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2008 Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance: The Prestige
The presentations were spectacular, the crowds anxious, and the vehicles impressively immaculate. Only once every year on the Monterey Peninsula will you become vividly inspired by the breadth of antique vehicles, coach-built collectibles, newly introduced production models and wish list supercars and exotics. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 58th Annual gathering of the Concours d’ Elegance at Pebble Beach. From car collectors such as Tonight Show host Jay Leno to lady charmer and actor Patrick Dempsey, everyone was in the house. It’s an elaborate fascination of the world’s most elite and most desired vehicles. “Pebble Beach is the biggest and most famous car show in the world – every enthusiast knows about it. It’s a very exclusive event and it’s important for us to be here,” stated Lamborghini Chief Test Driver, Valentino Balboni, who has worked at Lamborghini for forty years.
Since 1950, Pebble Beach has been hosting the Concours on the famed 18th Fairway of the prestigious Golf Links and has expanded to become the foremost commemoration of the automobile. Aficionados of style, art and automotive technology travel from around the globe to see such magnificent works of art. Where else can you spend time with a 1928 Duesenberg J LaGrande Sports Phaeton, a 1959 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Racer Special and then jump ahead to Mercedes-Benz’s impending SL63 “Black Series” or Iconic’s 800 horsepower GTR Roadster? This year featured entrants from 27 states and twelve countries going head to head within the 24 classes. During show day on Sunday, vehicles cruise over the awards ramp at The Lodge at Pebble Beach to be meticulously scrutinized by a collection of judges with a combined 1,175 years of experience. And if you were in the Chrysler sponsored Hospitality at Club XIX like Automotive Rhythms then you had the best seats at the Concours. Leno, who attends Concours regularly, showed off his 28.4-liter 1953 Chrysler Tank Car. “This is an M47 Patton Tank engine with twin turbos, it has 1,600 horsepower and weighs about five tons,” said Leno. “That’s not really much when you consider the engine is meant to move a 120,000-pound tank. Maybe you build cars like this when you have more money than brains, but I’ve driven it to work and it’s gotten up to 145 mph at the GM Proving Grounds.” By the end of the day there is always one carefully calculated winner of the “Best of Show” grand honor. Congratulations to Jon and Mary Shirley who took the prize with their 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B.
But not only is Pebble Beach about the cars, it’s about the glamour celebrations, networking and enjoyment. In fact, so much energy is generated from Pebble Beach that auto and lifestyle brands choose this show as their platform for world unveilings or historic celebrations. Bugatti celebrated its centennial, Bentley its 90th anniversary and Land Rover went all out with its 60th birthday. A simple taste of the refinement of this event is conveyed through the active participation of sponsors like Rolex, Esquire, Aston Martin, Lexus, Pininfarina, Vogue, FedEx, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce and many more. Land Rover delighted weekend guests with a fantastic Thursday night opening party to kick off the festivities. Now we all know Land Rovers are exquisite and sophisticated by design, yet, how much do you know about their alter egos? They go from the pre-production 1948 Huey aka “The Farmer’s Friend” to rock climbing LR3s that never become deterred from any off-road challenge. Participants were able to witness first hand this experience. The British SUV maker also displayed their 2009 line-up and the sexy LRX concept, which gives a hint of the brand’s future. “Land Rover's 60th Celebration demonstrates the rich heritage and prestige of the brand. Therefore, it was proper to host the event at the most storied and prestigious automobile gathering - the Pebble Beach Concours,” said Chris Marchand, executive vice president, marketing and sales for Land Rover North America.
Another highlight of the weekend came from a century old maker of high-performance vehicles. Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S inaugurated their Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport with world acclaim the evening prior to Concours on the awards ramp to hundreds of media. Beforehand, Bugatti, an authentic purveyor of fast moving machines, showcased a 1929 Type 43 Grand Sport. The open top, single door roadster - during its time - was in the same position as the current Grand Sport. The eight-cylinder 2.3-liter supercharged engine with 120 horsepower pushed the vehicle to a top speed of 110 mph and 0-60 mph in less than 12 seconds. The 2009 Grand Sport with speeds capable of 252 mph and holding a 0 to 62 mph time of 2.5 seconds is the world's fastest roadster. It even comes with an umbrella like soft-top so owners don’t get caught in the rain after removing the hard top. During the Pebble Beach Auction presented by Gooding & Company chassis number 001 of the Grand Sport was auctioned off to the highest bidder. "The Grand Sport is the most exciting contemporary car to come to auction," said David Gooding. "There has already been a great deal of interest shown and we expect the bidding to be as fast as the car." He was absolutely right as the vehicle went for $2.9 million excluding the premium.
Other brands honored at Pebble included Ferrari who celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California named after their best selling market. Lamborghini showcased nine seldom seen Lamborghinis and of course the Reventón supercar. For one million Euro, only twenty of these exclusive exotics will be available for purchase. Rounding out the list of other eye candy pieces were the Bentley Arnage RL Limo, VW’s much talked about CC Coupe, Cadillac’s CTS Sportwagon and CTS Coupe Concept, Mercedes-Benz’s F 700 Research Car, Rolls-Royce’s Phantom Coupé, Pininfarina’s Hyperion Concept based off the Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupé, Lincoln’s MKT Concept, Maserati’s Quattroporte S, Chrysler’s EcoVoyager Concept, and the venerable Spyker C8 Aileron sports car. “Pebble Beach is amazing and an absolute must-event for all car lovers,” said. J.W. “Bill” Marriott Jr., Marriott, chairman and CEO of Marriott International. We totally agree!
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