Motoring fans and automobile collectors (mostly the richest ones) from around the world will be converging on the famed 18th Hole of the Pebble Beach Golf Course to inspect some of the world's finest collector cars on Sunday, August 18, 2008, all the while drinking too much champagne and paying exorbitant amounts for a box lunch.
And don't forget to hit the vintage races at the Laguna Seca race track, just a few miles from the Concours itself. It's where the world's vintage racing craze was begun more than 20 years ago, thanks to the pioneering work of Steve Earle and his many (mostly rich) friends.
We'll have complete results from the event soon, so check back with us. (Download the (18" x 24" Concours' poster by clicking here, right mouse click and "Save As" onto your computer.)
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 celebrate 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’ collect ability.
“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.”
Click below for more on the Concours, and cars being shown there this weekend including Lancia, Lamborghini and many important General Motors products on the company's 100th Anniversary.
• 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. (Last year's Best in Show at the 2007 Concours, a 1935 Duesenberg SJ Special, owned by Harry Yeaggy).
• 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. (A marvelous Delahaye, the overall winner from the first Palm Springs Concours earlier this past year, and below that, a BMW Isetta at the same meet, and maybe "Cutest in Show" should be one of the annual awards).
First conducted in 1950, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® 
(www.pebblebeachconcours.net) has grown into the world’s premier celebration of the automobile. Only the most beautiful and rare cars are invited to appear on the famed 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links®, and connoisseurs of art and style flock to see these masterpieces. Charitable donations raised by the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® now total over $10 million. Related events include the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance™ presented by Rolex, Pebble Beach RetroAuto™, and the Pebble Beach® Auction presented by Gooding & Company.
Calendar of 2008 Pebble Beach Automotive Weekend
The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance has long been the climax of the annual Pebble Beach Automotive Week. Related events include:
Aug. 4-13: Pebble Beach Motoring Classic, with 30 classic cars driving from Seattle to Pebble Beach.
Aug. 14: Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance™ presented by Rolex, with more than 100 Concours vehicles tracing portions of 17-Mile Drive and Highway 1 into Carmel.
Aug. 15-17: Pebble Beach RetroAuto™, exhibiting rare automotive collectibles, memorabilia and luxury goods.
Aug. 16 & 17: Pebble Beach Auction presented by Gooding & Company, which last year garnered more than $60 million in sales, breaking many auction records.
Additional information is available at www.pebblebeachconcours.net.
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