Monterey Car Week – Pulpaddict

2024 PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE

A surprise Best of Show winner at the 2024 PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE knocks some of the polish off Pebble’s shiny traditions!

For 73 glorious years, the world’s finest automobiles have been assembled on show lawns and fairways in Pebble Beach, a sophisticated seaside town in Monterey County, CA. These flawless machines of impeccable provenance and engineering excellence – like the 1932 Röhr 8 Type F Streamliner, above – are painstakingly prepared, polished and pampered, sometimes for years, with the goal and aspiration of winning Best of Show at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

On August 18, 2024, 214 cars from 16 countries and 29 states lined up for the traditional sunrise procession between rows of passionate fans and international media professionals. They were carefully escorted onto the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach Golf Links and once carefully parked and feather-dusted, the celebration and judging began.

I had no idea that this rock-chipped and weathered 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports Grand Pix car driving quickly by me during Dawn Patrol, would go on to win Best of Show honors at the 2024 PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE! The car was driven and presented by Fritz Burkard of the Pearl Collection in Zug, Switzerland who was as surprised as the competitors and audience was when this Preservation Class entry took top honors at the show. In that this Bugatti is considered by many to be the most successful racing Bugatti in history, and that it has extraordinary provenance dating to King Leopold III of Belgium, those in-the-know probably knew that it had a very good chance of outshining the competition this year.

That’s not Ted Turner escorting a sleek 1931 Packard 840 Deluxe Eight Waterhouse Convertible Victoria and a long row of historic, classic and collector cars onto the 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links. This sunrise procession is just one of the many honored traditions that make the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance the worldwide attraction that it is. The first Pebble Beach Concours was held in 1950, making this year’s show the 73rd Celebration.

I had the pleasure of not only photographing this perfect 1967 Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strata Series 1 Coupe, but also meeting Andy Hilton, General Manager of Paul Russell and Company and members of his restoration team who brought this 2nd Place Postwar Sports class winner to Pebble Beach. Paul Russell and Company offers restoration, preservation, maintenance, sales and brokerage services on pre-war through 1960s Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Porsche, Bugatti, Alfa Romeo, and other fine automobiles. That’s Andy, second from right. You can learn more about this exceptional company by visiting, https://paulrussell.com./

Upon its release in 1998, the Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR “Strassenversion” was the most expensive production car ever built, and the first true Supercar produced by Mercedes-Benz. This V12 powered “Street Version” was every bit a racecar. The 26 that were produced were built to satisfy homologation rules that required 25 road legal cars to be built, in order for the CLK GTR racecar to be eligible in the FIA GT1 class. If you were flush enough to buy one in 1998 you paid at least $1,547,620.00. The CLK-GTR is powered by a 612 horsepower 6.9 Liter V12, weighs 3,404 pounds, and has a top speed of 213 mph!

“What goes around, comes around.” is a fitting “Racing Circles” proverb for this beautifully restored 1960 Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage. Thomas Mittler of Santa Fe, NM brought this historic Maserati to Pebble Beach where it finished 2nd in the P-2: Maserati Race Cars category. Legend has it that it was the last car Carroll Shelby raced. As I circled around the show field, I was introduced to Randall Shelby, one of Carroll’s grandsons. That’s Randall by the Tipo 61.

My unofficial, visual tally of ‘Owners vs. Designated Drivers’ piloting cars onto the show field at Pebble Beach is, Owners 35%; Designated Drivers 65%. This adds up as many of the cars are brought to the show by handlers, custodians, restoration shop owners, and younger family members. This one-off 1937 Chrysler Imperial Town Car was the only classic I saw that was chauffeur-driven! Again, this makes perfect sense since this aristocratic C-15 limousine by LeBaron was originally commissioned by Walter P. Chrysler for his wife Della, and is now owned by Long Island, NY-based automotive historian and collector, Howard Kroplick.

