PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS d’ELEGANCE®
INSIDER
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Celebrating the Life & Legacy of the Automobile | June 2020
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PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS d’ELEGANCE®
INSIDER Celebrating the Life & Legacy of the Automobile | June 2020
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CHAIRMAN'S LETTER Navigating the Road Ahead
4 BORN WITH STYLE
Paolo Pininfarina Continues the Family Legacy | By Donald Osborne
12 MY PERSPECTIVE
Photojournalist John Lamm on His Love of Cars
14 COLLECTING CARS
AMIDST A CRISIS Reflections on the Great Recession
By Edward Herrmann (in 2009)
16 OUR BEST OF SHOW WINNERS
Celebrating the 1950s
22 LOOKING BACK TO OUR FUTURE
Pininfarina at Pebble Beach
26 UNVEILING OUR TOUR
D'ELEGANCE PAINTING
28 A BRIEF HISTORY OF POSTERS AT PEBBLE BEACH
From Public Announcement to Collectible Automotive Art
On the Cover Crowds cluster around the 1970 Ferrari 512 S Modulo Pininfarina Coupe at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The car was first shown here back in 1993.
PUBLISHER Pebble Beach Company EDITOR IN CHIEF Sandra Button EDITORS Quinn Button & Kandace Hawkinson DESIGN Nicole Doré at Madden Media CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS & PHOTO ARCHIVES Kimball Studios; John Lamm; Pebble Beach Company Lagorio Archives with particular thanks for the work of photographer Julian P. Graham; Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Archives; Pininfarina S.p.A.
Pebble Beach®, Pebble Beach Resorts®, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance®, Pebble Beach® Automotive Week, Pebble Beach Golf Links®, The Lodge at Pebble Beach™, The Inn at Spanish Bay™, Spanish Bay®, 17-Mile Drive®, The Lone Cypress™, Stillwater Cove™, and their respective underlying logo designs and distinct images, are trademarks, service marks and trade dress of Pebble Beach Company. Copyright © 2020 Pebble Beach Company. All rights reserved.
LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN Over the years, while enjoying a host of tours and rallies, I like to think I’ve become a pretty competent navigator. No, I’m not Denis “Jenks” Jenkinson, who helped Sir Stirling Moss win the 1955 Mille Miglia in record time; I don’t use a tiny roll of paper with the route written in reverse, nor a complicated system of hand signals. But without the need for excessive speed, and with a decent routebook or map, I can usually guide a car to its destination even when GPS isn’t working. Moreover, I’m not easily rattled, and I’m willing to lend a hand, or two, when necessary — relaying tools, holding assorted parts, or pushing our London to Brighton car, a Lenawee, uphill (not to mention trying to douse the fire under its seats while barreling across a finish line in Brighton). But navigating through the last three months, seeking to do my best for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, has been difficult. It’s hard to make plans without knowing certain parameters, without knowing what will be allowed — or, more simply, what the future will be. The route before us has yet to be determined — or perhaps it has yet to be created. Amidst these times of confusion and turmoil, when we are faced with so many life-and-death concerns, why do cars even begin to matter? As I asked myself this question, my thoughts turned to an eloquent essay by Ed Herrmann, who served for many years as our Master of Ceremonies. Ed used to write a column for the print edition of our Insider magazine, and in 2009 as the world was struggling to emerge from financial calamity, he argued passionately for cars as a source of inspiration. He noted that many of the cars we celebrate were created from times of significant struggle, such as the Great Depression or after World War II, and they serve as a reminder of all that can be accomplished even in the worst of times. Ed’s words are reprinted in this digital Insider for your consideration. And his comments are underscored by the creations of Pininfarina, founded in 1930 and a focus of the forthcoming 2021 Pebble Beach Concours. I think that cars are a way to connect us to others. Cars are a language spoken by many people, uniting us across borders, classes and races. And in these trying times, communication and connection are more important than ever. At the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, we come together to celebrate cars, but what we create is a caring community — and it is that community that I find myself missing now.
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I want to be with you all as soon as possible. I want to be able to see and share your latest restoration and preservation efforts, I want to mourn with you over the loss of dear friends like Sir Stirling, I want to be able to raise a toast to the new enthusiasts who will carry our love of cars into the future, and I want to join with you to do even more to help people in need through our charities. (As you will read in the next issue, Lexus, a longtime partner of both the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and Pebble Beach Company, has generously stepped forward despite the absence of our event to offer a car to help us raise funds for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County.) Until the Concours is once again possible, we are doing all that we can to communicate and connect with you online. This digital Insider, the first issue of a new monthly online publication, is a first effort in that regard. And we are also pleased to announce that our new website, which has been in planning and development for over a year, is now live at www.pebblebeachconcours.net. With your input, we are working to determine the right road forward for the Concours. Meanwhile, I hope you find the route that is right for you. Sincerely yours,
Sandra Button Chairman #DriveOn2021
Celebrating 45 Years of Giving
www.pebblebeach.com/pbc-foundation
PAOLO PININFARINA, CHAIRMAN OF PININFARINA S.P.A.
