The 63rd Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

The 63rd Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, held on Sunday, August 18th, 2013 again offered a breathtaking selection of vehicles that define perfection and rarity. There were 248 vehicles from 36 states and 12 countries. Some, or many, like you have never seen before.

Multiple classes divide the field. Besides Antique, others included Simplex, Open Packard, Lincoln Custom Coachwork V8 and V12, Aston Martin Centennial, Vanvooren Coachwork, Duesenberg, Rolls-Royce and Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari Grand Touring Competition, Lamborghini, Porsche 911 Road and Competition, BMW 507, Indy Roadsters and French Motorcycles. There were other
classes of various vintages and themes as well. There were other highlights and great gatherings, especially the 27 Alfa Romeo 8Cs, the pre-war model.

Notably the Best of Show went to the second American car in twenty years, a 1934 Packard 1108 Twelve Dietrich Convertible Victoria. While people watching of attendees and participants could be considered just as interesting as the show, it also raised $1,277,007 for charity. No small feat. Of course, Jay Leno was present and raised $25,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monterey County by offering tickets to his show and tours of his Big Dog Garage, which is a show in itself.

Manufacturer participation is always another feature with multiple mini-shows and displays including Infiniti, Jaguar, Cadillac, Hyundai and SRT. Land Rover may have had the most interesting display with a cut-away as pictured in the slideshow. One of the raffled vehicles for $100 a ticket was a BMW 428i, said to be the first public appearance of such! Other great concepts and exotics were in the usual place outside The Lodge. A Porsche 918 Spyder, the Acura NSX concept and an Aston Martin CC100 among others. A McLaren P1 said to be present during the weekend but was absent from public viewing as well as a LaFerrari that was said to be in town.

Always a special display is the art tent which features absolutely amazing and gorgeous paintings and sculptures that truly capture the essence of the automobile; vintage, muscle, race or exotic.

The d’Elegance is extremely well organized, fun and much to do, plan on spending many hours taking in all the sites and bring an extra battery for your camera. If you arrive late, you may avoid the long traffic back-ups and still have enough energy left for the Goodings Auction which takes place at the nearby Equestrian Center.

These rolling sculptures are not for those just into cars. It is also for those into textures, shapes, art, craftsmanship, and even people watching and fashion. It is a must see.