Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

Once each year, on the third Sunday in August, about 200 of the most prized collector cars and motorcycles in the world roll onto what is often called the best finishing hole in golf — the famed eighteenth fairway at Pebble Beach. Tire meets turf and transformation occurs: the stage is set for one of the most competitive events in the automotive world. The occasion is the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

`Originally a small social event paired with a road race through the pine and cypress forests of Pebble Beach, the Pebble Beach Concours has grown into the top-ranking collector car show in the world. People from all over the globe come to compete in or simply enjoy the event here at Pebble Beach.

The Concours is not a contest of speed, but of excellence. Automobiles and motorcycles are judged for their historical accuracy, their technical merit and their style—and the best garner reward and recognition. So, WHAT MAKES A CONCOURS CAR? What Makes a Concours Car?
A concours d’elegance is, quite literally, an automotive contest of elegance.

To contend in the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, an automobile must be a well preserved or accurately restored vehicle still quite capable of doing what it was meant to do—be driven. It will almost certainly have some historic value—perhaps in its day it served to debut new technology or new styling trends or it has an amazing racing record. And it will be rare—possibly a singular example of a special chassis bearing a respected coachbuilder’s art.

After these criteria have been met, a concours car must be one thing more. Above all, it must be elegant. And elegance is a matter of the eye and the heart.

ON ELEGANCE
“There is no such thing as a score sheet for elegance. It’s largely a matter of taste, recognition of design advantages, and knowledge of the performance and quality of the total architectural concept.” – Strother MacMinn, Renowned Automotive Designer and Former Chief Honorary Judge at Pebble Beach

“From a strictly personal point of view, my definition of an elegant car would be ‘the kind of car I would like to be buried in.’”

– Ansel Adams, Photographer and former Honorary Judge at Pebble Beach

There is much to look forward to in 2011. Our featured marques and special classes include:

• Mercedes-Benz and 125 years of the Automobile
• Stutz Centennial
• Ferrari 250 GTO
• Edwardian Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts
• Italian Motorcycles

Click here to see the current list of CLASSES & FEATURES. Additional classes and special exhibits will be announced in coming months. The 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, slated for Sunday, August 21, will feature to following marques:

-Mercedes-Benz and 125 years of the Automobile
-Stutz Centennial
-Ferrari 250 GTO
-Edwardian Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts
-Italian Motorcycles

Classes may be revised as entries are received and reviewed, but the preliminary list of classes for 2011 is as follows:

CLASS DESCRIPTIONS

A Antique through 1915
C-1 American Classic Open
C-2 American Classic Closed
D-1 Stutz 1911 to 1924
D-2 Stutz Classic
H Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost through 1919
I-1 125 Years of Benz, Daimler, Mercedes and Mercedes-Benz
I-2 Mercedes-Benz 500K through 770K
I-3 Benz, Daimler, Mercedes and Mercedes-Benz Preservation
J-1 European Classic Open
J-2 European Classic Closed
K Prewar Sports and Racing
L-1 Prewar Preservation
L-2 Postwar Preservation
M-1 Ferrari Grand Touring
M-2 50th Anniversary of the Birth of the Ferrari 250 GTO
O-1 Postwar Sports
O-2 Postwar Touring
O-3 Postwar American Special Coachwork
X Italian Motorcycles

“Each of these categories by implication also highlights the contributions, creativity, ingenuity and, because it is an important aspect of the marques’ success, persistence of their creators. Their personalities are embodied in the marques’ character and in their names, drawing attention not only to the creators of the featured marques but also to the other pioneers of the automobile whose fabulous, fast, historic contributions fill the 18th fairway of the Pebble Beach Golf Links.” –Sports Car Digest

The success of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance rests in large part on the knowledgeable experts who help to select and judge the automobiles and motorcycles invited to appear on our show field. These experts also make a significant contribution to the automotive world as a whole by helping to establish an accurate record of these vehicles.

The automobiles on our show field and the new cars on our concept lawn cover more than a hundred years of automotive style and technology. Our automotive past is ever expanding and this Concours is committed to celebrating automotive excellence both past and present. Increasingly, as in the early days of the Concours, innovative concepts and new cars debut at Pebble Beach. A total of 12 concepts and new cars were unveiled at the 2010 event; eight of these unveilings were world debuts and four were North American debuts

Thousands of enthusiasts will be on hand to celebrate these vehicles and enjoy the company of others who share their passion. Below is the schedule of events for Concours Sunday at Pebble Beach.

EVENT DETAILS: August 21, 2011
Dawn Field opens to entrants
9 a.m. Judging commences
10:30 a.m. Field opens to spectators
1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Awards are presented

We have two ticket options for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance:

Club d’Elegance Ticket Package
General Admission Tickets

To find out more information about these tickets, go to TICKETS in our Visitor’s Guide.

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