The Best of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

The dictionary defines pebble as “a small stone,” but to classic car enthusiasts around the globe, that word is shorthand for a legendary gathering of passionate car people, carefully selected cars, and glamorous events that take place on the Central Coast of California on the third Sunday in August. The first Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance was held in 1950 as an add-on to a popular local road race. That single event has grown into a multi-day extravaganza. Monterey Car Week, as it’s now known, includes nine days of racing at Laguna Seca, multiple car shows, several major car auctions, opportunities to stock up on automobilia, and a 70-mile car tour that traverses nearby mountains and valleys.

To quote Jay Leno, the patron saint of gearheads, “Pebble is the Super Bowl of cars. It’s the true classic; it’s the car as art because it’s the Concours d’ Elegance.”

Leno isn’t the only celebrity who frequents Pebble. In recent years, George Lucas, Nicolas Cage, and Porsche collector Jerry Seinfeld have joined the crowds admiring the automotive pulchritude. 

On August 20, the 72nd Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will celebrate innovative designs from the classic and modern eras, early and more recent racing greats, and the marques of Mercedes-Benz, Pegaso, Porsche, McLaren, and Lamborghini. 

It isn’t possible to do everything on offer during Monterey Car Week. During the days leading up to the grand finale, events take place in Carmel, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Seaside, and Monterey. The main event, the Concours d’Elegance, takes place on the 18th hole of the Pebble Beach Golf Links against the stunningly beautiful backdrop of Stillwater Cove, the Carmel coastline, and movie set-perfect The Lodge at Pebble Beach. 

My husband is the enthusiast in our family, and I don’t love all car events the way he does, but I do really enjoy the Concours d’Elegance and, over the years, I’ve discovered the benefits of arriving very early. Exhibitors have no choice, but even when my Car Guy hasn’t been placing a Bugatti on the green, I’ve opted to be part of the dawn patrol and savor the stillness and serenity of the scene before the crowd descends. The recent addition of donuts and coffee provided by Hagerty Insurance are a bonus. Regardless of when I start the day, I’ve found it helpful to wear flat shoes and bring a low beach chair and a hat with a wide brim. 

The Tour d’Elegance is another event I wouldn’t miss. It takes place on the Thursday before the Concours, this year, that’s August 17, and only cars that are entered on Sunday can participate. Some spectators gather on Portola Road in Pebble Beach to cheer when the tour of more than 150 cars departs, and others line the scenic route that traces portions of the original 17-Mile Drive and Highway One to Big Sur and then returns to Pebble Beach to cross the finish line. A car that successfully completes the Tour gets the nod if it later ties in class competition at the Concours. 

There’s no shortage of glamorous parties during Monterey Car Week. Tickets to Motorlux, at the Monterey Jet Center on August 16, include gourmet food and an open bar, a DJ, and dancing surrounded by more than 100 impressive cars and aircraft.   

Also on August 16, the Little Car Show takes place in Pacific Grove and features vintage mini, micro, electric, steam, and arcane vehicles over 25 years old.

The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering is a concours held at Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel on August 18. It’s smaller and feels more like a garden party than the Pebble Beach Concours. 

On August 19, Concorso Italiano takes place in Seaside and features luxury and exotic Italian cars as well as all things Italian, including fashion, food, wine, and art.

Concours d’Lemons celebrates “the oddball, mundane, and truly awful” of the automotive world with lots of laughs and celebrity judges on August 19.

Fancy another car? It makes me really nervous when Car Guy goes to one of the Monterey Car Week auctions. He always says he’s just going to “see what’s happening”…but you never know.

The dictionary may define pebble as a small stone that creates a ripple, but car enthusiasts know that Pebble is an exciting week-long event that makes a big splash.