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Born CStyle BY DONALD OSBORNE
Paolo Pininfarina with the Sergio Concept. The coachbuilt Barchetta, based on the Ferrari 458 Spider, was built in 2013 as a tribute to Sergio Pininfarina, the man responsible for designing many of the most beautiful Ferraris of all time.
Perhaps the most immediate, visceral and ultimately emotional reaction we can have when seeing an automobile comes from its design. Many of us can recall with great clarity when we first saw a vehicle that struck us as no other had before. I know that as an 8-year-old, when I had such an experience after seeing my first Maserati Quattroporte, it was the start of a lifelong passion for car designs that excited me, and it began a quest to know as much as I could about the people who created those automobiles. Imagine then, what it was like to literally grow up in a family in whose DNA are the key strains of automotive design. So it was for Paolo Pininfarina, today the Chairman of Pininfarina S.p.A. — a thriving creative firm working in all areas of industrial design for many of the leading manufacturers and brands in the world.
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It is a measure of Battista’s importance that the Italian law that forbade the changing of a surname was waived in 1961 to allow him and his family to officially take the name “Pininfarina” in place of “Farina,” thereby paying homage to the name under which the business had become one of the leading symbols of legendary design in the world. In the fall of 1965, Paolo Pininfarina has a very clear recollection of a visit to the Turin Motor Show, then very much in its prime. Along with his father, Sergio, then the head of the company, and his older brother, Andrea, he toured the exhibition, taking in the sights. Sergio charged his boys with the challenge of choosing their favorite car and of course required them to explain why.
A graduate of the famed Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy, with a degree in mechanical engineering, Paolo has not only a deep love of style but also a keen sense of how to create products that work well and fulfill their intended use with panache.
That show featured, among many Pininfarina designs, the Ferrari Dino Speciale Prototipo, one of the most sensuous shapes ever to be formed on a vehicle chassis. Notwithstanding that it was likely that Paolo had arrived at the spectacular Torino Esposizioni (designed by Pier Luigi Nervi) in the family’s Pininfarina-designed Ferrari 330 GT 2+2, it was not one of his clan’s products that caught his eye.
We recently asked him about the experience of “growing up” as a Pininfarina. His grandfather — born Battista “Pinin” Farina in November 1893 — passed away in April of 1966 when his grandson was 7 years old, so it isn’t surprising that he does not have any direct memories of the founder of the dynasty at work.
“My ‘Best of Show’ was not a Pininfarina car, but my father understood my choice, confirming that the car had a good design,” shared Pininfarina. And what exactly was the choice of the 7-year-old? “The car was the Alfa Romeo Giulia Coupé, an elegant sports coupé designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro for Bertone.”
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Left: Battista “Pinin” Farina in 1958 with one of the few British cars designed by the company, the Austin A40 Farina. Below: Sergio Pininfarina with the Ferrari Testarossa in 1985. The Testarossa was the work of the Pininfarina design team of Ian Cameron, Guido Campoli, Emanuele Nicosia, and Diego Ottina led by Leonardo Fioravanti.
Right: Pininfarina’s Dino Berlinetta Speciale prototype was the first mid-engined design study for Ferrari and the last car designed under Battista Farina’s direction.
In defending his choice to his father, young Paolo explained, “When compared with my parents’ Ferrari 2+2, it was not expensive, and it was more sporting than a Lancia Flavia Coupé.” Agreeing with the young fellow’s rationale and good taste, Sergio issued no challenge. Nevertheless, the fact that his family worked in the industry did make his childhood rather different from that of other Piedmontese boys. Around the same time, he began to make regular visits to the Pininfarina factory, observing the production lines and taking every opportunity he could to beg rides in the cars being built there.
While he doesn’t recall his grandfather at work, he does recall well Battista’s very special 1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider. It had a very particular touch: the hood of the Giulietta Spider fitted to the later car. Although he was never taken for a ride in it as a boy, it remains a part of the Pininfarina collection today, and he enjoys driving it.
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One of Battista’s favorite Alfa Romeos, his unique 1963 Giulietta Spider, is part of the family’s private collection.
His father’s metallic silver 1969 Dino 246 GT also made a great impression on young Paolo. The smooth and flowing shape of the berlinetta, or coupe, version of the Dino is widely regarded as the most fully realized expression of the form of the design. Paolo related the memory of a notable Monday morning in July 1969: “After spending the weekend on the Ligurian coast at Alassio, a town that has inspired musicians and painters for a century, my father led me to the car and said, ‘Let me introduce you to my silver fish.’ We then climbed aboard for the two-and-a-half-hour drive back to Torino, an experience I still remember 50 years later.”
design. “My mind goes to three Pininfarina icons of the past: the 1954 Lancia Aurelia B24S, the 1947 Cisitalia 202 and the amazing 1931 Cadillac V16 Torpedo.”
That Dino still holds a place in his heart today, but thinking back on his grandfather, the car of Battista’s that now attracts his attention is not the Giulia Spider but rather his subtly modified 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB. “Compared to the Giulia, this car belongs to another category. I agree with Piero Ferrari that the 275 is the most beautiful 12-cylinder front-engine Ferrari ever produced.”
