“Once each year, on the third Sunday in August, about 200 of the most prized collector cars and motorcycles in the world roll onto what is often called the best finishing hole in golf — the famed eighteenth fairway at Pebble Beach. Tire meets turf and transformation occurs: the stage is set for one of the most competitive events in the automotive world. The occasion is the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Originally a small social event paired with a road race through the pine and cypress forests of Pebble Beach, the Pebble Beach Concours has grown into the top-ranking collector car show in the world. People from all over the globe come to compete in or simply enjoy the event here at Pebble Beach.”
It was hard to believe our automotive adventure in Monterey was soon coming to a close. After a fulfilling day of historic racing greatness out at Mazda Laguna Seca for the Motorsports Reunion, all that was left on our list before departure back to Seattle was the world was the cream of the crop, the pièce de résistance, the grandest of finales: Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
As luck would have it, we managed to grab our credentials to Concours d’Elegance a day early, so we were able to experience a little bit of what Pebble Beach had to offer before the actual show started on Sunday.
Like a sign of good things to come, we wandered out of the Infinity hospitality tent after getting checked in and spotted an Audi Sport Quattro just relaxing in the parking lot.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Audi Sport Quatrro
Pressing our luck, we moved a bit farther down the road and found ourselves out front of the Mercedes Center. Credentials in hand, we headed for the door to grab a sneak peek of the collections, displays, and possibly snag a complementary beverage.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Mercedes
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Mercedes
The Mercedes Center had quite the assortment of old & new beyond the “standard fare” of 300SLs and vintage racers. They were doing a solid job showing off generations of engineering and technological mastery with everything from a mint condition vintage cut away to the brand new Concept Style Coupe.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Mercedes
The CSC is every bit stylish as it is conceptual. Between the bright illuminated frame around the lamps, Terminator- esque driving lights, and fluttering eyelash turn signals, the headlights alone seemed to exhibit more technology than an average car. The grill is full of flair, and the boldness carries over to the interior with bright reflective neon green piping, plenty of light suede and lots of carbon trim.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Mercedes
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Mercedes
Besides the real thing, the Mercedes Center interior was also decorated with plenty of memorabilia & scale models of all varieties.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012
Just off the deck & outside there was even more of the classic Mercedes greatness. Two vintage saloons were resting comfortably on the back lawn, as well as a couple more 300SLs posted up out front.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Mercedes
What’s not to love about a 4-spoke yachting wheel complete with red accents to match the red leather & plaid interior? Perhaps Mercedes needs to reel back on the neon piping and revive some classy flair to their Concept Style Coupe.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Mercedes
Only paces away sat another German stunner super coupe, albeit a more modern take. The always popular C63 AMG Black Series dominated the view in a beautiful pearl white.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Mercedes
Hearing a rumbling coming up the road, we turned just in time to catch this old roadster speeding by – the perfect reminder of what was to come in the morning. We hopped in the rental and made our way back to the hotel to begin preparing for the day ahead.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012
We awoke in the morning to heavy fog and cloudy skies, only hoping things would burn off a bit and clear up before Pebble Beach really got into full swing. After a Lamborghini Club brunch courtesy of Cats Exotics & a short shuttle ride, we found ourselves out in front of Pebble Beach just in time for a big reveal. 12 o’clock marked the unofficially official unveiling of the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Ferrari F12
As the crowds began to gather around the Ferrari stage, the cameras came out. No sooner had the cover come off than the crowd had dispersed, and people moved on. It was almost as if all the commotion was just around trying to capture the moment of the unveiling, rather than the car itself. Perhaps the early displays and previous exhibitions of the F12 had quelled some of the expected excitement? No one can be sure…
Regardless of the hype bomb, the car is still a looker.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Ferrari F12
We pushed through the packed walkways and made our way down the concept lawn. There was a solid turnout on the greens this year, with showings from just about every big name in the business.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 SRT Viper
SRT was in good form with their brand new American super snake sporting a classic royal blue & white stripe package.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 McLaren MP412C Spider
McLaren brought a bit of sunshine to the show with a bright yellow MP4-12C Spider.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 BMW Zagato Roadster
The Spider wasn’t the only drop top on the concept lawn though. BMW brought out their extra sleek Zagato Roadster, only to be flanked by the always ominous Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Bugatti Veyron
Lexus and Mercedes had the far end of the greens cornered with the LF-LC concept and Concept Style Coupe sitting head on with one another.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Mercedes Concept Style Coupe
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Urus
Lamborghini wasn’t going to let everyone else have all the fun, either. Their future-forward Urus concept and the one and only Sesto Elemento were attracting a ton of attention from prying eyes.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Infiniti Emerg-E Concept
On the slightly more refined and electronic side of things were the Infiniti Emerg-E Concept and another one of a kind creation, the Fisker Surf. Being part Karma, part shooting brake, and all types of expensive, we’re still not too sure how to feel about the Surf, but its curvacious exterior and big body style seem to be growing on us the more we look at it!
