The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is a gathering of high-end vehicles that are paraded in the presence of the public and the jury, before being exhibited.
The Mercedes-Benz that triumphs at Pebble Beach
The competition is held on the third Sunday of August each year at the Pebble Beach Golf Course in Monterey County, California. In this 67th edition, 54 models of the 204 participants made their debut.
The vehicle crowned the winner of the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is a 1929 Mercedes-Benz S Barker Tourer. It belongs to Bruce R McCaw's and has been restored in a New Jersey workshop by specialist Steve Babinsky. It is a roadster from the pre-war, pre-World War II model category.
The contest has brought together classic cars, auctions and novelties of the sector. Personalities from the automotive world such as Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jay Leno have witnessed this exhibition of vehicles coming from 15 countries and 31 different states of the USA.
The winner is a German model with a six-cylinder, 7.0-liter, supercharged, compressor-powered engine capable of completing a drive of more than 100 km. "This Mercedes-Benz S Barker Tourer is a combination of speed, design and power," said Santa Button, chairwoman of the competition.
The car was the original property of the British Mille Miglia and Le Mans winning driver, Lord Howe. It has been bodied by the London firm Barker, following Howe's instructions. It stands out for its nautical details and its aluminum bodywork painted in Curzon Blue.
A curious anecdote of this contest was that Bruce McCaw arrived at the last stage together with his brother John McCaw, who was participating with a 1957 Ferrari. Also present was the third of the brothers, Craig, participating with another vehicle.
"We've had the car for years. The dilemma was whether or not to restore it. I've always hated restoring something that didn't need it. But we finally found enough pictures to know that the car needed to be restored," commented Bruce.
