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Keith’s Blog: Were You Watching Pebble Beach?

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Keith Martin

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I’ve been going to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance for more than 30 years. For a few of those, I was the emcee for part of the morning activities, interviewing owners who had cars entered.

I have to confess that watching the livestream on YouTube actually gives me a better perspective on the field. (Not to mention that it is free, compared to today’s $650 general admission ticket.)

Of course, nothing can compare with actually being close to the cars and hanging out with my car gang. But the livestream, with excellent commentary by co-hosts Justin Bell and Tommy Kendall, and emcee’d by Amanda Stretton, was fulfilling.

This was the 75th anniversary of the concours. Over the years, it has raised over $50m for Monterey-based charities.

As I watched, I saw many SCMers winning awards. Among them were Jon Shirley with his Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta, Bruce McCaw with his Ferrari 250 GT Sperimentale, Chip Connor both with his Miura and his Talbot-Lago T150 C-SS, and Miles Collier with his Alfa 8C 2900B. In addition, McCaw won the Charles A. Chayne trophy, with a 1938 Tatra T77A Limousine.

William E. Connor & Associates also sponsored the Strother MacMinn Most Elegant Sportscar trophy, which went to a Fiat 8V.

But what brought my biggest smile was local enthusiast Ed Godshalk winning Best in Class with his 1948 Cisitalia 202 Corsa Farina coupe. Unlike many owners who have prestigious (and expensive) shops restore their cars, Ed did most of the work himself. His trophy is a tremendous achievement.

Best of Show was awarded to the 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster, owned by SCMer Harry Yeaggy of Cincinnati, OH. There were only two built.

The other three finalists were two Italian and one French car.  It seemed fitting that the winner of this American event, the most prestigious in the world, was an American car.

Have you been to a high-end concours? How do you rate them compared to a Cars & Coffee in terms of the fun you have?

I look forward to reading your thoughts in the comments below.

Didn’t cost me $650!
Bruce McCaw’s Ferrari 250 GT
Chip Connor’s Talbot-Lago
Miles Collier’s Alfa 8C
Bruce McCaw’s Tatra
Ed Godshalk’s Cisitalia 202
The Four Finalists
Confetti shower for the Best of Show Duesenberg

Read my previous blog posts here.

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5 responses to “Keith’s Blog: Were You Watching Pebble Beach?”

  1. Terry Haines Avatar
    Terry Haines

    I watched much of Sunday on YouTube. Really good video presentation, and a pleasure to see it.
    But
    1. It was interminable compared to my in-person attendance 15 years ago. The day is ragged and needs a lot of tightening. Not speeding through. Tightening.
    2. Those who are driving onto the podium need to be briefed on expectations so they don’t go driving off immediately. The emcee shouting at the cars is hilarious. Once. Multiple times, not so much.
    3. And one of the emcees needs to go over his briefing book before introducing the cars. Lots of basic mistakes that are solved if you’ve boned up a bit in advance instead of winging it.

    Reply
    1. anatoly arutunoff Avatar
      anatoly arutunoff

      couldn’t agree more! well put!

      Reply
  2. Allen Stephens Avatar
    Allen Stephens

    I agree that if you cannot attend the Concours in person, the Live stream is pretty great. After attending in person for the last few years, it was nice to watch best in show be presented on my deck at 5:30PM, without having to wait around all day. However nothing beats being there, talking to the owners, and seeing the best cars in the world.

    Reply
  3. Leslie Roberts Avatar
    Leslie Roberts

    I’m delighted that the livestream is available. I’ve watched it the last few years. I’ll admit to snoozing in my recliner at some point in the afternoon, but I woke up in time for the Best of Show presentation.

    Reply
  4. Bob Abhalter Avatar
    Bob Abhalter

    I attended the Pebble Beach Concours. Once. Everyone should attend it at least once. For me, it’s a matter of geography and expense. I’ve attended a number of other high-end concours over the years. A friend had to remind me there was a livestream. I didn’t watch it all, but what I saw of it was great. It’s sort of like attending the F1 race in Monaco. That’s another thing everyone should do at least once, but you see so much more watching it on TV than you do sitting in the grandstand overlooking the marina. I guess what I’m trying to say is that nothing beats being there, but once you’ve seen it in person, you can rely on your memories for inspiration on the times you can only attend virtually.
    Keith, with respect to your original question, Concours and Cars & Coffees are apples and oranges. I like both. Both have people you’d love to meet and talk to. Maybe there are more friends at C&C, but both are fun to attend. Speaking to the cars themselves, their rarity and level of preparation, there is no comparison, at least in my neighborhood. Concours usually offer up cars you’d see nowhere else, C&C, not so much. That’s the difference.

    Reply

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