1929 Mercedes-Benz S Barker Tourer wins Best of Show at Pebble Beach

Whether you’re into vintage cars, classic American Muscle or fancy the intricate designs of supercars or hyper cars, Pebble Beach is the place to be and is where all car aficionados converge. This writer visited Car Week at Pebble Beach last month and the weather during that time is the best time with the temperature in the low teens (Celsius) and the California sun also makes it the perfect backdrop for the event.

Located at the Monterey Peninsula, this very quaint and quiet part of town comes to life only during Car Week and PGA tournament season. But that week, as the name suggests, is a weeklong event all about cars, as it all starts on a Wednesday which Gooding and Company (#GoodingPebble) starts their auction viewing and throughout the week other various auction houses open. It is a place where highly collectible and rare exotic cars go down the hammer. Some other auctions to check out are RM Sotheby’s (#RMMonterey), Russo and Steele, Mecum Auction and the finally The Quail at the Peninsula where manufacturers would launch their future and concept cars. Not to miss is the Retro Auto at the Spanish Bay Inn where you can go to buy original rare and hard-to-find memorabilia.

Another not-to-miss event is the Exotics at Cannery Row in downtown Monterey just behind the famed Fisherman’s Wharf where the local authorities close down its main roads and fill them up with exotic cars like Pagani Huayra, Koenigsegg Regera, Bugatti Chiron and Lamborghini Centenario just to name a few, as well as other more “mainstream” exotics like Ferrari La Ferraris Enzos, F50’s and F40’s and an occasional Porsche 918 Spyder or Mclaren P1.

This event is one of those shows that rolling in with a brand spanking new Lamborghini Aventador S or SV will not get you any spotlight and just strolling up and down the street you will see these owners just having a cup of coffee with their car clubs. If you get lucky enough and be at the right place and time, you’ll find yourself rubbing elbows with Christian Von Koenigsegg, CEO of Koenigsegg or Wayne Carini of Chasing Classic Cars, Jay Leno, Magnus Walker, Valentino Balboni and be sure to ask nicely to snap a photo with them.

All these are just the warm up activities and it is just a prelude to Sunday’s big event, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. These cars are pre selected each year and only cars with the highest state of restoration or preservation is allowed to join. The event describes itself as “Exhibiting prewar and postwar automobiles along with the latest in concept car designs, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is the premiere concours in the world.”

I’m reminded of my late 80’s Rolex GMT Master, which for me is an absolute perfect timepiece. As Rolex celebrates its 20-year partnership with the Pebble Beach Concours, it not only signifies elegance but the event captures the essence of the pursuit of perfection and attention to details. This year was also a special year for Ferrari as the Prancing Horse brand celebrated its 70th year. It was an occasion where Ferrari brought out some of its rarest thoroughbreds, including the Formula One winning car of Niki Lauda and was displayed at the famed 18th fairway.

All competing cars for the vying for the Rolex Car Award/Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance are no garage queens. These cars will be driven and tested along the winding roads of the Del Monte forest, a tradition instituted 67 years ago. This year it all came down to three finalists competing for the “Best of Show” award. A 1932 Packard 906 Twin Six Dietrich Convertible Victoria, a 1957 Ferrari 315 S Scaglietti Spyder and the 1929 Mecedez Benz S Barker Tourer which took home the 67th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance trophy.

On final tip for would-be Pebble Beach visitors, be sure to plan and book early. It also pays to know the people at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and perhaps car brands like Mclaren Automotive who made it possible for me to attend the World Premier of Bruce Mclaren Documetary.