1953 Lancia Aurelia GT
Pebble Beach, CA. December 6, 2007 –-The 58th annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2008 at The Lodge at Pebble Beach™, will showcase the historic Italian marque Lancia, Italian super sports car Lamborghini and the General Motors centennial. The full field of 175 collector cars will also include several special classes.
“Fantastic styling, an impressive race history and innovative engineering are earmarks of Lancia’s more than 100 years of automotive manufacturing,” says Sandra Kasky Button, chairman of the Pebble Beach Concours. “Lamborghini, the ‘bad boy’ from Italy, is less than half the age of Lancia, but the brand has captured the heart of auto connoisseurs worldwide and has ‘A-plus’ collectability.
“And then there’s GM, the world’s largest auto company. Their history, achievements and multitude of vehicles built during the last century are legendary, so we can only focus on a few highlights. In particular, we’re concentrating on the engineering, styling and forward-thinking of the GM Motorama road show, the striking, high-powered Cadillac V-16, the GM Woodies and GM-powered sports cars.”
·Lancia, founded in 1906, is known as one of the most distinctive, innovative marques in automotive history. Among numerous accomplishments, Lancia was the first company to produce V-4 and V-6 engines. Superlative prewar and postwar examples of the marque will be featured at Pebble Beach.
·The salute to General Motors’ 100th year will include cars from the GM Motorama road show, which transported GM prototypes and concept vehicles across the United States for public exhibit from 1949 to 1961. Another highlight will be a special class for the Cadillac V-16, one of the premier automobiles of the prewar era, though only 4,386 “Sweet 16s” were manufactured from 1930 to 1940. The Concours’ GM spotlight will also shine on GM Woodies and GM-powered sports cars.
.Lamborghini, founded in 1963 and acclaimed as the manufacturer of some of the fastest, most expensive Italian super (sports) cars in the world will also be featured. The focus at Pebble Beach will be on concept cars, prototypes and cars with custom coachwork.