Emotion is at the heart of Paolo Pininfarina’s relationship with cars of all kinds, especially those of his family company. And that emotion is largely driven by the aesthetic. Although he holds that degree in mechanical engineering, he contrasts his primary attraction to vehicles with that of his late brother, Andrea.
And who can disagree with him? The 275 GTB is one of those elemental designs that seem to be almost obvious. A schoolboy drawing a powerful and elegant sports car would make a similar shape — it resonates immediately with all who encounter it because of its perfect balance. When asked about the cars that would inspire a trip in a time machine to witness their debuts, he quickly names three — all of which are notable milestones, not only in the oeuvre of Carrozzeria Pinin Farina, but also in the history of automotive
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Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the 1931 Cadillac is the oldest surviving Pinin Farina–bodied car, the business having been established in 1930. And the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance has a wonderful role in Paolo’s association with the Cadillac. “Last year at the 2019 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance I had the chance to be photographed beside it, and it was unbelievably emotional.”
“I would say that I was more drawn by the look of a car and Andrea more by the sound of its engine,” he explains. And he found plenty to admire in the design of the cars his parents drove when he was growing up — a rich sampling of some of the most beautiful automobiles from the 1960s and early 1970s. They included the Lancia Flavia Coupé, Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 and GTC, the Fiat Dino Spider, Peugeot 504 Coupé, Fiat 130 Coupe and the Lancia Gamma Coupé. With the notable exception of the Dino Spider, all shared an approach to design that put the emphasis on elegance rather than sporting élan — and that’s what sits at the core of Paolo Pininfarina’s connection.
Left: Andrea Pininfarina with the Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina. This one-off sports car, built around the 650 hp Ferrari Enzo V12, was designed and built by Pininfarina for film director and Ferrari collector James Glickenhaus. Below: Battista with the 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB. Paolo Pininfarina considers this car to be one of the company’s greatest designs.
Left: One of the first cars bodied by Battista “Pinin” Farina in 1931 was the Cadillac 452 V16, ordered by the Maharaja of Orchha. Below right: The Fiat 130 Coupé with Sergio and his brother-in-law, Renzo Carli. In 1961 Sergio became Pininfarina’s Managing Director and Renzo was appointed CEO. Below left: Designed in 1946, the Cisitalia 202 was the first car to be permanently displayed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, as “one of the eight outstanding cars of our time.”
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Paolo considers the Ferrari 330 GT 2+2, here with Sergio in 1964, to be one of Pininfarina’s finest designs.
Today, when vehicles are ever more similar in form — thanks in large part to regulations and the demands of packaging and fuel economy — is it even possible for the youth of today to bond with design as Paolo did growing up? Likely not; his was an almost unrepeatable experience, born of a family business that was at the heart of his formative years. Despite this, Paolo looks back at the past with feet firmly planted in the present and looking toward the future. Musing on what it means to be the head of a design firm in the second decade of the 21st century as opposed to the “golden days” of the 1930s through the ’60s, he is clear-headed and direct. “The 1930s was the era of the pioneers, visionary men, but much too far back for me.” He continues, “I love the great designs of the 1950s, but the ’60s correspond to my childhood, and it was a glorious period of concept cars displayed at incredible motor shows — I would say the ’60s would be the decade I would take.” However, his grounding in the present means he has no regrets, and indeed he revels in the exploration of design for the future through the lens of the “incredible period of technological revolution” in which we find ourselves. Paolo also commands a true worldview of the industry, helped in large part by his time spent working abroad on Pininfarina projects with General Motors and Honda. With his experience launching Pininfarina Extra S.r.l. in 1987, he also spread his knowledge base into the non-automotive design sectors, including appliances, furniture and marine
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products. At a recent event in Turin, he received an award in recognition of his role in the world of design, leading the company founded by his grandfather. In accepting the prize, he acknowledged the three generations of Pininfarinas who have led the company and looked forward to the fourth, standing ready to keep delivering the functional beauty for which this firm has become legendary. Passion for design runs strong in the family genes and shows no sign of flagging. For that we can all be grateful.
First introduced in 1961, the Lancia Flavia Berlina was later joined by this two-door Pininfarina-designed coupé built on a shortened Flavia platform.
Three Pininfarina designs significant in Paolo’s family life were, above left, the Fiat Dino Spider that was introduced at the Turin Motor Show in October 1966; above, the Lancia Gamma Coupé from 1977, which was assembled on the Pininfarina production line before being completed at Lancia, and left, the Peugeot 504 Coupé, which was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1969 where it was voted Car of the Year.
Two examples of non-automotive Pininfarina design: above, the Princess R Class performance sports yacht was the result of a collaboration between the British Princess Yacht company, the America’s Cup design team from Ben Ainslie Racing Technologies, and Pininfarina. Right, Istanbul’s new airport air traffic control tower was designed by Pininfarina in collaboration with the world’s premier engineering and infrastructure company, AECOM.