One of the surprising contenders for Best of Show honors at Pebble was this radically low, tapered-wedge-shaped 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero Bertone Coupe. At just 33 inches high, it could have been easily overlooked in the Wedge Concepts and Prototypes section. But it was in fact one of the crowd favorites, with handlers offering limber showgoers a chance to bend-in behind the Zero’s articulating steering column. Phillip Sarofim of Beverly Hills, CA brought the Zero to Pebble where it was awarded the Gran Tourismo Trophy.

The magnificent Maserati 8CTF open-wheel, single-seat racecar was the first non-American production car to be awarded a permanent place in the annals of the US Library of Congress. With driver Wilbur Shaw behind the wheel, the Boyle Special won the Indianapolis 500 in 1939 and 1940! One of the three 8CTFs built by Maserati, chassis number 3032, is currently on display at the Indianapolis Speedway Museum.

Shannine Yngvason is a talented artist who for years wowed audiences with her avant-garde music. Since 2018 she has been wowing the high-value collector car market with her custom House of Wolves leather car interiors and luxury leather goods. I met her early Sunday morning near Casa Ferrari at the Concours. She is posing next to one of her favorite cars – the iconic 1949 Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta, the sports roadster that helped build Ferrari’s international reputation as THE builder of Victory Lane racecars.

If you’re a Speed Freak then you’re going to find the Aspark Owl Electric Supercar something of a hoot! Its electric powertrain generates 1,985 horsepower and 2,000 pound-feet of torque, capable of propelling the Owl from 0 to 60 mph in 1.69 seconds. Its aerodynamically-sculpted carbon fiber bodywork enhances downforce, minimizes drag, and it flies an Owl to a top speed exceeding 249 mph. Only 50 units were produced in a limited series. Warning: The $4,253,147.00 price tag just might keep you up all night!

Madylon and Dean Meiling’s racy red 1954 Maserati A6GCS Fiandri & Malagoli Spyder seems appropriately parked by the blue waters of Carmel Bay. Maserati’s trident logo was designed by Mario Maserati in 1914 and was inspired by a statue of Neptune in Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore. It symbolizes the fiery power of the Maserati and the driving force of the sea. The trident was of course also a weapon and no doubt, Maserati considered its racecars the ultimate weapons on the world’s racing circuits.

In the early 1950’s, Mercedes-Benz had developed two body styles for their W 196 R racecars – a streamlined, covered wheels version that offered superior handling and speed on the high-speed circuits, and a variant W 196 R open-wheel car that was better suited for the twisting race circuits. What a thrill it was to see this World Champion 1955 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R on the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach. As I walked away from taking this photo, I glanced back and had a fleeting image of Juan Manuel Fangio behind the wheel!

One of the many highlights of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is the opportunity to see rare and historic cars perhaps for the first time – as was the case when the unmistakable high-performance, racecar rev of this impossibly long and low 1957 Maserati 450S Zagato Berlinetta caught my attention as it rolled by me early Sunday morning. This is a one-off 450S fitted with a Coupe body. It was developed for Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio for Le Mans. Owner Rob Walton of Scottsdale, AZ took home the coveted Phil Hill Cup.

This rainbow-striped 1986 Porsche bb Targa Hybrid is a reimagined classic that was displayed on the Concept Lawn. It’s another vintage Porsche project from the creative team at Galpin Motors in Southern California. Galpin has resurrected the iconic bb-Auto restoration company to produce unique high-performance Porsches. Hybrid power comes from a 400 horsepower Ed Pink Racing 4.0 Flat Six engine plus a 110-kilowatt Vonnen electric motor, delivering 550 total horsepower. The subtle “bb” badging is an homage to the bb-Auto Rainbow Turbo Targa originally crafted in collaboration with Polaroid for the 1976 Photokina photography show in Germany.

This 73rd Celebration of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance featured a carefully curated display of Land Rovers and Range Rovers that were used by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II – either in an official capacity or as part of her personal fleet. They were delivered to Pebble courtesy of the Royal Household, Land Rover Classic, the British Motor Museum, and private collections. Pictured is the rugged and spartan 1958 Land Rover Series II State Review vehicle.

