2008 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and Monterey Historics Wrap Up
It's not every day you can see a Ferrari California Spyder leading a Cadillac V16 in a slow parade onto the 18th green at Pebble Beach Golf Course, but the image above is just one of many great sights and sounds I experienced over the past three days.
The 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance was a celebration of cars from as far back as 1896, though most of the vehicles that caught my eye were from 1960 or newer. However, seeing several examples of the Cadillac V16 gave me a new appreciation for the brand's history. Would love to see GM's permier division produce a 16-cylinder engine for the 21st Century. Various economic and geopolitical issues suggest that's unlikely...
This was my third trip to the Pebble Beach Concours, and the first time I did the early-morning (5:30 a.m.) arrival to see the cars arrive in the morning (versus looking at them already parked on the fairway). Yeah, it's a brutal time to get up, but well worth it to see (and hear) the cars moving under their own power.
Beyond the Pebble Beach show I attended one auction and witnessed the widening chasm between what car sellers want and what car buyers will pay. The market for all but high-end, perfect, no-stories cars has shifted. The sooner the owners of cars not fitting that description face this reality the sooner they can realistically decide if it's time to sell or hold. Right now, they are wasting a lot of time and money putting cars on the block with fantasy-land reserves.
I also attended the Concorso Italiano at its new Marina Airport location. The short version? It was cold and windy and everyone hated it. I don't know where this show will happen next year, but it won't be at the Marina Airport.
Finally, I watched the Monterey Historic races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Saturday and confirmed what I said last Friday -- most of these categories don't hold much interest for me. It was fun watching the Toyota Race of Legends only because it featured everyone from Bruce Canepa to Alain de Cadenet beating the hell out of Scion tCs as they squared off The Corkscrew and pushed those econo-coupes for all they were worth.
The other big race for me was the 1966-1972 Historic Trans-Am Cars, where a constant lead change between a 1969 Camaro Z/28, a 1970 Boss 302 Mustang and a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T had me out of my seat and jumping up and down. These guys where going two-wide into The Corkscrew and getting closer to "fender banging" than I'd ever expect these classic race cars to get. Great stuff!
Plenty of shots below. Hope you enjoy them.
Scion tCs are repeatedly off-roaded in The Corkscrew during the Toyota Race of Legends
Classic Trans-Am Race cars line up in pit lane before the Monterey Historics race at Laguna Seca
After some of the best race action of the day the number 77 Dodge Challenger R/T takes a Trans-Am win
A parade of Duesenbergs reminded everyone of a time when cars were more than just transportation
"The World's Official Car Guy" -- also known as Jay Leno -- was on hand with his "Tank Car"
A stunning (and pricey!) collection of Ferrari California Spyders on the 18th fairway
- Posted by
- Karl Brauer August 18, 2008, 6:00 AM
- Permalink
- Categories:
- Auto Shows, Driving
- Technorati Tags:
- Monterey Historics, Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
That black Ferrari up close in the last photo is gorgeous. Thanks for the pics.
"I also attended the Concorso Italiano at its new Marina Airport location. The short version? It was cold and windy and everyone hated it. I don't know where this show will happen next year, but it won't be at the Marina Airport."
Everyone at Ferrarichat.com has expressed the utter disappointment in the new location for the Concorso Italiano. The buzz on the forum is that CI has signed a five year contract with the Marina Airport for the use of that location. So it might be a few more years until a new location can be utilized, that is if CI can survive that long.
I heard from a couple folks in Monterey that the attendance for CI was WAY down this year (both show goers and show car entries), so the consensus is that it simply can't happen at the airport again. If they are locked into a five-year contract your suggestion CI might not survive sounds, unfortunately, accurate.
Words cant describe a classic Ferrari.
One of the most well known auto events in the country and, so far, only 23 comments to two postings by Karl. Is this a sign of a weak economy? Is it a generational shift in automobile interest? Is it simply that the Edmunds users lack interest in classic autos?
Awesome post Karl, great pics
ksm1: Yeah, kinda quiet here. From my perspective, the Pebble Beach cars are amazing, but in some ways irrelevant except as museum pieces. I don't know what I'd do with a Duesenberg, for example, other than to track its value and pay someone to dust it.
I attended Concorso Italiano last year with my Ferrari and had a ball -- cars that can actually be driven on an actual road. It was a great event -- hope they can pull it out of this year's nosedive.