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Fisker Surf
It just wouldn’t be a party without 1,000-ish horsepower stuffed into what used to be a Lotus Elise in some form or another either. Hennessey’s Venom GT was even capturing the attention of a few Lamborghini’s faithful.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Hennessey Venom GT
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Aston Martin
Looking flashy in a brilliant, bright blue finish, Aston Martin presented their latest variant of the ever popular Vanquish, along side of an identical & pretty gnarly carbon fiber cutaway.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Aston Martin
Once we worked our way through the concept lawn, it was on to the full Concours meal deal. Year after year, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance seems to grow in popularity, and without a doubt 2012 marked some of the biggest crowds at Concours we had ever seen. Young & old, enthusiast or owner, local or from half way around the world, it doesn’t matter. Concours welcomes all, and without the diversity of spectators & participants, it just wouldn’t be the spectacle that we all know & love!
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012
With hardly enough shoulder room to hold a camera strap, we worked our way through the crowds and down the trampled and yet still well manicured lawns.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Delage
The vehicles on display down by the water are centuries behind everything we were met with on the Concept Lawn, and yet they’re maintained with such care & affection that it’s hard to tell they’ve even aged days. “Pristine” doesn’t even begin to describe some of Pebbles finest, and after one visit you’ll understand why. After all of the grit & grime of the Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca just a day before, it was mind boggling to see some very similar specimens looking as if they had never left the showroom floor.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012
There were plenty of two wheelers on hand, too. This 1923 R32 BMW motorbike was in such great shape that it overshadowed most of the other bikes on display, including one sporting some rather funky bright red rubbers just out of frame!
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 BMW Motorcycle 1923 R32
There was no shortage of vintage prancing stallions grazing the fields of Concours either. Just about every shade of Italy’s finest was in attendance in one form or another, whether it was a Spyder or any number of classic racing coupes & topless roadsters.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Ferrari
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Ferrari
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Ferrari
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Ferrari
We even happened to catch a shot of one young Ferrari faithful enjoying a little bit of seat time!
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Ferrari
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012
Kodak moments are the name of the game when you’re wandering around Pebble. Sure, the cars are phenomenal, but the human experience is really what makes these kinds of events great. People are dressed to impress and exemplifying every aspect of luxury. Hard parking kiddie shows haven’t got a thing on the upbeat elegance of Concours, and honestly we’re going to need to require a dress code and have a serious amount of champagne on tap at the next Red Square Charity Car Show if we really want to get on their level!
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012
We don’t know too many shows that are as pet friendly as Pebble Beach Concours either. It’s one of the few places you might find yourself admiring a well behaved pooch only to be greeted by a surprisingly friendly Blue Macaw!
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012
After feeling a bit crowded out, we made our way to the tip of the course and decided to head over towards the waters edge. It seemed everyone was also eying the 100+ ft. “Leight Star” yacht that was anchored just off shore with a a helicopter perched on its pad, and we had to get a closer look.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012
There was a lot of wildlife enjoying the late afternoon surf. An assortment of waterfowl, seals, and even one rather broken looking seagull eyed us from a distance as Concours d’Elegance roared on.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012
A couple onlookers showed a bit of concern for our blatant disregard of perimeters, but Blake waved them off with a smile and the kind of confidence only a vertical bow tie can muster. Our decision was solidified shortly there after when we were joined by a photographer for Motor Trend who had been wanting to observe the action from afar as well.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012
After a bit of pontificating over days past, we decided to pour out a bit of bubbly for the homies and make for the shuttle, taking one last long look at the swan cars & Mr. Leigh’s pleasure cruiser before we left.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2012 Swan Cars
It’s always an incredible experience venturing to Monterey for all things automotive, and we can’t wait to do it again next year!