Town Car Dano Davis, Jacksonville, Florida FIVA Postwar Trophy 1963 Jaguar E-type Fixed Head Coupé Buzz & Julia Lynn, Reno, Nevada The French Cup 1937 Dubonnet Xenia Saoutchik Aerodynamic Coupé Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles, California Gran Turismo Trophy 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Sperimentale Pininfarina Coupe Bruce R. McCaw, Bellevue, Washington The LAP of Luxury Award 1955 Lancia Nardi Blue Ray I Vignale Coupe Private Collection Lincoln Trophy 1942 Lincoln Continental Darrin Cabriolet Kevin Bischoff, Vancouver, Washington Lorin Tryon Trophy Tom Peck, Irvine, California Lucius Beebe Trophy 1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Hooper Tourer OldiBox, Menzingen, Switzerland Mercedes-Benz Star of Excellence Award 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SC Pinin Farina Coupe Fred & Donna Kriz, Monaco Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Freestone & Webb Drophead Coupé Bill & Adriana Hayward & The Hayward Family, Carmel, California The Phil Hill Cup 1950 Jaguar XK120 Don Parkinson Special Derek Hill, Ojai, California Tony Hulman Trophy 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta David SK Lee, Walnut, California Pininfarina Trophy 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Series I Pinin Farina Cabriolet Julio Grosso, Danbury, Connecticut
CLASS AWARDS A: Antique 1st: 1904 Rolls-Royce 10 HP Barker Park Phaeton, Terry Bramall, Harrogate, United Kingdom 2nd: 1910 Glide 45 HP Scout Touring, Ross & Beth Myers, Boyertown, Pennsylvania 3rd: 1908 Packard 30 Four Roadster, Bill Parfet, Hickory Corners, Michigan
B: Early Speedsters (Pre-World War I) 2nd: 1913 National Semi-Racing Roadster, Jim Grundy, Horsham, Pennsylvania 3rd: 1912 Moon 30 Raceabout, Leland F. Powels, Cambria, California
C-1: American Classic Open 2nd: 1935 Auburn 851 Supercharged Speedster, DuCoing Family, Anaheim, California 3rd: 1933 Cadillac 452C V-16 Fleetwood Convertible Sedan, Stephen Brauer, St. Louis, Missouri
C-2: American Classic Closed 2nd: 1932 Marmon Sixteen LeBaron Coupe, Nicholas & Shelley Schorsch of the Audrain Collections 3rd: 1931 REO Royale 8-48 Dietrich Newport Sport Sedan, A. J. & Pam SanClemente, Northborough, Massachusetts
C-3: 1933 Century of Progress Exhibition 2nd: 1936 Cadillac Series 90 V-16 Fleetwood Aerodynamic Coupe, Lehrman Collection, Palm Beach, Florida 3rd: 1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow Sedan, Chris & Teresa George, Fremont, California
D: Packard 2nd: 1941 Packard 1906 Custom Super Eight One-Eighty Darrin Convertible Victoria, George Myers, Saint Helena, California 3rd: 1930 Packard 745 Deluxe Eight Roadster, Craig Kappel & Meg McCarthy, Orlando, Florida
E: Streamliner (Pre-World War II) 2nd: 1932 Austro Daimler ADR8 Oeffag Alpine Sedan, The Nethercutt Collection, Sylmar, California 3rd: 1932 Duesenberg J Bohman & Schwartz Streamline Coupe, The Keller Collection at the Pyramids, Petaluma, California
F: Automobiles of Royal India 2nd: 1934 Packard 1101 Eight Seven-Passenger Tourer, Rajiv Kehr, Gurgaon, India 3rd: 1931 Pierce-Arrow 42B Seven-Passenger Tourer, Nishant Dossa, Mumbai, India 2nd: 1932 Duesenberg J Murphy Convertible Coupe, Tom Maoli/The Maoli Collection, Mendham, New Jersey 3rd: 1926 Duesenberg A Schutte Roadster, Perry Pintzow, Albuquerque, New Mexico 2nd: 1923 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Pall Mall Tourer, Joe & Janice Conzonire, San Marino, California 3rd: 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Freestone & Webb Drophead Coupé, Bill & Adriana Hayward & The Hayward Family, Carmel, California
