Highlights of 2019 Pebble Beach Concours and Monterey car week

Best of the Show 1931 Bentley 8 Litre Gurney Nutting Sports Tourer

THE LUXURY MOTORCARS’ ANNUAL BIGGEST GATHERING EVENT IN THE WORLD

BY OLIVIA HSU DECKER

Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

Founded in 1950, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the luxury car world’s biggest annual gathering showcasing collector cars, the racing greats, special classes and displays of dream cars, and concept cars. In recent years, the event has also emphasized the importance of preservation. 

On August 18, the 69th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance concluded its 2019 historic automobile competition featuring 216 classic cars from 17 countries and 31 states. Participants dubbed the event as the pinnacle of the automotive dream.

The prestigious Best of Show award was presented to the elegant 1931 Bentley 8 Litre Gurney Nutting Sports Tourer owned by the Honorable Sir Michael Kadoorie, the chairman of The Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited and Peninsula Hotels Group.

Photo Credit: PHOTOS COURTESY OF PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE, THE QUAIL, AND RM SOTHEBY’S

Sir Michael expressed his gratitude for the award and the car. “The centennial of Bentley may have played a role in this award,” he said, “but the 8 Litre is the ultimate W. O. Bentley–era automobile. This is the car that represents Bentley at its finest, and I have been very fortunate to have a car that has this elegance and finish, and that the Pebble Beach Concours feels is worthy.”

Sir Michael hoped and imagined W. O. Bentley was looking down on the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach, feeling proud of his accomplishment and his company’s centennial celebration. “This is a high I have not known before,” he said.

“This Bentley exudes strength and confidence, and that translates into elegance,” said Concours Chairman Sandra Button. “Yes, this is a fast, strong, sturdy car, but it also has perfect proportions, a stunning stance, and a boldness that draws you to it. When you drive it, it does everything you ask of it.”

Photo Credit: PHOTOS COURTESY OF PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE, THE QUAIL, AND RM SOTHEBY’S

Among other participating motorcars for Best of Show this year were a line-up of amazing classic cars from 1900s to 1960s, including Richard and Melanie Lundquist’s 1938 Talbot-Lago T150C-SS Figoni & FalaschiTeardrop Cabriolet; David F. MacNeil’s 1962 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato Coupé; and Arturo Keller’s 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Erdmann & Rossi Special Cabriolet.

Photo Credit: PHOTOS COURTESY OF PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE, THE QUAIL, AND RM SOTHEBY’S

This year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance raised more than $2 million for charity. Through the Pebble Beach Company Foundation, the primary charitable partner of the Concours, these funds will benefit more than 80 local charities, impacting the lives of more than 10,000 children annually in Monterey County.

Jay Leno, comedian and former TV host of the Tonight Show and host of Jay Leno’s Garage, led the charity drawing during the Concours Awards Ceremony. He raised more than $100,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County by offering tours of his garage at $3,000 per person. He has now raised more than $800,000 for Concours charities.

Gooding & Company, the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, had total sales of $76,824,740 during the 2-day auction. The top sales were the 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider which sold for $9,905,000; the 1975 Ferrari 312T which fetched $6,000,000; the 1931 Studebaker Special Indy Car which set a new auction world record at $1,105,000; and the 1939 Alfa Romeo Tipo 256 Coupe which hammered in at $2,755,000. Of 140 lots, 108 were sold at an amazing average price of $711,340 per car! 

The Quail Motorsports Gathering 

The Quail Motorsports Gathering, organized by The Peninsula Signature Events, took place on August 16. Attended by over 6,000 car enthusiasts from around the world, the 17th annual automotive lifestyle event showcased more than 250 motorcars from luxury automotive brands, presented two “Fireside Chats” with 2015 World Endurance Champion Mark Webber and moderated by Philip Kadoorie, automotive influencer Alex Hirschi (a.k.a. “Supercar Blondie), and auto journalist Hannah Elliott. The event featured six gourmet pavilions inspired by famous roads around the world and catered by Componere Fine Catering. Event proceeds supported local charities, including Rancho Cielo Youth Campus, The Naval Postgraduate School Foundation, California Highway Patrol 11-99 Foundation, Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, and the North Monterey County High School March Band.

The Gathering has 11 classes, and the Rolex Best of Show was awarded to the 1931 Strutz 32 Convertible Victoria by Le Baron.

Photo Credit: PHOTOS COURTESY OF PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE, THE QUAIL, AND RM SOTHEBY’S

Bentley Celebrates 100th Anniversary: 1919-2019

In 1919, W.O. Bentley summarized his company’s mission in a single line: “to build a fast car, a good car, the best in its class.” That mission created a century of extraordinary engineering, classic design, and quality.  

Fast forward 100 years later. Adrian Hallmark, CEO of Bentley Motors Limited and Christophe Georges, President & CEO of Bentley Motors Americas, invited over 500 guests for a grand centennial celebration on August 17 at The Beach Club at Pebble Beach where a brand new model of the Flying Spur was unveiled by the pool overlooking the ocean.