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Cars in the Lives of Pebble Beach Insiders
Richard Harman, Miles C. Collier and John Lamm pose beside a 1953 Cunningham C-3 Vignale Convertible (owned by Dennis P. Nicotra) after their 2015 Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum about Cunninghams.
JOHN LAMM
after following Phil for so many years, that day triumphs. I could take you back to the very spot on the highway outside Road America where Bill Holley, Ben Johnson and I were driving, having just enjoyed the Road America 500 when we heard of Phil’s win. To then become his friend . . . . what an honor.
Why cars? Obviously, it’s the beauty — both visual and technical — of the variety of cars we see at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance: the flow of Figoni & Falaschi metalwork, the supercharger on a Bugatti, the sculptured look of Bertone designs, a small-block Ferrari V12. They look and sound so majestic as they drive across the awards ramp. Consider the effect automobiles have had on the planet’s economies and societies in the past 132 years. What the Pebble Beach Concours does is refine that number down to the most treasured. It could be a tall Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, a handcrafted hot rod, a howling Alfa Romeo or Jaguar, or an unrestored four-wheel treasure . . . . all are honored for having been such an important element of the world’s history for those many years.
What Pebble Beach Concours moment do you remember most? I’ve been attending the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance since 1973. I was drawn by the automobiles and the men who judged them: my photographer hero Ansel Adams, Strother MacMinn, and famed industrial designer Brooks Stevens, who often brought cars to show at Pebble Beach. Each year I would highlight one particular car and do a story on it for Road & Track — and Stevens’ cars were a natural fit. How informal was the show? Twice Chuck Queener and I asked Stevens if we could photograph his cars. One season it was the 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C2900 Mille Miglia. The other year, his 1937 Talbot-Lago Teardrop Coupé by Figoni & Falaschi. The protocol? Stevens gave us the keys, we loaded the camera equipment into the car, climbed in and drove off the lawn and out onto the old Pebble Beach Road Race circuit in the woods. Any concerns or cautions from Stevens? None. When we’d done shooting, we drove back to the 18th fairway and returned the keys with a smile and a sincere thank you. Simple as that.
MY PERSPECTIVE
Automotive photographer and journalist
If you could go back in time, what historic automotive event or person would you want to see and why? My thoughts always go to being in Italy at Monza on September 10, 1961, to see Phil Hill win the World Driver’s Championship. And in a Ferrari no less. Yes, that would have meant being there the day his rival, Count Wolfgang von Trips, died in a crash, but
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Cars in the Lives of Pebble Beach Insiders
We lost our dear friend Ed Herrmann on the very last day of 2014, and we still miss him greatly. His words ring true today as they did back in 2009 when he wrote this piece for us.
COLLECTING CARS AMIDST A CRISIS By Edward Herrmann REPRINTED FROM THE 2009 INSIDER
How much can change in one year? It appears, suddenly, that almost everything can change in the blink of an eye. Such thoughts surely occurred to millions of people in 1929. They are occurring to all of us today. As a baby boomer born in 1943, I never seriously doubted that any discomforts felt in the marts of trade would be quickly eased by our irrepressibly buoyant economic machine. They always had been. They always would be. In a flash, those easy, optimistic assumptions are gone. Even if we have not been hit hard financially on a personal level, at the very least there is a deep sense of disquiet all over the world. At the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, we have celebrated beauty and excellence, and, above all, wonderful automobiles for the past fifty-eight [now sixty-nine] years. Suddenly the thought occurs that this might be a frivolous thing, particularly at a time when automobile companies that have been woven permanently into our lives are on the brink of collapse. The woes of many car manufacturers are not at all a joke; they are a very serious indication that our economy, along with our international industrial partners, are in turmoil. What does this mean to those of us who have celebrated
our good fortune and our great delight in these beautiful machines? Are we insensitive to the needs of people who are suffering? Not at all. It is worth remembering that this Concours has poured well over 12 million dollars [now 29 million dollars] into charities in our communities — and those charity dollars are sorely needed this year, perhaps more than ever before. But there are other lessons to be learned from the cars we love and the visionaries who made them. For one thing, it is fatal to panic and run away. The economic climate wasn’t all that benign years back. It is easy to forget, while listening to warm stories of the old days, that times were terribly difficult in the period we so calmly designate as “the Classic Era” — the period between the First and Second World Wars, when the Great Depression raged and yet so many of the cars we love were made. My own grandmother had the only permanent job in the family — a job with the Child Welfare Department of Indianapolis. People were
“I THINK IT IS VERY APPROPRIATE TO REMEMBER WHAT CAN BE ACHIEVED WHEN WE ARE PUT TO THE TEST.” — Edward Herrmann 14
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Star waves to her husband Ed Herrmann from their 1929 Auburn McFarlen Speedster while crossing the ramp to accept a First in Class trophy in 2001.
starving. Yet the industry we honor did not close up shop; it sought to set new standards of innovation and beauty in order to lure buyers back into the showrooms.
