Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance—Wedge Concepts and Racing Legends

October 3, 2024
Images by Shawn Glad

The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, held on Sunday, August 18, 2024, is one of the most prestigious car shows in the world, featuring not only judged classics but also stunning displays of iconic cars and special exhibits. This year’s event brought together 214 vehicles from 16 countries and 29 U.S. states, transforming the picturesque 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links into a showcase of speed, style, and design innovation. Alongside the main competition, special exhibits like Concorso Ferrari celebrated Ferrari’s legacy in America, highlighting rare and legendary models such as the 1959 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa. Meanwhile, the Wedge-Shaped Concept Cars & Prototypes class captured the daring spirit of 1960s, 70s, and 80s design, featuring cars with sharp angles and dramatic silhouettes that represented a bold new direction in automotive styling.

The top honor of Best of Show went to the 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports, presented by Fritz Burkard of The Pearl Collection. This storied Bugatti, the first Type 59 built, is a rare factory race car with multiple Grand Prix victories to its name and connections to royalty, having been redressed by King Leopold of Belgium in its current livery. The Concours also featured several themed classes, my two favorites being the aforementioned Wedge-Shaped Concept Cars & Prototypes and Maserati’s Racing Legacy, which included models like the Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage and the 1957 Maserati 250F. Ferrari’s 70 Years in America display spanned seven decades of the brand’s most iconic models, while Mercedes-Benz marked 130 Years of Motorsport with cars like the 1955 W 196 R “Streamliner.”

I focused on capturing vintage race cars and European classics from the 1950s and 60s, as well as examples from the Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari displays. Using my iPhone and navigating the crowds, I aimed to capture the beauty of these machines, even if some shots were taken on the fly. After attending Monterey Car Week for over a decade, this was my first time at the Pebble Beach Concours, and it exceeded all expectations. From rare classics to cutting-edge prototypes, the event offered something for everyone, set against the stunning California coastline. I’m already looking forward to next year!

Below are some of my favorite shots from this year’s Concours, featuring historic racing cars and unique concepts. The photo gallery at the bottom includes the remainder of more than 60 photos.

Cheers!

1959 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa

1959 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa
Concorso Ferrari: Celebrating 70 Years of Ferrari in America display on the First Fairway

Spectators were treated to a special display on the First Fairway as part of Concorso Ferrari: Celebrating 70 Years of Ferrari in America, featuring 70 iconic models that showcased Ferrari’s rich legacy in the United States. This fantastic collection of Ferraris was a must-see before heading to the main Concours display on the 18th Fairway. Among my favorite cars was this 1959 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, which had a dramatic run at the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans. Driven by Olivier Gendebien and Phil Hill, the Testa Rossa led much of the race before being forced to retire in the 20th hour due to overheating, despite completing an impressive 263 laps.

1970 Ferrari 512 S Modulo Pininfarina Coupe

1970 Ferrari 512 S Modulo Pininfarina Coupe
Class: Wedge-Shaped Concept Cars and Prototypes Early (V1-O5)

* The Modulo is a one-off experimental Berlinetta built on the chassis of a Ferrari 512 S. It was Pininfarina’s interpretation of the Space Age fervor that was sweeping the global engineering and art landscape in the late 1960s. Note the two overlapping body shells that allow access to the cockpit by sliding the entire cupola, windscreen included, over the hood. As a design statement, chassis N27 never had a running engine, and after its debut at the Geneva Auto Salon in 1970, it traveled the world as an automotive celebrity, earning various accolades and design awards. It also appeared at Pebble Beach in 2006 to honor Pininfarina’s 100th anniversary. James Glickenhaus acquired the car in 2014, and thanks to some engineering wizardry, he registered the now operational Modulo as street legal in New York in 2018.

1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero Bertone Coupe

1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero Bertone Coupe
Class: Wedge-Shaped Concept Cars and Prototypes Early (V1-06)

* The Lancia Stratos HF Zero is the epitome of the wedge car: minimalist, low, and triangular at almost every junction. Carrozzeria Bertone wanted to design coachwork for Lancia and so, unsolicited, Marcello Gandini (of Lamborghini Miura and Countach fame) created the “Zero,” and presented it with Lancia Fulvia running gear. Adhering to the mantra, “how low can you go?” Gandini’s coupe stood 84 cm tall, almost 10 cm lower than the Pininfarina Ferrari Modulo. To enter the spartan interior, occupants must raise the windshield, climb over the hood and into the reclined seats. In an effort to highlight the car’s low-profile, Nuccio Bertone drove the Zero under a barrier at the Lancia workshop. While the Zero prototype (chassis C1160) never made it to production, many of its styling features were revisited in the production Lancia Stratos.