At the same time, a fleet of 23 vintage Bentleys from 1919 to 1930s were exhibited at both The Quail and The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Some of them were veterans of the Le Mans 24 Races. which Bentley won from 1924 to 1930.

Despite being a 100-year old classic motorcar builder, Bentley has innovated its models and elevated the customers experience to new heights with a global sale of over 11,000 cars per year. A new Bentley SUV Bentayga was introduced in 2017,  a beautiful futuristic all electric concept car was exhibited at The Quail and Concours this year and there is a plan for production of electric hybrid cars. The icing on the cake of this celebration came the next day when an elegant 1931 Bentley 8 Litre Gurney Nutting Sports Tourer was awarded Best of Show at the 2019 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Photo Credit: PHOTOS COURTESY OF PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE, THE QUAIL, AND RM SOTHEBY’S

Bugatti unveiled Centodieci for 110th Anniversary

Bugatti, the French manufacturer of hyper sports cars celebrated building exceptionally powerful race cars for 110 years with the new, special-edition Centodieci. “With the Centodieci, we pay homage to the EB110 super sports car, which was built in the 1990s and is very much a part of our tradition-steeped history. We are proud of our long Bugatti history, of which the EB110 is very much a part. That’s why we’re celebrating a reinterpretation of this extraordinary vehicle with the Centodieci—Italian for 110,” says Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti. “With the EB110, Bugatti catapulted itself to the top of the automotive world once again after 1956 with a new model.” 

Achim Anscheidt, Head Designer at Bugatti, created a sportier and more extreme shape in Centodieci than in the Bugatti Chiron and Divo. Elegant and timeless like La Voiture Noire, it is a one-of-a-kind Bugatti for the brand’s enthusiasts. Winkelmann unveiled the Centodieci at The Quail on August 16 and proudly announced only 10 cars will be made. They were already pre-sold at price tag of 8 million euros per car!

Photo Credit: PHOTOS COURTESY OF PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE, THE QUAIL, AND RM SOTHEBY’S

Rolls Royce at The Quail

At The Quail on Friday, Rolls Royce delivered a bespoke SUV Cullinan in “Fux Orange” to collector and philanthropist Michael Fux. Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, unveiled the stunning machine and shared: “Michael is a true patron of our Rolls-Royce Bespoke artistry. He has continually brought us color challenges ranging from exterior finishes to perfect color matching for a variety of materials throughout his creations. For more than a decade, my team has never failed to deliver for him and the brand. He has created a collection of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars that will grace the lawn of Pebble Beach and Concours around the world for the next century.”

Photo Credit: PHOTOS COURTESY OF PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE, THE QUAIL, AND RM SOTHEBY’S

Mr. Fux’s Rolls-Royce cars are the highlight of his collection, including more than 150 of the world’s most unique and colorful motor cars. Arriving in the United States a young Cuban immigrant, Mr. Fux built a series of successful businesses in the bedding and linen industry. Today, he strives to give something back to the communities in which he has worked. Since establishing Michael Fux Foundation in 2006, he has donated millions of dollars to enrich the lives of children stricken with serious illnesses. In addition to building the Fux Family Center at the Miami Children’s Hospital, Mr. Fux and his wife Gloria hold multiple events each year to sustain the center and entertain the children. The colorful collection of cars is used at fundraisers to raise money to benefit those in need.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has dozens of colors reserved for numerous clients around the globe. Among the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars he has commissioned, Mr. Fux now ‘owns’ ten bespoke colors, more than any other patron of the brand. Bespoke colors can only be used by, or with, the permission of the client.

While hosting the Collection Car event at Rolls Royce’new villa Casa Ladera on Saturday, Müller-Ötvös proudly told Haute Living: “The new SUV Cullinan has exceeded expectations worldwide. It earned the brand many new and young customers. When Cullinan debuted early this year, we under-promised, and now we are confident to say we over-delivered. The Cullinan is indeed the Rolls Royce of the SUVs! The response has been overwhelming, and new sale orders are running seven to eight months waiting time.” A good testimony come from 27-year old NBA player Tobias Harris who purchased a Cullinan at the event and beamed from ear to ear as he invested in the Collection Car, getting immediate gratification and cutting short that waiting list. All 13 of the Collection Cars were sold, including four Cullinans during the Pebble Beach events.

Photo Credit: PHOTOS COURTESY OF PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE, THE QUAIL, AND RM SOTHEBY’S2

McLaren celebrates 25 years of building race cars

New Zealand native Bruce McLaren started his F-1 and F-2 racing career in the late 1950s, and he started building race cars 25 years ago, with GT (grand tour) models for both race track driving and lifestyle driving. The newest 570 S GT 4 was introduced during Pebble Beach auto week and will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2019. It has McLaren’s signature, super sporty design, reduced cabin noise, luxury soft leather like the Rolls Royce Ghost, and carbon body. It’s engineered for extensive driver engagement. At a base price of $210,000, this is the ultimate luxury racing car.

Photo Credit: PHOTOS COURTESY OF PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE, THE QUAIL, AND RM SOTHEBY’S