It was the 1950s and automotive designers and manufacturers were heavily influenced by the Space Age. Aerodynamic and streamlined design was the focus, as well as advances in propulsion technology. The 1955 Ghia Streamline X Coupe made its debut at the 1955 Turin Auto Show. With coachwork by Carrozzeria Ghia, the X Coupe featured a streamlined and finned aluminum body atop a square tube chassis. Power was from a lightweight, compact single-stage 70 horsepower AiResearch turbine engine, and could (on paper) propel the X-Coupe to 160 mph!

When I got back home from Pebble Beach late Sunday night one of my automotive news feeds reported that Ford’s 1979 Probe I Ghia Concept Car, which was one of the Wedge-Shaped Concept Cars I had photographed as it drove into the show field early Sunday morning, had caught fire in its trailer as it was being towed back to Scott Grundfor Company. This California restoration shop bought the Probe 1 from Ford in 2002, and owns several other Ford concept cars. Fortunately, no one was hurt and the fire did not spread to the thick foliage lining the roads in and out of Pebble Beach. The Probe 1 was valued at approximately $1,000.000. (Fire photo courtesy of MotorTrend)

2024 PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE Words & Photos ©Jim Palam, https://www.jimpalamphotos.com/

For more information on the 2024 PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE, please visit https://www.pebblebeachconcours.net/

FERRARI 612-HORSEPOWER ROMA COUPE

With the new Ferrari movie coming soon, Road Test Editor Howard Walker takes a 2024 FERRARI 612-HORSEPOWER ROMA COUPE for a spin.

In celebration of the upcoming cinematic tribute to Scuderia Ferrari founder and Il Commendatore himself, Enzo Ferrari, I felt it my duty to get behind the wheel of one of Maranello’s’ latest and greatest. So let me introduce you to la bella Roma.

But first the movie. Unless you’ve been living a yurt in Tristan da Cunha, you’ll know that Ferrari, starring Adam Driver (House of Gucci) as Enzo, with Michael Mann (Miami Vice, Ali) doing the producing, opens at a cineplex near you on Christmas Day. I’m counting the hours. Signore Ferrari, who passed away in 1988 at the ripe old age of 90, would have loved the Roma. When it was launched back in 2020, it marked a return to classic front-engined Ferrari grand touring V8 coupes. Here is the successor to Ferrari’s Portofino folding hardtop roadster and, at around a quarter of a million bucks, essentially the first rung on the Ferrari ladder. A ‘starter’ Ferrari no less!

As a lover of fine engines – Mr. Ferrari once said: “When you buy a Ferrari, you are paying for the engine. The rest you get for free” – I’m pretty sure he would have nodded in quiet appreciation of the Roma’s exquisite powerplant. Mounted well back under that curvy hood for near-perfect weight balance is a twin-turbocharged 3.9-liter V8, packing an impressive 612-horseys and 561 torques, that loves to shriek to its 7,500 rpm redline. It’s one of the great Ferrari engines.It powers a car that has more curves than Gina Lollobrigida in her sultry prime, more tensed muscle than Chris Hemsworth in Thor. See it in the metal and there’s hardly a sharp edge or crease anywhere. From that thrusting shark-nose front end, to the bulging rear haunches, to the swept-down roofline. Bellissimo.

It’s at the recent Monterey Car Week in California where Ferrari kindly offers the keys to this ever-so-subtle Grigio Medio-colored Roma. We have four hours; just long enough for a fast blast south along snaking Pacific Coast Highway to Big Sur and the beloved Nepenthe coffee shop for cappuccino.Slide into that fabulous rosso-red-and-black leather interior, gently squeeze the leather and carbon wheel, and gaze at that yellow-and-black Ferrari prancing horse badge in the center. Ahhhhh. As the t-shirt says, Life is Good. It’s surprisingly spacious inside the FERRARI 612-HORSEPOWER ROMA COUPE. Heck, there’s even a pair of rear seats. Not that anyone over the age of 10 will fit back there. But they fold flat and add to the luggage space. Pop the glass tailgate, and there’s room for a couple of weekend-away bags.One big disappointment here is that instead of some big red ‘START’ button on the center console, Ferrari has opted for a capacitive touch surface on the bottom of the steering wheel. It uses haptic feedback to recognize your thumb and offers about as much sense of occasion in firing-up that mighty V8 as turning on the radio in a Kia!

