Pebble Beach Concours Marks Two Significant Firsts With Winning Bugatti

Since its inception in 1950, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance has been open to collectors around the world, and since 2001, preservation cars have been welcomed alongside restored automobiles on the 18th fairway at the Pebble Beach Golf links, one of the most famous holes in golf that is taken over by the car world for one weekend each year. On that exceptionally manicured lawn adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, neither a foreign-owned entry nor a preservation car had won the top prize until this past Sunday.

In 2024, those two firsts were achieved when a Swiss-owned 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports emerged from the Prewar Preservation class to earn the coveted Best of Show award, along with first in class and the Center for Automotive Research Stanford Award for Automotive Innovation. It was the first preservation car and first entered from another country to win perhaps the most coveted prize in the world of collector cars.

Owned by The Pearl Collection of Zug, Switzerland, this Type 59 was campaigned by the Bugatti works team during the Grand Prix seasons of 1934 and 1935, with a victory at the Belgian Grand Prix with René Dreyfus behind the wheel and later a third place at Monaco. Following that success, it was converted to a sports car configuration, with racing success that continued. When King Leopold III of Belgium purchased the car, he had it refinished in black with the yellow stripe, a livery preserved to this day. Most recently, the supercharged inline-eight-powered racer was sold by Gooding & Company in 2020 for £9,535,000.

Pebble Beach’s frequent awarding of one-off and coachbuilt cars provided an excellent venue for the Wedge-Shaped Concept Cars & Prototypes, which were divided by early and late classes. Among the highlights was the 33-inch tall 1970 Lancia Stratos Zero, a Marcello Gandini design that took the idea of the wedge car to the extreme and heavily influenced many production and prototype cars that followed.

The Stratos, owned by Phillip Sarofim of Beverly Hills, California, surprised as one of the four finalists for the Best of Show trophy. Along with the 1934 Bugatti Type 59, the other finalists were a 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Prix  Saoutchik Fastback Coupé presented by Robert Kudela of Chropyně, Czechia, and a 1934 Packard 1108 Twelve LeBaron Sport Phaeton shown by Harry Yeaggy of Cincinnati, Ohio.

In all, some 214 cars from 16 countries and 29 states made the show field for the Pebble Beach Concours, considered by many collectors and aficionados to be the premier collector car event in the world. Those cars spanned some 125 years of automobile manufacturing, representing vehicles as old as an 1898 Mors V4 “Dog Cart” and as new as the 2023 Italdesign Asso di Picche in Movimento concept car. The 1898 Mors is believed to be the oldest operational four-cylinder car in the world and the Asso di Picche in Movimento is a digitally designed, battery-electric, all-aluminum prototype imbued with loads of the latest technologies.

Certainly, getting an invite itself is a big deal, and winning an award—any award—only adds to the provenance of a car. Places for the top three finishers in each class were awarded, as were 22 special awards and four elegance awards. The Pebble Beach Concours, which benefits “100 local nonprofits focused on youth education,” reported more than $3 million raised as of the end of the day Sunday, and “over $41 million to date,” meaning since the start of the event in 1950. Attendance was estimated at between 15,000 and 20,000 people.

In addition to standard classes, special categories in 2024 Pebble Beach Concours included three classes for the 125th anniversary of Packard: Packard Early (Pre-Twin Six), Packard 734 Speedster and Packard Open Custom Coachwork. Maserati was well represented with three special classes of its own: Maserati Road Cars, Maserati Race Cars, Maserati Frua. The Italian coachbuilder Frua also had a standalone class. The category for 1990s BPR and FIA GT Race Car drew considerable famous names to Monterey. Land Rovers and Range Rovers of Queen Elizabeth II included recognizable British off-roaders from 1954 through 2009, all modified for use by royalty.

Full List of Pebble Beach Conours d’Elegance 2024 Awards

Best Of Show

1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports

The Pearl Collection/Fritz Burkard, Zug, Switzerland

Best Of Show Nominees

1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Saoutchik Fastback Coupé, Robert Kudela, Chropyně, Czech Republic

1934 Packard 1108 Twelve LeBaron Sport Phaeton, Harry Yeaggy, Cincinnati, Ohio

1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero Bertone Coupe, Phillip Sarofim, Beverly Hills, California

Elegance Awards

Gwenn Graham Most Elegant Convertible: 1934 Packard 1108 Twelve Dietrich Convertible Sedan, The JBS Collection/Jack Boyd Smith Jr., Elkhart, Indiana