So, I am not willing to run away and hide — or worse, be ashamed that I love this hobby. I will not deny the urge I feel to celebrate beauty and the genius of great design.
Most of us are aware of the fact that in the very bottom of the real Depression, the American automobile industry, with its counterpart in Europe, was locked in a struggle for survival. In Europe the idea of government intervention was less horrifying than it was here in America, and many European industries benefited from a timely infusion of funds. But in America, it was a high-wire act with, at that time, no safety net whatsoever. It is worth noting that none of the manufacturers abandoned beauty or good engineering. As an example, at the entry level, a splendid engine was introduced at a price no one thought possible. The Ford flathead V8 still ranks as one of the triumphs of American manufacturing ingenuity. We continue to celebrate the spectacular Cadillac V-16, or my favorite marque’s contribution, the Packard V12 and the remarkable 900 of 1932, still one of the loveliest production Classics ever built.
Of course, it can be argued that many of these companies were destroyed by economic hard times. True enough. But Packard made it through the worst of these. So did Studebaker and Nash and Hudson. The reasons for the demise of these companies much later on are many and complex, but they had nothing to do with what we honor here at Pebble Beach. The point is that these companies never abandoned the idea of beauty and fine engineering. Nor did their European counterparts: Mercedes-Benz, Auto Union, BMW, Alfa Romeo, Delage, Bugatti, Rolls-Royce and Bentley, to name only a few, all contributed some of their most brilliant and original work under the lash of economic hard times. Some survived and some did not. But here at Pebble Beach we continue to celebrate what was — and continues to be — great automotive design.
So many companies made spectacular machines! PierceArrow, Duesenberg, Auburn, Cord, Studebaker, Franklin, Marmon, Chrysler, Nash, Hudson — all produced some of the most gorgeous automobiles ever created with an economic gun to the heads of the executives and designers and engineers.
No, I don’t think the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is suddenly inappropriate because we are facing hard times. I think it is very appropriate to remember what can be achieved when we are put to the test. The results are out there on the field. They are a testament to human imagination and hard work, which continue to inspire us. We can go forward, knowing that adversity can produce lasting beauty. That is good to keep in mind.
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Overview of the 18th fairway during the 6th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance back in 1955.
OUR BEST OF SHOW WINNERS: The 1950s Before we gather together to award our Best of Show trophy to another deserving automobile, we want to take the time to look back and honor past winners. We’ll be sharing images and information about each of them in the coming months as a prelude to the 70th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where many of these jewels will be showcased once again at the edge of the great Pacific Ocean.
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1950 BEST OF SHOW 1950 Edwards R-26 Special Sport Roadster SHOWN BY STERLING EDWARDS
The 1950 Edwards R-26 Special Sport Roadster created and shown by Sterling Edwards took top prize at the first Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 1950 — but if truth be told, winning Best of Show wasn’t Edwards’ goal. He had his eye on winning the Pebble Beach Road Race. In fact, it was Edwards who had approached Del Monte Properties Company, now Pebble Beach Company, with a request that they consider hosting the first real road races on the West Coast in the post-World War II era. He had passed
1950 Best of Show
The first car to be named Best of Show at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance was the 1950 Edwards R-26 (left) created by Sterling Edwards, who helped to found the Pebble Beach Road Races.
that request directly to his good friend John B. “Jack” Morse, who was then president of Del Monte Properties Company and a former Yale classmate of the Collier brothers who were behind much of the road racing on the East Coast. After the decision was made to host the road races at Pebble Beach, a concours was added to underscore a more social and genteel aspect of motorsports. As with many car creators, Edwards had his eye on promoting a car by winning a race with it. So, after successfully pushing for the race at Pebble Beach, he entered it with the car he was hoping to manufacture in South San Francisco: the “Edwards” — a bobbed Ford chassis bearing a Lincoln engine and fiberglass body. He did not officially enter the Concours; he wasn’t listed in the program for it. But at the last minute, he decided to show his Edwards there too. It didn’t require much additional effort; the Concours was being judged just a few blocks from the start-finish line of the race, and concours cars paraded down that start-finish line on the day prior to the race to showcase their elegance to all.
1953 Best of Show
1951 BEST OF SHOW 1951 Jaguar Mark VII Saloon SHOWN BY MRS. CHARLES H. HORNBERG JR.
1952 BEST OF SHOW 1952 Jaguar XK120 Fixed Head Coupé SHOWN BY GLEN SOREY
After winning the concours, the Edwards Special won its class in an early race, garnering the Del Monte Trophy. But in the big race, won by Phil Hill driving his Jaguar XK120, it came in 14th overall.
1953 BEST OF SHOW
Edwards was a man of determination, and he entered the Pebble Beach Road Races time and again, finally winning overall in 1953 — driving a Ferrari 340 MM rather than a car of his own making.
The 1953 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance witnessed a bit of bad behavior. When Best of Show was announced, the runner-up departed in fury, carving deep and long tire tracks into the Lodge lawn. British sports cars were then all the rage,
1953 Austin Healey 100 SHOWN BY PETER CLOWES
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The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance was modeled on the early concours that began in Paris and spread throughout the European Continent in the 1920s and ’30s. Like those concours, Pebble Beach initially focused on celebrating new cars; Best of Show went to a new car — three of them Jaguars — in each of the first five years.