But ignite the motori, hear that soul-stirring bark from the exhaust, pull back on the oversized paddle shifter behind the wheel, and we’re rolling. Along the winding, picturesque 17-Mile Drive, crashing Pacific to the right, the Roma is a docile, relaxed, refined grand tourer, its eight-speed dual-clutch automatic shifting with oily smoothness.But on to Highway 1, stomp on the throttle, and Dr. Jekyll becomes Mr. Hyde in a very short time. The sheer thrust as the Roma slingshots forward is beyond breathtaking, accompanied by a soundtrack matched only by Pavarotti hitting the high notes in Nessun Dorma. Select sport or race mode for the full fireworks when the Roma’s true supercar persona is revealed. Hearing the V8 as it screams towards the red zone, is aural magic.And through Highway 1’s tight twists and turns, the Roma tracks on invisible rails no matter how hard you push. Yes, the steering, while laser precise, is a little too light in feel for my taste. But there’s an agility, a dynamism and athleticism here that’s pure Ferrari. What the Roma delivers is that glorious blend of relaxed grand tourer and heart-stopping supercar, all wrapped-up in a body that’s design perfection. Signore Ferrari would have approved.

For more information about the 2024 FERRARI 612-HORSEPOWER ROMA COUPE and the full model range, please visit https://www.ferrari.com/en-EN/auto/ferrari-roma

ZENVO HYPERCARS IN FLORIDA

Following up the global reveal of the Aurora at The Quail during Monterey Car Week, Danish exoticar manufacturer will be marketing ZENVO HYPERCARS IN FLORIDA!

Naples Motorsports CEO and dealer principal Todd Rosenthal immersed himself and his team into the Aurora Tur and Agil, showcasing it to their clients at the Zenvo House. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. With over 20 years of experience in the exotic car industry, Rosenthal is a highly regarded in the automotive industry and the perfect leader to facilitate the brands growth in Florida and surrounding areas.

Already an authorized dealer for Alfa Romeo, Karma, Lotus, Morgan, Rimac and Spyker; Zenvo will sit as one of Naples Motorsports’ halo brands, within its state-of-the-art 15,000 square-foot facility in Naples, FL.

“We are thrilled to join forces with Zenvo Automotive, a company renowned for pushing the boundaries of Hypercar innovation,” said Todd Rosenthal. “The introduction of the Aurora to our discerning clientele was met with immense excitement and enthusiasm at the Zenvo House, reinforcing our belief in the exceptional quality and performance that Zenvo represents. With over two decades of experience in the exotic car industry, we are excited to embark on this journey as Zenvo’s first East Coast dealer.”

“We look forward to hosting a spectacular launch event this Autumn and introducing the Aurora to automotive enthusiasts in Florida and beyond. I would like to extend my gratitude to Zenvo for choosing Naples Motorsports as their trusted partner in Florida. Together, we are poised to create a new era of luxury and performance in the automotive world.”Zenvo’s chief commercial officer and chairman of the board, Jens Sverdrup also commentated on the alignment of two great brands: “Having known and followed Todd and his team at Naples Motorsports for over ten years, they were our number-one choice for a dealer in Florida. Their passion, knowledge, pure enthusiasm, family feel and focus on after-sales are all qualities we share, so it was a natural choice for us”.

Once the cars have completed their tour of Canada, the Zenvo Aurora Agil and Tur will head down to The Bridge at Bridgehampton for their east coast debut on September 23rd. The next stop will be Florida where the cars will head to Naples Motorsports for a dealership launch event expected to be held in November.Hand-built in Præstø, Denmark, the all-new Aurora takes inspiration from Danish design principles, and is powered by a 6.6-Liter flex fuel enabled, quad-turbocharged V12 engine that will produce at least 1,250 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and rev to 9,800 rpm. The Aurora will be fully homologated for global markets and will showcase Zenvo’s exceptional craftsmanship and attention to detail, all designed in-house. Zenvo Automotive focuses on limited-edition bespoke Hypercars.