J. B. & Dorothy Nethercutt Most Elegant Closed Car: 1934 Packard 1108 Twelve Dietrich Sport Sedan, Lehrman Collection, Palm Beach, Florida

Jules Heumann Most Elegant Open Car: 1955 Maserati A6G/54 2000 Zagato Spyder, Chris Shane, Manhattan Beach, California

Strother MacMinn Most Elegant Sports Car: 1955 Maserati A6GCS Frua Spyder, Jonathan & Wendy Segal, San Diego, California

Special Awards

Alec Ulmann Trophy: 1934 Hispano-Suiza J12 Vanvooren Cabriolet, The Hon. Sir Michael Kadoorie, Hong Kong

Ansel Adams Award: 1962 Land Rover Series IIA 109” Special Station Wagon, Anne Brockinton Lee/The Lee Collection, Sparks, Nevada

ArtCenter College of Design Award: 1956 Maserati A6G Zagato Berlinetta, Jonathan & Wendy Segal, San Diego, California

Briggs Cunningham Trophy: 1934 Packard 1108 Twelve Dietrich Convertible Sedan, The JBS Collection/Jack Boyd Smith Jr., Elkhart, Indiana

Center for Automotive Research at Stanford (CARS) Award for Automotive Innovation: 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports, The Pearl Collection/Fritz Burkard, Zug, Switzerland

Chairman’s Trophy: 1967 Ferrari 330 GTC Coupe Speciale, Heinecke Family, Bangkok, Thailand

Charles A. Chayne Trophy: 1931 Marmon Sixteen LeBaron 2-4 Rumble Seat Coupe, Gary Severns, Long Beach, California

Classic Car Club of America Trophy: 1930 Packard 734 Speedster Eight Victoria Coupe, The Nethercutt Collection/Helen & Jack Nethercutt, Sylmar, California

Dean Batchelor Trophy: 1966 Cannara Roadster, Guy Dirkin, Clermont, Florida

Elegance in Motion Trophy: 1954 Lagonda V12 Race Car (DP115/2), Lawrence Stroll, Warwickshire, United Kingdom

Enzo Ferrari Trophy: 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Scaglietti Competizione Berlinetta, David MacNeil, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

FIVA Prewar Trophy: 1928 Aston Martin Sports Model “Feltham Flyer” Bertelli Two Seater, Paul & Deirdre Lee, Studio City, California

FIVA Postwar Trophy: 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Scaglietti Berlinetta Lusso, Earl Waggoner & Tony Owen, Manhattan Beach, California

The French Cup: 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Corsica Roadster, John Rich, Gilberton, Pennsylvania

Gran Turismo Trophy: 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero Bertone Coupe, Phillip Sarofim, Beverly Hills, California

Lincoln Trophy: 1930 Lincoln Model L Locke Sport Roadster, Stan Lucas, Long Beach, California

Lorin Tryon Trophy: Phillip Sarofim, Beverly Hills, California

Lucius Beebe Trophy: 1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental H.J. Mulliner Close-Coupled Weymann Saloon, Rajiv Kehr Aditya Dispomed Products Pvt. Ltd., IMT Manesar, India

Mercedes-Benz Star of Excellence Award: 1928 Mercedes-Benz 710 SSK Corsica Drophead, William E. (Chip) Connor, Hong Kong

Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy: 1993 Jaguar XJ220C Le Mans Coupe, Henry Pearman—Historic Classics Collection, Heathfield, United Kingdom

The Phil Hill Cup: 1957 Maserati 450S Zagato Berlinetta, Rob Walton, Scottsdale, Arizona

Tony Hulman Trophy: 1956 Maserati 250F Open Wheel Race Car, Lawrence Auriana, Greenwich, Connecticut

Class Awards

Class A-1: Antique

1st: 1916 Pierce-Arrow 48 B-4 Vestibule Suburban, Bradley & Andrew Greene, Portola Valley, California

2nd: 1906 Mercedes 70 HP Rothschild & Fils Triple Phaeton, The Keller Collection at the Pyramids, Petaluma, California

3rd: 1909 Alco 40 HP Runabout, Bruce McCaw, Redmond, Washington

Class A-2: Packard Early (Pre-Twin Six)

1st: 1914 Packard 4-48 Seven-Passenger Touring, Ross & Beth Myers, Boyertown, Pennsylvania

2nd: 1903 Packard Model F Rear Entrance Tonneau, Joe & Janice Conzonire, San Marino, California