1954 Best of Show
1951 Best of Show
and Alfred Ducato’s Ferrari 212 Inter Coupé, which had been created by Vignale for the Geneva Auto Show where it was widely hailed as “the most beautiful car in the world,” had lost out to an Austin Healey 100.
1954 BEST OF SHOW 1952 Jaguar XK120 Fixed Head Coupé SHOWN BY BARCLAY COTTER
1955 BEST OF SHOW 1931 Pierce-Arrow 41 LeBaron Convertible Town Cabriolet SHOWN BY PHIL HILL
This 1931 Pierce-Arrow was the first classic car to win Best of Show at Pebble Beach.
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1952 Best of Show
The car has been in Phil Hill’s family the whole of its existence, always residing in exactly the same garage. “I still remember the day it was delivered,” said Hill, who was then nearly four. “It was sensational when it was brand new.” It remains so today. Hill, who won three of the seven Pebble Beach Road Races and went on to become America’s first World Drivers Champion, learned to drive on this very car. He later drove it to and from college. And later still, he restored it from the ground up and drove it to the 1955 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. “Restoring it was a labor of love,” Hill said. He didn’t expect the car to win at the Concours; in fact, he doubted his car would be welcomed there. Prior to 1955, Best of Show had always gone to a car not long off the showroom floor; modern cars were clearly favored. A few valued antiques were also
1956 Best of Show
1955 Best of Show
in the mid-1990s, and Hill retouched some of the paint just prior to the car’s appearance at the Pebble Beach Concours in 2000. It is now in the hands of Phil’s son Derek.
1956 BEST OF SHOW 1930 Bugatti Type 37 Grand Prix SHOWN BY DR. MILTON R. ROTH
1957 Best of Show
This victory by Dr. Milton Roth’s Bugatti Type 37 Grand Prix was the first of many wins for the marque. Bugattis have gone on to take our top award a total of nine times, making Bugatti the winningest marque at Pebble Beach.
1957 BEST OF SHOW exhibited. But Hill’s car was neither new nor old. The term “classic” had just been introduced as a specific reference to cars of the post-antique, prewar era, but the term was little known and little accepted; cars built between the wars were more often categorized as tow cars. Hill’s restoration of this Pierce-Arrow was most certainly one of the first complete restorations of a classic car. When Hill drove the Pierce onto the lawn of The Lodge at Pebble Beach, it drew immediate debate. A few strong-minded judges saw beyond category to quality, and the car won out. Hill had to rush over from working on his race car to accept the award. Over the ensuing five decades, Hill put a number of “flogged miles” on the car, taking it out several times annually — often for tours and rallies — and pushing it well above seventy, and his restoration withstood the test of time. The top was replaced
1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Mulliner Sedanca de Ville SHOWN BY FRANK B. COX
The win by this 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III was indicative of the era. In many ways, Rolls-Royce motor cars ruled the concours from the late 1950s well into the 1980s. In 1958, Rolls-Royce became the first marque to get its own dedicated ongoing class. In fact, it had two that year, and three the next. And in ensuing years it sometimes even had four full classes, long before other marques had even one.
1958 BEST OF SHOW 1930 duPont Model G Merrimac Town Car SHOWN BY J. B. NETHERCUTT
J. B. Nethercutt’s meticulous restoration of this 1930 duPont led to the first of his record six Best of Show wins at Pebble
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1958 Best of Show
Beach and helped to establish the standard of excellence for which Pebble Beach is now known. In 1956, Mr. Nethercutt was on his way home, having just arranged to purchase a Duesenberg, when he spotted this duPont parked at a corner filling station. He says the car was in awful shape: “Its bumpers were missing and the interior fabric was flapping out the window in the breeze.” Nonetheless, “the big, hulking monster” of a car intrigued him and he took it home, intending to restore it in the three weeks prior to delivery of the Duesenberg. “I miscalculated slightly,” said Mr. Nethercutt. “Nineteen months and $65,000 later, I finished the duPont.”
1959 BEST OF SHOW 1939 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante SHOWN BY J. B. NETHERCUTT
J. B. Nethercutt immediately followed his first win in 1958 with a second win in 1959, proving he was the person to beat.
The restored car was first exhibited at the 1958 midwinter meet of the Classic Car Club of America, held in Skytop, Pennsylvania. There, it earned a record 99¾ points. Mr. Nethercutt and his wife, Dorothy, drove the car from Santa Monica to Pebble Beach for the 1958 Concours, encountering a freshly oiled road in the process. Once the duPont was in place for the show, the Nethercutts cleaned it themselves, using water with a bit of kerosene. The restoration was so complete and the car so pristine that spectators simply stood around it in silent respect. The car now resides in the Nethercutt Collection in Sylmar, California.
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1959 Best of Show
“Stop. Breathe. Lower your heart rate.”
