2023 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
We don’t relish the thought of getting up before the sun, but for one day each year, we greet the sun in the absolutely best way possible. We normally wake up at 4 am sharp, but because we’re getting on in years and require a bit more sleep, we slept in till 4:15 instead.
Once awake, we pack up for the ride back to Sacramento after the concours, and put on our Sunday finest and make the short trip over the hill to the Spyglass parking lot and shuttle stop. On the way we caffeinate with some fancy canned coffee drinks (no coffee shops are open that early), and the jitters and anticipation begin to set in. Once we step down out of the shuttle, things start to get real. The smell of breakfast foods is in the air, our pupils adjust to the low level of ambient light, and faint sounds of cars starting echo up from the staging area just off of the 18th fairway of the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links. Down the hill we go in hopes of a real cup of coffee and a doughnut with hundreds of car owners, automotive press, staff, and fellow gawkers. Sadly, the chow line is chaos and not really moving. Our brains begin to work out that we’re not going to make it to more caffeine and a bit of sugar. As we wait, we look to the east and try to discern whether the dark sky was lightening a bit or not. It was the worst game of hurry up and wait…
This is what 5:30 am looks like. Partially caffeinated and ready for some priceless automobiles.
Then things start happening. Scores of smartphone screens suddenly light up the gloom and then commensurately, scores of people start rushing by us. We figured entrants were getting called to begin to get their cars moving, but it turns out that it’s actually what automotive writer Jim Pickering appropriately calls, “the most upper-crust mosh pit you’ll ever see!” The limited-in-number, official, Hagerty Dawn Patrol hats were up for grabs (literally) for the lucky few attendees who led the charge (note to selves for next time). Truth told, we ran with the hoard to see what was so exciting, but by the time we figured out what had really happened, we’d lost our place in line, ran up in incline of wet grass in the darkness for absolutely nothing, and looked back to see that the line was still prohibitively long. All we really learned was that the well-heeled like free stuff as much as anyone else. We stood in place for a few more minutes, attempting to fashion a plan, when we realized that the eastern horizon was starting to cast a slightly golden glow. We were hungry and a little groggy, but there was no time to dwell. The cars were starting and idling in the distance….it was time to go.
The Dawn Patrol has become a Loud Pedal tradition and the only way we could possibly begin our visit to the 72nd Annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. What happens over the next hour or two is a carefully choreographed program of golf-carted minions leading about 200 of the world’s most amazing (and expensive) cars to be parked, inch-perfect, just feet from the Pacific Ocean.
With 27 distinct groupings of cars, it’s almost impossible to fully appreciate all of them, but as the Concours matures, so does its willingness to expand the scope of what’s considered “concours-worthy” well into the modern era. Historically considered the grazing land for cars with wooden spoked wheels, Pebble Beach continues to extend welcome to cars from the modern era (whatever that really means???), letting a wider and wider audience know that there’s no real age limitation for what’s worthy of concours judging. Nothing seems to exemplify this more than when our jaws hit the grass as a 1994 Lamborghini Diablo SE 30 Coupe idled past us on its way to the fairway signaling that maybe a new era was dawning at the famed concours with the arrival of the Italian upstart. At that point we knew it was going to be another #rad morning at Pebble Beach.
When we say early, we mean early. Time stamp of this pic is 6:14am
We admit we may approach the concours and other car events with a different mission and focus than the standard observer who likes a relaxed stroll amongst the machines. That’s not us. We’re mission-focused and driven. Every moment and movement must be captured. It’s like drinking from the proverbial fire hose.
For the uninitiated, you may ask that if we attend on a regular basis doesn’t it get repetitive? Resoundingly no! Generally, cars do not return to the lawn for at least 10 years except for some limited circumstances. It adds to the sense of urgency and specialness that what one witnesses on the 18th green may not occur again for a very long time. That’s truly the essence of this event. A curated and crafted display of some of the most significant automobiles in the history of the automobile in one of the most picturesque locations in California surrounded by a well dressed assemblage of connoisseurs. Yes, the winners of best in show remain denominated by pre-war coach-built cars that at the time were limited to titans of industry or members of various royal families from around the globe. Yet, this is a pinnacle event known around the world, coveted by many as entrants and fans that will never set foot on the lawn further adding to its mystique and exclusivity.
And speaking of Best of Show…
As much as we would have loved for a younger car to have taken best of show honors at this year’s event, we really can’t find fault with the car that took top honors. The car you see below is one of just three examples of the Long-Tail Special Roadsters thought to exist. This chassis once belonged to Kink Mohammad Zahir, Shah of Afghanistan, and was stored in the Afghan embassy in Paris through WWII. And thank the stars this thing survived. It had a remarkable presence on the lawn and one of us (who will remain nameless) even commented…”yeah, that thing’s rediculous…if I had to pick the winner, it’s that one for sure.” It will probably be the first and last time that either one of us will pick best of show ever again.
and the award goes to…The 1937 Mercedes Benz 540 K Special Roadster from The Patterson Collection, Louisville, Kentucky
But, back to to the Diablo…
It is no small thing that a Lamborghini Diablo found its way onto the famed fields of Pebble. For those of us of a certain age the Diablo was the poster car of our childhoods, the unobtamiom of it’s day. Not alone on the famed grounds the Diablo was accompanied by several other key Lamborghinis as the Concours celebrated the 60th Anniversary of Lamborghini.
Adding another 60th anniversary to the festivities was the McLaren display which was celebrated for the first time every at Pebble Beach. The lineup included the Legendary Can-Am creations built by Bruce McLaren himself all the way up to the Gordon Murray designed and some say greatest hypercar of all time, the fabled McLaren F1.
Piling on to the Porsche 75th Anniversary Pebble displayed some unique and historically significant Porsches from 1948 through 1973. It was a nice appetizer in anticipation of this year’s Rennsport Reunion, soon to happen, at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Mercedes, an often mention name on the famed green given its long history interwoven into the fabric of automotive culture and excellence. The Mercedes-Benz S, SS, and SSK models were featured displays and were clearly front runners to take the overall prize. Previously, five of these cars had taken the top spot at Pebble Beach. In a twist of automotive history, the S version was designed by none other than Ferdinand Porsche. We’ll stop short of pointing out the sordid history of German pre-war cars.
The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance remains the pinnacle of curated automotive events. It’s worth the price of entry, a little sleep depravation, a sketchy pre-dawn walk on wet grass, and a whole lot more. True, the pre-war classics continue to win Best in Show and dominate the real estate of the 18th fairway, but in recent years we’ve begun to see the possibility that in the very near future the lock on the top spot by the pre-war autos will be broken and something unexpected may win. We hope the fine folks at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will continue to accomodate us until that happens and beyond.
As there were so many cars and classes (and because we do this on our own time and dime), we hope you take a look at the mega gallery below to see what our words weren’t able to capture. Please enjoy.
-The Loud Pedal