3rd: 1907 Packard 30 Runabout, Steven Adler, New Vernon, New Jersey

Class C-1: American Classic Open

1st: 1933 Chrysler CL Imperial Custom LeBaron Phaeton, Academy of Art University, San Francisco, California

2nd: 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton, Donald & Paula Beck, Tulsa, Oklahoma

3rd: 1931 Stutz DV-32 LeBaron Speedster, Larry Carter, Los Gatos, California

Class C-2: American Classic Closed

1st: 1934 Packard 1108 Twelve Dietrich Sport Sedan, Lehrman Collection, Palm Beach, Florida

2nd: 1934 Nash 1297 Ambassador Eight Brougham, Nicola Bulgari/The NB Center for American Automotive Heritage, Allentown, Pennsylvania

3rd: 1937 Chrysler Imperial C-15 LeBaron Town Car, Howard & Roz Kroplick, East Hills, New York

Class D-2: Packard 125th Anniversary Open Custom Coachwork

1st: 1934 Packard 1108 Twelve LeBaron Sport Phaeton, Harry Yeaggy, Cincinnati, Ohio

2nd: 1934 Packard 1106 Twelve LeBaron Runabout, Harry Yeaggy, Cincinnati, Ohio

3rd: 1933 Packard 1006 Custom Twelve Dietrich Convertible Victoria, The Singleton Collection, Newport Beach, California

Class G: Duesenberg

1st: 1933 Duesenberg SJ LaGrande Phaeton, Thomas Maoli, Whippany, New Jersey

2nd: 1932 Duesenberg J Rollston Victoria Coupe, Donald Ghareeb, Vestavia Hills, Alabama

3rd: 1935 Duesenberg J Walker Torpedo Phaeton, Anne Brockinton Lee/The Lee Collection, Sparks, Nevada

Class H: Rolls-Royce Prewar

1st: 1938 Rolls-Royce Phantom III James Young Coupe, Stephen F. Brauer, St. Louis, Missouri

2nd: 1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Piccadilly Roadster, Kendall Rosemeyer, Prescott, Arizona

3rd: 1925 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Oxford Touring, Heather & Harry Clark, Paradise Valley, Arizona

Class I: Mercedes-Benz Prewar

1st: 1928 Mercedes-Benz 710 SSK Corsica Drophead, William E. (Chip) Connor, Hong Kong

2nd: 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster, William U. Parfet, Hickory Corners, Michigan

3rd: 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500/540K Cabriolet A, John D. Groendyke, Enid, Oklahoma

Class J-1: European Classic Touring Early

1st: 1923 Hispano-Suiza H6B Fernandez et Darrin Cabriolet, Sam & Emily Mann, Englewood, New Jersey

2nd: 1934 Hispano-Suiza J12 Vanvooren Cabriolet, The Hon. Sir Michael Kadoorie, Hong Kong

3rd: 1932 Röhr 8 Type F Streamliner, Mary & Ted Stahl, Punta Gorda, Florida

Class J-2: European Classic Touring Late

1st: 1938 Delage D8-120 Letourneur et Marchand Aérosport, Dana & Patti Mecum, Geneva Lake, Wisconsin

2nd: 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Gangloff Aravis, Gwen & Tom Price, Belvedere, California

3rd: 1939 Lagonda V12 Drophead Coupé, Nishant Dossa, Mumbai, India

Class J-3: European Classic Sport

1st: 1933 Bugatti Type 55 Roadster, Robert Bishop, Palm Beach, Florida

2nd: 1926 Bentley 3 Litre Super Sport Surbico Tourer, Miles Collier Collection @ Revs Institute, Naples, Florida

3rd: 1936 Delahaye 135 S Figoni et Falaschi Coupé, David F. D’Addario Family, Jupiter Island, Florida

Class L-1: Prewar Preservation

1st: 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports, The Pearl Collection/Fritz Burkard, Zug, Switzerland

2nd: 1938 Mercedes-Benz 770 Pullman Limousine, VA Collection, Battenberg, Germany

3rd: 1928 Aston Martin Sports Model “Feltham Flyer” Bertelli Two Seater, Paul & Deirdre Lee, Studio City, California

Class L-2: Postwar Preservation

1st: 1965 Serenissima 308V Fantuzzi Spyder, Tom McGough Sr./Tom McGough Jr., Shoreview, Minnesota

2nd: 1967 Lamborghini Miura P400 Coupé, Nicholas & Shelley Schorsch of the Audrain Collection, Newport, Rhode Island

3rd: 1962 Land Rover Series IIA 109” Special Station Wagon, Anne Brockinton Lee/The Lee Collection, Sparks, Nevada