For more information about Zenvo Hypercars, please visit https://zenvoautomotive.com/

For more details about ZENVO HYPERCARS IN FLORIDA, check out https://www.naplesmotorsports.com/

MONTEREY CAR WEEK 2022: PEBBLE BEACH.

The 71^st Concours d’Elegance delivers a lavish smorgasbord of show & go at MONTEREY CAR WEEK 2022: PEBBLE BEACH.

David Stivers, the Chief Executive Officer of the 71^st Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance reminds us in the event catalog’s introduction letter that this historied and lauded event is an ‘Elite Competition’. Yes, it’s a showy-show known as much for its champagne flutes and celebrities as it is for its priceless coachwork and racing pedigrees. But it’s also clear to everyone attending that this gathering of the Best of the Best is indeed a full-blown competition – be it for event tickets, parking spaces, judges’ approvals or media’s spotlights!

Having covered Pebble Beach multiple years for Car Guy Chronicles I’ve learned that you have to get there very early to get shots of the cars before they are surrounded by spectators and judges. So, I arrived with the heavy morning dew, just as a parade of show cars were making wide turns into the entry gate, and the Prancing Horses were still draped in plastic covers on the Concorso Ferrari field on the First Tee.

This year’s heavily attended Concours celebration included Centennial Celebrations for Lincoln and the 24 Hours of Le Mans – as well as additional features on vintage era McFarlands, Talbot Lagos, Alfas and the 90^th Anniversary of the iconic ’32 Ford. Across from the ’32s was a fascinating display of cars with Unorthodox Propulsion Systems.

Now Car Guy Chronicles Editor and Publisher Martyn Schorr typically gives me free reign when covering motorsports events for his popular blog, but this year he did ask that I “Find the GT40s & Mark IVs” – since these elusive Le Mans survivors keep a pretty low profile (no pun intended) during typical car show seasons. I’m happy to report that I did find a very special Mark IV and my photo of it with a racing celebrity is in this report! So, without further ado, we are excited to present to our loyal and new readers, 16 standouts and highlights from MONTEREY CAR WEEK 2022: PEBBLE BEACH.

It would be impossible to present just one extraordinary classic Ferrari from the large and impressive Concorso Ferrari field on the First Tee – but there was something drawing me to this plastic-draped Ferrari Daytona SB3. Design of this young Prancing Horse was inspired by the sports-prototype racers that won the 1967 Daytona 24 Hours race. The inset photo showing the undraped car is courtesy of Ferrari.

The early bird catches the Packard! One of the many advantages of arriving early at Pebble Beach is catching elegant icons of motoring history rolling quietly and confidently in front of The Lodge before entering the show car field. A small but alluring detail of this ‘30 Packard 745 Deluxe Eight Roadster is its Goddess of Speed hood ornament. This rumble seat roadster is owned by Joseph and Margie Cassini III of West Orange, NJ.The judges voted – and this year’s Best of Show honors went to the long, sleek and boattailed ‘32 Duesenberg J Figoni Sports Torpedo! Duesenberg chassis 2509 was shipped to famed coachbuilder Joseph Figoni who, with the artisans at Sadovich’s Motors Deluxe of Paris, created this timeless piece of rolling art. And roll it did, with Sadovich driving the car in the 1932 Paris-Nice Rallye before delivering it to its first owner, Peruvian sugar heir Antonio Chopitea.

As promised, here is what many race enthusiasts consider one of the most important Mark IVs ever raced. It’s the 1967 Le Mans winning Mark IV (Chassis J-5) that was driven by A.J. Foyt and Dan Gurney to Ford’s second consecutive win at the 24-hour classic. Built by Kar-Kraft, the car is powered by a Tunnel Port 427 and sports a NASCAR-style steel roll cage – plus the infamous “Gurney Bump” in the driver’s door to accommodate Dan’s tall frame. The car was donated to The Henry Ford Museum in 1972. Oh, the dapper gent pictured in the middle is none other than Tom Kristensen, the daring Dane who holds the record for the most wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with nine!

