Yahoo Autos Our Editors' Very Unofficial Choices for Pebble Beach Best of Show
As a lover of sports cars, racing, and sports car racing, why not a vehicle that celebrates that trio of personal interests and is also a proven winner on the track? And at an event that overflows with automotive elegance it should be beautiful too. That’s why the Ceppos Best in Show is all that: the 1937 Peugeot 302DS Pourtout roadster. Sure, you’ve probably never heard of it but it was built along with two sister cars to compete in the 1937 24 Hours of Le Mans. There, this car finished first in class and seventh overall. And look at those lines. The cute chrome ornamentation on the side combines the French flair for high style with mechanical necessity: they’re engine compartment hot-air outlets. Number 26, you’re number one in my heart.—Rich Ceppos (edited)
How the Pebble Beach Concours judges could possibly come to a decision about which of the dozens upon dozens of amazing vehicles nesting on the green is Best of Show is a mystery we won't attempt to unravel. They are experts with a depth of knowledge that permits them to say things like, "That air cleaner shouldn't be shiny; originally it was semigloss black." (Yes, we overheard that at a concours once.) We are not them, nor could the C/D editors who've been walking the show all day possibly agree on a single car that tops them all. It's like trying to decide between Häagen-Dazs and caviar. Rather than attempt that and risk a breakdown of staff esprit de corps, each of our editors present at Monterey Car Week have provided the unexpurgated sales pitch for the car they would anoint Best of Show at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 2024.
READ OUR LIVE BLOG FROM MONTEREY CAR WEEK
1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports
I swear I was writing up the 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports as my best-of-show pick before the shocking announcement that it won for real. You want provenance? This thing won the Belgium Grand Prix and was also on the podium at Monaco in 1934. Talk about well-earned patina. I love how its pitted front end stands out against the Pebble Beach norm of a no-expense-spared restoration, even if it did cost nearly $13 million when it traded hands in 2020. Kudos to the judges who selected an overall winner from a preservation class for the first time ever. –Dave VanderWer
1937 Peugeot 302DS Pourtout Roadster
As a lover of sports cars, racing, and sports-car racing, why not a vehicle that celebrates that trio of personal interests and is also a proven winner on the track? And at an event that overflows with automotive elegance, it should be beautiful too. That's why the Ceppos Best of Show is all that: the 1937 Peugeot 302DS Pourtout roadster.
Sure, you've probably never heard of it, but it was built along with two sister cars to compete in the 1937 24 Hours of Le Mans. There, this car finished first in class and seventh overall. And look at those lines. The cute chrome ornamentation on the side combines the French flair for high style with mechanical necessity: they're engine compartment hot-air outlets. Number 26, you're number one in my heart. —Rich Ceppos
1970 Ferrari 512 S Modulo Pininfarina Coupe
The Wedge-Shaped Concept Cars & Prototypes class was this year's most entertaining, in my opinion. This 1970 Ferrari 512 S Modulo Pininfarina Coupe stood out even among them. It looked like something from the Saturday morning cartoons of my youth. Just as wild as any Delahaye. —Joe Lorio
1935 Auburn 851 Speedster
My favorite car from Pebble Beach this year is the 1935 Auburn 851 Speedster. Cars of this age rarely get my attention, but the boattail's curves call to me.
A supercharged 4.6-liter inline-eight makes 150 horsepower, which was enough in the time to make this factory hot-rod hit 106.1 mph, as a plaque on the dash placed on the dash by the manufacturer claims. Its tiny windshield and bright chrome makes it look both fast and menacing.
1935 Auburn 851 Speedster
The 851 inspired an early version of the Batmobile; it would be hard to not look cool driving this. It's one of 143 Auburn made. –K.C. Colwell
1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero
While I was tempted by a mint green and brown Talbot-Lago, I was most impressed by the 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero. This impossibly low wedge previewed the Stratos that Lancia would make famous in rally racing and looks like it hails from another planet, despite being penned by Marcello Gandini and built by Bertone in Italy. To drive home the dramatic proportions, the Zero is almost four inches lower than the Ferrari Modulo from the same year at just 33 inches tall. Suiting its UFO-esque style, entering the Zero requires raising the windshield vertically before clambering in. I had long admired the Zero in photos, and it lived up to the hype. —Caleb Miller
1986 Porsche 911 Targa Hybrid
Okay, it was not really in the show, it was on the concept lawn; but I just adore the Dave Shuten–painted Porsches that Porsche Santa Clarita has been doing the past few years. Is this nepotism because I'm friends with Dave and get to see them in process? Yeah, maybe, but come on, take a look at this '86 Targa widebody with its neon stripes and tell me you don't want to take it out for a spin. This particular car celebrates the anniversary of the German Porsche tuning shop bb-Auto, which did a collaboration in the late '70s with Polaroid called the Rainbow Turbo Targa. The tribute car goes full neon and replaces the stock engine with a 4.0-liter flat-six and a Vonnen hybrid motor and battery. I want to drive it through a tunnel lit by blacklight. –Elana Scherr
1971 Maserati Ghibli Spyder 4.9 SS
I'm enamored with this 1971 Maserati Ghibli Spider 4.9 SS. I saw a similar one, also a 1971 model, at The Quail on Friday. Styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the Ghibli Spider manages to look both exotic and restrained, and I am particularly fond of this bronze-colored paint. Under the hood is a 4.9-liter V-8 with 330 horsepower. That's not an impressive number compared to some of the other entrants in this year's Concours, and it certainly isn't up to the standards of modern Maserati convertibles, but this car seems best enjoyed at moderate speeds anyway. That'll give onlookers a better opportunity to admire the design. –Drew Dorian
You Might Also Like