Class M-1: Ferrari Early

1st: 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Ghia Coupe, Tom & Jill Peck, Irvine, California

2nd: 1952 Ferrari 212 Inter Ghia Coupe Speciale, Dennis & Susan Garrity, De Pere, Wisconsin

3rd: 1951 Ferrari 212 Export Vignale Cabriolet, Michael & Jillion Weisberg, Los Angeles, California

Class M-2: Ferrari Late

1st: 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti Coupe, Tom Hartley Jnr., Swadlincote, United Kingdom

2nd: 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Cabriolet Series I, Jerry Roehl, Los Ranchos, New Mexico

3rd: 1959 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Pinin Farina Coupe, Sam Lombardo, Vero Beach, Florida

Class O-1: Postwar Sports Racing

1st: 1955 Jaguar D-type Race Car, Mark Haddawy, Los Angeles, California

2nd: 1956 Fiat 8V Zagato Berlinetta, Private Collection, Knokke, Belgium

3rd: 1960 Porsche 356B 1600GS Carrera GTL Abarth Coupe, Jack & Kingsley Croul, Corona del Mar, California

Class O-2: Postwar Sports

1st: 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV Bertone Coupé Speciale, Devon MacNeil, Wellington, Florida

2nd: 1967 Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada Series I Coupe, William H. & Cheryl K. Swanson, Pebble Beach, California

3rd: 1960 Aston Martin DB4 Coupé, Richard & Peggy Preiser, Delray Beach, Florida

Class O-3: Postwar Touring

1st: 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Saoutchik Fastback Coupé, Robert Kudela, Chropyně, Czech Republic

2nd: 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SC Cabriolet, Todd Blue/LAPIS, Malibu, California

3rd: 1947 Bentley Mark VI Figoni et Falaschi Grand Touring Coupé, John Shaloub, Festus, Missouri

Class P-1: Maserati Road Cars

1st: 1955 Maserati A6G/54 2000 Zagato Spyder, Chris Shane, Manhattan Beach, California

2nd: 1972 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 SS Ghia Coupé, Peter Wilde, Brookline, Massachusetts

3rd: 1965 Maserati Sebring II Vignale Coupé, John Clark & Gayle Pirie, Berkeley, California

Class P-2: Maserati Race Cars

1st: 1956 Maserati 300S Fantuzzi Spyder, Robert Davis, New York, New York

2nd: 1960 Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage, Thomas Mittler, Santa Fe, New Mexico

3rd: 1957 Maserati 450S Spyder, Fastwelve, Redmond, Washington

Class Q-1: Maserati Frua

1st: 1951 Maserati A6G 2000 Frua Spyder, Henrik Jorst/Cool Classics International, Reno, Nevada

2nd: 1964 Maserati Mistral Frua Coupé, Timothy G. & Cara R. Hoxie, and Michael Rubinstein, Orinda, California

3rd: 1955 Maserati A6G/54 Frua Berlinetta, Lawrence Auriana, Greenwich, Connecticut

Class Q-2: Frua

1st: 1973 Momo Mirage Frua Coupe, Peter Kalikow, New York, New York

2nd: 1953 Nardi 750 Frua Barchetta, Edward Gregory, Bernardsville, New Jersey

3rd: 1946 FIAT 1100 C Frua Barchetta, Don Bernstein & Patt Taylor, Clark’s Summit, Pennsylvania

Class R: 1990s BPR & FIA GT Race Cars

1st: 1996 Ferrari F40 GTE Michelotto, Jacob Brunsborg, Silkeborg, Denmark

2nd: 1995 Bugatti EB110 Sport Competizione, Chris Hrabalek, Berlin, Germany

3rd: 1997 Mercedes AMG CLK GTR Coupe, The Irish Family, Los Angeles, California

Class V-1: Wedge-Shaped Concept Cars & Prototypes Early

1st: 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero Bertone Coupe, Phillip Sarofim, Beverly Hills, California

2nd: 1955 Ghia Streamline X “Gilda” Coupe, Bradley & Buzz Calkins, Englewood, Colorado

3rd: 1960 Plymouth XNR Ghia Roadster, Linda & Paul Gould, Pawling, New York

Class V-2: Wedge-Shaped Concept Cars & Prototypes Late

1st: 1979 Aston Martin Bulldog, Phillip Sarofim, Beverly Hills, California

2nd: 1993 Vector W8 Coupe, Private Collection 3rd: 1991 Lotec C1000 Coupe, Jonathan Weizman, Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

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