An homage to its CC8 Supercar launched in 2002, the Koenigsegg CC8⁵⁰ is a being promoted as ‘The fastest and most powerful manual production car in the world.’ While capable of generating 1,385 horsepower from its twin-turbocharged 5.0-litre Jesko V8 when running E85 fuel, the buzz at Pebble Beach seemed to be more about its nine-speed gated six-speed manual shifter. That’s right, nine speeds when switching between drive modes – which also includes a fully automatic option. Confused? Don’t worry, as there will only be 50 examples built to commemorate the 50th birthday of company founder, Christian von Koenigsegg.

This beautiful beast is the #7 Bentley Speed 8 that was driven to victory at the 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans by drivers Rinaldo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Guy Smith. Finishing in 2nd place right behind it was #8 Bentley Speed 8 driven by Mark Blundell, David Brabham and Johnny Herbert. Considerable changes were made to the 2003 prototypes over the earlier Speed 8s to improve handling with a redesigned suspension and clever reshaping of the cockpit, rear wing, and air intakes for improved aerodynamics.

If you stripped-away the hand-painted racing graphics on this ‘51 Lancia Aurelia B20 GT you might overlook its racing heritage and provenance. But then you just might notice its lowered roofline or its credentials designating it further as a Pinin Farina Competition Coupe. This smile-inducing Lancia was in fact created specifically for and raced in the 1951 Carrera Panamericana and was a road test car featured in Road & Track magazine in 1952.

Judgement Day: It doesn’t matter that your very rare and drop-dead gorgeous ’53 Siata 208S Bertone Spider is the very first 208S prototype from Siata, or that it was one of the stars at the 1953 New York Car Show. The judges ain’t fooling around and they want to see those brake lights light up and hear that horn honk! Some of the judging criteria may seem trivial but Class Judges at Pebble Beach are acknowledged experts on specific marques, and they are focusing not just on styling and elegance, but on originality and authenticity as well.

Entered in the Unorthodox Propulsion Category this rocket-tailed ‘63 Chrysler Turbine Ghia Coupe features an A-831 engine that could operate on alternative fuels like kerosene, jet fuel, peanut and soybean oil or tequila! A total of 55 cars were built, 46 were reclaimed and destroyed, 3 were kept and 6 were distributed to auto museums across America. This example is from the Stahls Automotive Foundation in Chesterfield, MI.

Maybe it was my growing up in a factory town in New York City, but I have always loved the look, smell and feel of vintage machinery. When I spotted this unrestored ‘09 Stanley E2 Runabout it was love at first sight. It is one of only 475 ever built and it cost $850 when new. This wonderfully worn and wrinkled, wooden-body Steamer is in full running order and retains its original black leather seats. Brothers Francis and Freelan Stanley founded the Stanley Steamer Carriage Company in 1901.

Speaking of vintage machinery, and with apologies to those who issued my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, if I had to choose between an image of the Mona Lisa or of this ‘30 Duesenberg J Murphy Convertible Coupe engine to stare at for an hour, I’d hands down choose the gas burner! This impeccably restored, priceless piece of automotive history is owned by Meg McCarthy and Craig Kappel of Chatham, MA.

I bought one of the first wedge-shaped, mid-engined Fiat X1/9s delivered to New York City in 1974. At the time I had little knowledge of Carrozzeria Bertone or Gruppo Bertone, the Italian automobile styling and coachbuilding company behind its design. So, what a thrill it was to discover this ’69 Autobianchi 112 Bertone Concept Car on the field at Pebble Beach. This is the prototype car that was the inspiration for the X1/9. At time of its development its design was also influenced by race boats of the era, so there are no doors and the headlamps are mounted high on the side posts of the rollbar. The only instrument in the car is a speedometer styled as a nautical compass.