1970 Mercedes-Benz C 111/II Sports Car

1970 Mercedes-Benz C 111/II Sports Car
Class: Wedge-Shaped Concept Cars and Prototypes Early (V1-07)

* This prototype from Mercedes-Benz was intended to showcase the company’s leading-edge technology—a platform for its four-rotor Wankel engine. Designed by German engineer Felix Wankel, the rotary engine employed a spinning rotor within a housing that created high performance, but it was low in fuel efficiency and high in exhaust emissions compared to the piston-driven engine. Mercedes built three of these prototypes, each slightly different from its siblings. The exterior design of this car, with its avant-garde styling, was considered revolutionary for Mercedes, and while the C 111 was the perfect vehicle to showcase the company’s advanced engineering and styling prowess, it was more of a design statement than a production template.

1993 Vector W8 Coupe

1993 Vector W8 Coupe
Class: Wedge-Shaped Concept Cars and Prototypes Late (V2-06)

* The Vector Aeromotive Corporation based in Los Angeles, California, was founded in 1989 by auto-designer Gerald Wiegert with the clear intent of creating a new production street legal supercar. With the aid of David Kostka, head of engineering, the prototype Vector W2 was built, but by 1993 only 17 cars had been produced. The Vector W8 ran a 6.0-liter Rodeck twin-turbocharged V8 engine, with a three-speed transmission enveloped within an aluminum honeycomb monocoque body with carbon fiber and Kevlar panels. With its scissor doors and precise styling, the car was popular, but Wiegert failed to raise funding, and sadly the company closed its doors in 1993. This car (1V9VW2620DPW048016) was the penultimate example built and the only silver Vector W8 ever made. It remains unrestored and original.

1954 Maserati A6GCS Fiandri & Malagoli Spyder

1954 Maserati A6GCS Fiandri & Malagoli Spyder
Class: Maserati Race Cars (P2-O2)

* This two-seater Maserati was raced by the team’s most successful driver, Luigi Musso in 1954. The bodywork was by Fiandri & Malagoli and encased a 2.0-liter double-overhead-cam, inline-six engine, with 170 horsepower. Only 52 A6GCS racers were built, and this works car (chassis 2078) scored world championship points at the Tourist Trophy race at Dundrod in Northern Ireland, finishing 5th overall and first in class. Maserati sold the car in 1955 to Ricardo Grandio of Argentina, where it raced extensively. In 1984 the Maserati returned to Italy and participated in the Mille Miglia Retrospective and other vintage race events. In 1998 it migrated to the US and was again campaigned on the vintage circuit before a well-earned retirement in 2012.

1956 Maserati 250F Open Wheel Race Car

1956 Maserati 250F Open Wheel Race Car
Class: Maserati Race Cars (P2-O4)

* This car is one of just two special single-seater Maserati works cars built in 1956. The straight-six 2.5-liter engine and drivetrain was installed off-center and to the left to allow for a lower seating position for the driver. The car (chassis 2525) featured new bodywork and a revised fuel tank. In 1956 Stirling Moss drove it in its inaugural outing at the Monza Grand Prix, beating Juan Manuel Fangio in a Lancia-Ferrari to the victory by 5.7 seconds. The car was soon sold to race team owner Tony Parravano, who mysteriously disappeared in 1960 while under investigation by the IRS. The car was acquired by Sir Anthony Bamford for his collection in the UK, and it then came to the United States where it graced several prestigious collections.

1957 Maserati 450S Spyder

1957 Maserati 450S Spyder
Class: Maserati Race Cars (P2-O7)

* Juan Manuel Fangio nicknamed the 450S “the Bazooka,” for its relentless acceleration. This was Maserati’s prize fighter with a 4.5-liter V8 engine, developing 370 horsepower at inception and 420 toward the end of its run. It was, in 1957, the fastest race car in the world. The 450S was designed specifically to compete with Ferrari for March 1957, and Behra repeated the win with Stirling Moss at the Grand Prix of Sweden in August. Notoriously difficult to handle, the big 4.5-liter 450S was deemed ineligible in 1958 when the FIA rules stipulated no engine could be greater than 3.0 liters.

1960 Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage

1960 Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage
Class: Maserati Race Cars (P2-O9)

* The Maserati Birdcage was named for its unique frame, constructed of more than 200 small diameter tubes welded together in a lattice-like framework that was lightweight, yet rigid. The Tipo 60/61 was a series of 22 sports race cars manufactured on the short wheelbase for Maserati’s best paying gentlemen racers between 1959 and 1961. The initial iteration, the Tipo 60, ran a 2.0-liter engine, while the Tipo 61 was uprated to 2.9 liters, producing a highly beneficial weight-to-power ratio. This Tipo 61 (chassis 2467) was raced in 1960 by Jim Jeffords and Jim Hall in the SCCA Road America 500, by Carroll Shelby in the LA Times Grand Prix in Riverside, California, and then by Jim Jeffords again at the Governor’s Trophy in Nassau, Bahamas. The current owner acquired this Birdcage in 1996.

