Top 10 Cars From Pebble Beach Concours 2015

The 2015 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance was full of 219 spectacular cars and a large showing of important Ferraris with ties to the Delmonte Forest. Many called this the warmest concours Sunday in 50 years, the morning fog was almost non-existant and normal cold weather gear needed for dawn patrol was left in the suitcases. Here is my recap of ten truly outstanding cars, some are class winners, others just fabulous in their own right.

10. 1938 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300B MM Touring-style Spider Corsa

This was the first chassis in a series built under Count Giovanni Lurai of Scuderia Ambrosiana, a group of three race car drivers, driven by Franco Cortese. Cortese won the Italian championship in 1938 after capturing 7 of 8 races entered and winning the class in the 1938 Mille Miglia. This is the only one of nine of this body style which has survived. The current owner still drives it in the modern Mille Miglia.

9.  1929 du Pont Model G Waterhouse Roadster

The only surviving example of this particular body style known today. And while many roadsters from this era shared a similar look, this duPont is quite stunning in its detail and execution.

8.  1905 Pope-Toledo Type IV Roi des Belges Tonneau

Considered a double phaeton, the shapely sides represent a tulip which makes for one sexy car which just oozes romance and style. The particular feminine body style was a suggestion of Leopold II of Belgium’s mistress, first seen on a 1901 Panhard-Levassor.  This car was once owned by the Ford family.

7.  1932 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Figoni & Falaschi Pillarless Berline

Winner J.B. and Dorothy Nethercutt Most Elegant Closed

The largest car and only Rolls-Royce to be commissioned by the famed coach builder, it was originally owned by the Prince of Nepal. A later owner liked it so much he traded his Bugatti Type 41 Royale for it, apparently he liked big cars. The interior details were fascinating, to be shared in a future post.

6.  1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Pinin Farina Spyder Series I

Winner Ferraris of Pebble Beach Road Races

One of the original Ferraris to have competed in the first Pebble Beach Road Races, this was sold new to the womanizing playboy Porfirio Rubirosa (married many times, most notedly to wealthy American heiresses Doris Duke and Barbara Woolworth Hutton.) Early on the engine was destroyed and replaced with a 3-litre Monza engine, earning the car its 1956 nickname the “Monzetta.”  Car lover James Dean was photographed with this car in 1955, four months before his fatal crash.

5.  1952 Cunningham C-3 Competition Coupe Prototype

This very unusual Cunningham, in both the original color and body style, is the 6th car created by Briggs Cunningham and 1 of 1. This rare hardtop design was deemed too expensive to build and the remaining C-3 chassis were bodied by Vignale.

4.  1952 Cunningham C-3 Vignale Coupe

Talk about a car that had me at “hello”, like a few others, upon first spying this in the concours prep parking lot, I wondered what was this three tone Ferrari I’d never seen. It is the body by Vignale which looks strikingly similar to a few Ferraris of the same era. This is the only C-3 car raced by the Cunningham team, clearly in a different livery.

3.  1955 Porsche 550RS Spyder

“What the…” was the audible sentiment of people each time I passed by the car. The ‘first winged Porsche” captured the attention on the field. Whispers were that this adjustable aerodynamic rear wing was, “too good” and therefore not allowed, however prior to the wing, the car set several international records.

2.  1953 Ferrari 166 MM/53 Vignale Spyder

Another Rubirosa car, this is the last Vignale bodied 166MM, #10 of the 166MM/53 models built. Also an original Pebble Beach Road Race car, and its first time the car has been back to the Delmonte Forest in 60 years.

1.  1937 Delahaye 145 Franay Cabriolet

Winner European Classic Late and Gwenn Graham Most Elegant Convertible

Originally a Grand Prix race car raced by famed Rene Dreyfus, wining the Prix du Million in 1937. In 1939 is was hidden in the French countryside until the war was over and sold to a Frenchman to rebuild as a fast sports car. Franay got rid of the original body and created this one, however it was never collected by the owner. Franay took the car to the Paris Auto Salon and won the 1947 International Concours d’Elegance. We’d love to know the full story on this spectacular customized, part of the lore which makes car history so fascinating.

The order of my list has no relevance but what I find peculiar is the dominance of the color blue.  While blue is my favorite color, it doesn’t impact my choices, there are hundreds of cars to choose from each year, but this year there was an unusually large number of blue cars on the field.  Admittedly I do appreciate a blue Ferrari, red is just so ordinary in the Cavallino vernacular.

Note to reader, the wonderful 1948 Talbot-Lago I’m seated in on the show field, is so special it deserves its own post, stay tuned.

For more on the actually class winners visit Pebble Beach Concours.