The slogan for the new Maserati MC20, is Race Audaciously into a Brave New Future. Now I’ve been an advertising word and image crafter for over four decades now and I understand that an impudent lack of respect is sometimes the way companies and brands roll. Time will tell how Maserati’s lightweight, butterfly-winged, mid-engined, 621 horsepower, 0-62 mph in 2.9 seconds Super Sports Car will perform in the marketplace and on superhighways. If you’re the audacious type and want to take bold risks, be ready to lay down about $250,000 for a fully-equipped MC20.

For us Car Guys who grew up in the 1950s and 1960s there’s still nothing quite like a classic ’32 Ford roadster. When Ferrari collector Kirk F. White decided to authorize the build of a perfect ’32, he assembled a team of the best fabricators and artisans around. Under the guidance and vision of Pete Chapouris III of So-Cal Speed Shop, his A-Team built this stunning Brookville steel-bodied gem. The current happy owners of this ’32 Ford are Rob & Melani Walton of Scottsdale, AZ.

Six cowboys in white hats drive in to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2022 in a turquoise convertible and order a good time! Congratulations and kudos to owners Ray Kinney and Jeff Wildin of Dallas, TX who made a big splash of color and fun on the show car entry road in their ‘56 Lincoln Premier convertible. Powered by a 368-cubic-inch Lincoln V8, this showboat is painted in rare and rich Taos Turquoise paint – the same color that was used in advertising materials for the new Premier model. And just how much are Ray and Jeff fans of the Pebble Beach event? Just check out the license plate!

Over the years the Pebble Beach Concours has raised over $32 million for charities. $2 million more is expected to be added once the 71^st year’s contributions are tallied. So once again, Car Guys come through!

For more information about MONTEREY CAR WEEK: PEBBLE BEACH, please visit https://pebblebeachconcours.net/cars/features/

RUF PORSCHE BERGMEISTER

Carbon-skinned RUF PORSCHE BERGMEISTER lightweight prototype broke cover today alongside the RUF SCR at the exclusive Quail Motorsports Gathering.

RUF Automobile, manufacturer of exclusive and authentic high-performance sports cars, revealed two special vehicles at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering during Monterey Car Week. Project RBS, or “Bergmeister,” made its world debut alongside the naturally aspirated SCR, which is being seen for the first time in North America.

The never-before-seen Bergmeister is inspired by the legendary Porsche 906, the 909 Bergspyder and the 718 RS 60 Spyder hillclimb cars, and was designed by Tony Hatter. Mounted in the rear is a dry sump, RUF-engineered, air-cooled 3.6-liter single-turbocharged flat-six engine producing 450 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, connected to a six-speed manual transmission.

The RUF PORSCHE BERGMEISTER all-carbon skinned roadster combines the best of classic design and modern engineering in a package ready to master both road and track. True to RUF’s heritage, the pursuit of the perfect driving experience has never been more visceral. Black Alcantara lines the entire interior and the driver sits in bucket seats, with an Alcantara-clad steering wheel rounding out the driving experience. With its direct steering, the Bergmeister responds to the slightest wheel input and ensures precise handling.

“When we began building our own automobiles in 1974 it was all for the thrill of the drive,” said Alois Ruf, owner of RUF Automobile GmbH. “We are honored to be featured at The Quail and to celebrate the passion for driving with our friends. Bergmeister embodies the most elemental driving experience, while the SCR highlights the latest technology offerings from our team in Pfaffenhausen.”

Alongside Bergmeister and debuting in North America for the first time, the newly developed SCR prototype carries much of the same DNA as the 1978 original dressed in a modern package using RUF’s latest technology and engineering. The carbon-fiber monocoque and bodywork deliver maximum strength with minimum weight, while an integrated roll cage and rear space frame provide rigidity.

The iconic SCR build, below, is designed as a state-of-the-art sports car for those who prefer the soundtrack of a naturally aspirated engine. The consistent light-weight construction and powerful engine result in the feeling of a racecar built for the street. The 4.0-liter flat-six produces 510 horsepower at 8,270 RPM and 346 pound-feet of torque. Power is routed to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox, giving the car the optimal mechanical feel.

For more information on the RUF PORSCHE BERGMEISTER and the SCR, and other performance vehicles, please visit https://www.ruf-automobile.de/en/