Best of Show: 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports

Best of Show: 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports
Class: PREWAR PRESERVATION (L1-07)

* This Type 59 was the outright winner at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1934, driven by René Dreyfus, and went on to take third at the Monaco Grand Prix the same year. Ettore Bugatti then sold four of his Type 59 factory racers, but kept this car, the first built, removing the supercharger and converting it to a sports car with a new two-seater body with motorbike wings and side doors. Registered as a Type 57 (chassis number 57248) the newly dressed racer snatched victories from the Delahayes and Talbots at Pau in 1937, followed by a win at the Algerian and Marne French Grand Prix, driven by Jean-Pierre Wimille. King Leopold III of Belgium then acquired the Bugatti and redressed it in black with the Belgian yellow stripe—as it appears today, original and unrestored.

1958 Porsche 356A Speedster

1958 Porsche 356A Speedster
Class: Postwar Preservation (L2-O2)

* The 356A was introduced in late 1955 and featured the Carrera four-cam engine. This 1958 iteration was built with a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder, naturally aspirated, air-cooled powertrain with 59 horsepower. More than 21,000 units were built between 1955 and 1959, but few were raced; still fewer of the racers survived and of those the majority were restored. This car (chassis 84548) raced frequently, survived, and remains unrestored and original. The car was owned and raced by Charles Foye Jr. from 1958 until 1996, and color period footage shows the Porsche achieving its many successes on the West Coast circuit, including the Pacific Grand Prix at Laguna Seca.

1965 Serenissima 308V Fantuzzi Spyder

1965 Serenissima 308V Fantuzzi Spyder
Class: Postwar Preservation (L2-O6)

* Count Volpi of Venice founded Scuderia Serenissima in 1961 and was Ferrari’s most prolific client. Following the “Palace Revolt,” in which many Ferrari employees left “Il Commendatore,” Volpi enlisted the expertise of Alberto Massimino to build a prototype to compete at Le Mans. The resultant car (chassis 005) utilized the 308V engine, consisting of a flat-plane crank, dry sump twin-cam configuration, with two spark plugs per cylinder and running on four carburetors. Volpi’s car was graced with bodywork by Fantuzzi and was one of two Spyders built—this being the only survivor. The car ran Le Mans in 1966 but did not finish, and subsequently was stored at Volpi’s castle in Venice until 2020. Fastidious preservation has retained all its finishes, including paint and interior.

1955 Jaguar D-type Le Mans Race Car

1955 Jaguar D-type Le Mans Race Car
Class: Jaguar D-type 70th Anniversary (N-O2)

* This 1955 Jaguar D-type (chassis XKD501) won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1956. It was the first D-type built for a private outfit and was sold to the Scottish racing team Écurie Écosse, which traditionally raced in blue and white livery. The D-type was the successor to the steel-tubed space frame C-type. The D-type inherited its predecessor’s 3.4-liter straight-six engine, but was graced with a new monocoque construction, in which the body and frame combined for structural integrity, bringing aviation technology to the track. A dry sump lubrication system allowed the engine to be mounted lower in the frame for aerodynamic efficiency. Today, this iconic D-type (chassis XKD501) retains its original chassis, body and engine—as raced in Le Mans.

1960 Porsche 356B 1600GS Carrera GTL Abarth Coupe

1960 Porsche 356B 1600GS Carrera GTL Abarth Coupe
Class: Postwar Sports Racing (O1-O5)

* Porsche employed Carlos Abarth to build a new car for the GT 2.0-liter racing class, homologated on a 356B chassis with aluminum coachwork by Zagato that was 300 pounds lighter than the standard 356B body. The resultant “GTLs” competed in over 400 races from 1960 to 1965, with 100 class wins, including Le Mans and Daytona, and 46 overall victories. This (chassis 1004) is the fourth of the 20 cars produced, and was the only GTL delivered in white. After campaigning in Europe, it came to the States in 1961 and soon racked up wins at Santa Barbara and Las Vegas Sports Car Club of America events. Jack Croul acquired the car in 1997 and ran it in the Colorado Grand, and events at Daytona, Sebring, and Laguna Seca. Jack celebrates his 100th birthday this year by sharing his beloved Porsche at Pebble Beach.