It might be time to take off your smartwatch.
T H E A L L- N E W
L C Options shown. Arrives Summer 2020. ©2020 Lexus
5 0 0
C O N V E R T I B L E
Pininfarina
at Pebble Beach
LOOKING BACK TO OUR FUTURE: CELEBRATING PININFARINA AT THE PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS To honor 90+ Years of Pininfarina, at the coming 70th Pebble Beach Concours we are pulling together an eye-dropping array of coachbuilt cars from the carrozzeria’s earliest days to more recent creations. Of course, automobiles styled by Pininfarina are no stranger to our competition field; such cars are often shared here by individual enthusiasts, and we’ve celebrated the carrozzeria itself on several occasions. So, as we anticipate the future, we’re offering this look back at Pininfarina at Pebble Beach.
The 1961 Maserati Tipo 63 LWB Birdcage is paired with the 2005 Maserati Birdcage 75th Pininfarina at water’s edge. The 1970 Ferrari 512 S Modulo Pininfarina Concept completes the trio. 22
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Insider
The 2000 Ferrari Rossa Pininfarina Roadster completes the lineup of Pininfarina-bodied automobiles at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours.
Robert M. (Bob) Lee, Piero Lardi Ferrari, Sergio Pininfarina, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, and Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda at the 1994 Pebble Beach Concours.
With Andrea Pininfarina at his side, Ralph Lauren tests the new Maserati Birdcage 75th Pininfarina.
The 1957 Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Spyder Prototype (chassis 0655GT) shown by Robert M. Lee at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours.
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The 1931 Cadillac 452A Pinin Farina Boattail Roadster owned by Bob & Anne Lee lines up with several other Pininfarina-bodied cars at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours.
Andrea Pininfarina and his family share the Maserati Birdcage Pininfarina Prototype at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours.
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Jacques Harguindeguy drives his 1953 Nash Healey Pinin Farina onto the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours show field.
Lukas Hüni's 1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 with an early Pinin Farina cabriolet body crosses the ramp at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours.
Richard Mattei's 1936 Lancia Astura Cabriolet bodied by Pinin Farina takes top honors at the Pebble Beach Concours in 2016.
Sergio Pininfarina and Phil Hill appear together at the 1992 Pebble Beach Concours.
The 1970 Ferrari 512 S Modulo Pininfarina Coupe crosses the ramp at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours. It was first shown here in 1993 on what we now call the Concept Lawn—and we were very happy to welcome it back 25 years later.
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The final painting by Tim Layzell for the 2021 Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance poster honors the 90+ years of Pininfarina’s iconic style and design. The 1967 Ferrari 365 P Pininfarina Berlinetta Speciale is in the foreground, while a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina Cabriolet Series II pulls up to the door of The Lodge at Pebble Beach.
2021 TOUR POSTER Celebrates the Styling of Pininfarina
The innovative Ferrari 365 P debuted at the Paris Auto Salon in 1966, then embarked on a year-long world tour, traveling to London, Brussels, Geneva, Turin and Los Angeles. Decades later, this distinctive three-seat Berlinetta by Pininfarina continues to inspire designers and enthusiasts, and it takes pride of place on the poster art created for the 2021 Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance presented by Rolex. The 2021 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will feature the creations of Carrozzeria Pininfarina, which now
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Early sketches of the 2021 Tour d’Elegance poster by Tim Layzell. The 365 P was positioned first, and then the 250 GT was added.
encompasses 90+ years of style, and the Tour will showcase these designs as they are meant to be seen — in motion. “Pininfarina has long been a strong creative force, styling cars for a host of marques over many decades,” said Concours Chairman Sandra Button, “But the relationship between Ferrari and Pininfarina is a very special one; Pininfarina has probably designed more Ferraris than any other coachbuilder.” The Concours will feature a full class of Pininfarina-bodied Ferraris, in addition to designs done for Lancia, Alfa Romeo, and Cisitalia, to Cadillac and Chevrolet, Bentley and NashHealey, Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot. The 365 P was the first mid-engine V12 Ferrari designed for road use — and it almost didn’t happen. Truth be told, Enzo Ferrari wasn’t convinced that any road car needed all that power. But others, including Ferrari racing legend Luigi Chinetti, argued for it. And Sergio Pininfarina, then a relatively new designer seeking to strengthen the relationship between Ferrari and his family’s firm, was eager to show what he could do with such a platform. At the car’s core is the engine and engineering of the 365 P2 raced by NART, Chinetti’s North America Racing Team. But its most innovative feature, as indicated by its nickname “Tre Posti,” is the trio of seats inside; the driver sits front and center, flanked by two passengers just slightly set back. “The Ferrari 365P is a remarkable car,” said Tim Layzell, who painted the poster art. In 1995, at the age of 13, Layzell won the Young Motoring Artist Award from the British Racing
Drivers Club, and he is now rightly considered one of the world’s leading motoring artists. “At first glance, it has many design similarities to, and lines of, the legendary Dino. But as you look closer, there are several distinct differences — mainly as a result of the extra width accommodating the extra center seat. At the time, it was very futuristic and forward thinking.” After two early owners, each of whom kept the car just briefly (the first returned it in part because he felt it was difficult to parallel park!), the car was purchased in 1969 by Chinetti himself, who retained it for nearly five decades. He exhibited it at the Pebble Beach Concours in 2004. This car is one of just two 365 Ps: a second car was built for Gianni Agnelli and is now in another private collection. A 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina Cabriolet Series II is also included on the Tour poster art, which was created with acrylics on canvas and measures 24- by 30-inches. “Pininfarina has been responsible for some of the greatest automotive styling ever,” said Layzell, “and the Ferrari bloodline definitely made the most of their talent, with the 250 Tour De France, 250 SWB and the 250 PF Cabriolet being among the best. I have painted these cars many times, and they’ve always been on my Top Ten dream garage list. They have such simplicity, but with fantastically elegant and organic lines that could only be crafted by hand. “They look great on paper, but when you see them in real life, they make your jaw drop to the floor! Nothing compares.”
