Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is the world's most famous beauty pageant for high-quality classic automobiles. It takes place annually as part of Monterey Car Week on the 18th hole on the grounds of the Pebble Beach Golf Links golf course near Monterey (California) .
The vehicles are rated by the jury according to the criteria of originality, functionality and elegance. The award ceremony takes place in a large number of classes, in each of which the first three places are awarded. The “Best of Show” will then be determined from all class winners. The vehicles on display represent considerable values. It can be assumed that a price gain will also increase value. There is always a large number of registrations, but only some of them are admitted according to very strict criteria. A vehicle that has taken part once is usually not allowed to apply again. The net proceeds of the event are used for charitable purposes.
The first event took place in 1950 in addition to the then Pebble Beach street race. With one exception in 1960, the Concours took place every year. Since 2001 there has also been a category for unrestored original cars.
In 2005, 227 exhibited vehicles applied for an award in 27 categories at the time. The participants came from 15 countries. Each event is dedicated to a specific brand or a bodybuilder as a focus, so in 2005 the Alfa Romeo brand was the focus. The manufacturer used this opportunity to present the spider version of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione to the market as a prototype.
A similar, albeit smaller, event in Europe is the annual Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este .