J-1: European Classic Under 4 Liters 2nd: 1937 Delahaye 135 Chapron Coupé des Alpes, The Sport Clips Collection, Georgetown, Texas 3rd: 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Touring Spider, Dr. Richard Workman, Windermere, Florida
J-2: European Classic Over 4 Liters 2nd: 1925 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A Castagna Cabriolet d’Orsay, Museu Carde, Campos do Jordão, Brazil 3rd: 1939 Lagonda V12 James Young Sedanca Coupé, Martin Moore, Englewood, Colorado
L-1: Prewar Preservation 2nd: 1916 Crane-Simplex Model 5 Farnham & Nelson Dual Cowl Phaeton, Stephen & Susan Babinsky, Lebanon, New Jersey 3rd: 1927 Hispano-Suiza H6C Gurney Nutting Sports Saloon, Susan & William Evans, Del Mar, California
L-2: Postwar Preservation 2nd: 1973 Porsche 911 Carerra RS 2.7 Lightweight, HS Motorcars, Helena, Montana 3rd: 1954 Ferrari 212 Inter Vignale Berlinetta, Charals & Diana Haagen, Los Angeles, California
M-1: Ferrari Competition: Chinetti/NART 2nd: 1961 Ferrari 250 TRI/61 Fantuzzi Spyder, Scuderia N.E., Stamford, Connecticut 3rd: 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Sperimentale Pininfarina Coupe, Bruce R. McCaw, Bellevue, Washington
M-2: Ferrari Competition 2nd: 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Competizione/335 GT Scaglietti Spyder, Chris & Ann Cox, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 3rd: 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Scaglietti Berlinetta Competizione, Larry & Anne Page, Crozier, Virginia
M-3: Ferrari Grand Touring 2nd: 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 “Daytona” Scaglietti Berlinetta, Michael Regalia, Sun Valley, California 3rd: 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB Scaglietti Berlinetta, Chuck Akre, Washington, Virginia
M-4: Ferrari Vignale 2nd: 1953 Ferrari 250 MM Vignale Coupe, Anton J G Bilton, Gstaad, Switzerland 3rd: 1952 Ferrari 340 Mexico Vignale Berlinetta, Santiago Martinez, Madrid, Spain
N: Vignale 2nd: 1953 Siata 208 CS Vignale Coupe, Don Bernstein & Patt Taylor, Clark’s Summit, Pennsylvania 3rd: 1950 Abarth 205A2 Vignale Berlinetta, Wolfgang Biedermann, Hamburg, Germany
O-1: Postwar Sports Racing 2nd: 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupe, Juan J. Escalante/Carlos J. Acosta, Miami, Florida 3rd: 1964 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS Coupe, Richard Mershad, New Albany, Ohio
O-2: Postwar Sports Touring 2nd: 1965 Iso Grifo A3/C Berlinetta, Thierry Halff, Gy, Switzerland 3rd: 1953 Fiat 8V Ghia Supersonic, Private Collection, San Francisco, California
O-3: Postwar Luxury Touring 2nd: 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SC Pinin Farina Coupe, Fred & Donna Kriz, Monaco 3rd: 1951 Bentley Mark VI Park Ward Drophead Coupé, Rajiv Kehr, Gurgaon, India
P: Japanese Motorsport 2nd: 2010 Honda HPD ARX-01c Le Mans Prototype, Robert “Bob” Neapole, Santa Clarita, California 3rd: 1990 Toyota Eagle HF89 IMSA GTP Coupe, Anthony McIntosh
R-1: Pebble Beach Road Race Production 2nd: 1955 OSCA MT4-TN Barchetta, Elad Shraga, Savyon, Israel 3rd: 1952 Jaguar C-type Roadster, Jack Croul Collection, Newport Beach, California
R-2: Pebble Beach Road Race Special 2nd: 1952 MG R1 Ken Miles Special, Hart Family, Redmond, Washington 3rd: 1953 Glasspar Mameco-Ardun Bill Tritt Special, Montse Andrade, Villafranca del Castillo, Spain  Wallace Wyss Photos by Wallace Wyss or Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. |
Couldn’t make PB this year but I thoroughly enjoyed watchng the awards online. I think both the show cars and auction offerings may hyave been the best ever. I will never understand $40mil. for a butt ugly Ferrari EV. Clearly the auction prices were impressive.
I haeard the owner of the Duesenberg SSJ (best of show) turned down a $40mil. offer.