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Left: The 1950 poster created to advertise the first Pebble Beach Road Race featured an engraving of a Jaguar XK120. Fittingly, Phil Hill won that first race driving such a car. Below: This 1966 poster designed by cartoonist Eldon Dedini for the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is directly modeled on the poster "La Goulue" by French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.
OUR CONCOURS POSTERS: A Brief History The concours d’elegance, with its focus on style, has always celebrated the art of the automobile. Cars themselves are objects of art, of course, but they’ve long been the subject of art too; they been portrayed in advertisements, brochures and catalogs. Such marketing materials were initially thought to have little lasting value, but that perception has changed over time. Similarly, auto expositions, races and concours d’elegance have often been promoted through posters, and those posters are increasingly desired. Posters were still the primary means for announcing events when the first Pebble Beach Road Race and Concours d’Elegance took place in 1950 — and, yes, a poster was created for the occasion. But that poster, which features an etching of a Jaguar XK120 traveling in the wrong lane on
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17-Mile Drive, mentions only the Race, not the Concours; the Race was clearly the draw. The 1952 poster acknowledged the growing importance of the Concours by according it a mention, but it would not receive more than that until Race and Concours separated a few years later. The poster for the “8th Annual Pebble Beach at Laguna Seca National Championship Sports Car Road Races,” held in 1957, featured an image of cars likely to appear at the Concours although mention of the latter event was reserved for the interior.
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The first poster created to promote the Pebble Beach Concours itself appeared in 1958. The Concours was not held in 1960, and posters have not been found for 1961 or 1962, but posters have been created for every Concours since 1963. These posters vary dramatically in the mediums used, their style and vision, and the technology involved in their creation and printing, but all clearly celebrate the automobile. Most of the early Race and Concours posters were done in what is now called “boxing style,” utilizing simple block or boxed text, perhaps in one bright color, over black-andwhite imagery. The year 1966 marked a dramatic change for Concours posters. Cartoonist supreme Eldon Dedini, a regular contributor to Esquire, The New Yorker and Playboy magazines, agreed to be the poster artist, and continued in that role for eight consecutive years. His vivid, often fantastic images served the Concours well, drawing people to the event while it sought to find its focus. Dedini brought a knowledge of art history, particularly poster art, to his work, and he intentionally echoed works by German Jugendstil artists, the famous French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and psychedelic advertisements for rock musicians. Dedini’s imagery added real value to the posters; he had a following as an artist, and people collected his work. From the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, Concours posters featured the artwork of a rotating cast of local artists, some of whom were car enthusiasts. The cars on the posters were increasingly important; artists were often asked to depict cars related to specific features or exhibits. Beginning in the late 1980s, Concours posters shifted from featuring graphic art to fine art. In 1983, Ken Eberts and several other automotive artists had formed the Automotive Fine Arts Society to stress that the automobile was a fitting subject for fine art, and Ken was invited to design the 1986 Concours poster. He and his fellow AFAS members would create the majority of Concours posters in ensuing
The centennial of Mercedes is the focus of the 1986 Pebble Beach Concours poster by Ken Eberts, who founded the Automotive Fine Arts Society.
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decades. Also added were posters to promote the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance presented by Rolex, and Pebble Beach RetroAuto. In recent years, many of the distinctions between fine art and graphic art have blurred as modern tools and techniques are utilized across a wide range of mediums. Our 2021 poster artist, Tim Layzell, works with acrylics on canvas, and his strokes are often boldly graphic, in the tradition of pop art, while at other times they explore realism and detail. Seen together, the Pebble Beach Concours posters allow viewers to relive the history of the Concours while underscoring the growth of automotive art. To learn more about our posters, read Pebble Beach: The Art of the Poster, available at www.daltonwatson.com.
OUR NEW WEBSITE IS NOW LIVE! We are excited to announce the launch of our new website at pebblebeachconcours.net. Although we may not be able to gather in person on the 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links this year, we hope that our new website will serve as a way for us to remain connected and share our love of great cars with you.
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