Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance INSIDER Winter 2022

PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS d’ELEGANCE®

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Celebrating the Life & Legacy of the Automobile | Winter 2022

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PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS d’ELEGANCE®

INSIDER Celebrating the Life & Legacy of the Automobile | Winter 2022

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SLs wind their way from Colorado Springs to Santa Fe.

CHAIRMAN'S LETTER Celebrating Car People

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE Our 2022 Features

50 SOCIAL SEEN

PUBLISHER Pebble Beach Company

54 2022 TICKETS AVAILABLE

EDITOR IN CHIEF Sandra Button

56 BREAKTHROUGH COLLECTING

EDITORS Kandace Hawkinson & Martin Button

A Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum

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MY LIFE IN CARS: DEREK BELL

The Racing Icon & Living Legend is interviewed by Kate Constantin

58 2022 CONCOURS CHARITY DONATIONS TALLIED

28 BEHIND THE WHEEL: THE 2021 MERCEDES-BENZ 300 SL CLASSIC

by Kate Constantin

40 A FINAL LOOK BACK AT OUR 70TH CELEBRATION

Anne Brockinton Lee, Road Race Winners, Millers and Early Electrics

On the Cover Mary and Ted Stahl drive onto the 2021 competition field in their 1905 Columbia Mark XXXV Brougham, a very elegant early electric car.

DESIGN Nicole Doré at 62ΛBOVE CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS, VIDEOGRAPHERS & PHOTO ARCHIVES Pebble Beach Company Lagorio Archives; Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Archives; Kimball Studios; Dima Barsky, Derek Bell, Bob Brown, David Burton, Steve Burton, Sherman Chu, Kate Constantin, Reno A. DiTullio, Larry Edsel/The Journal of ClassicCars.com, Robb Hallock, Tom Leigh, The Nethercutt Collection, Doug Sandberg, and Mark Sutton/ MotorsportImages.com Pebble Beach®, Pebble Beach Resorts®, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance®, Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum™, Pebble Beach RetroAuto™, Pebble Beach® Automotive Week, Pebble Beach Golf Links®, The Lodge at Pebble Beach™, The Inn at Spanish Bay™, Spanish Bay®, 17-Mile Drive®, The Lone Cypress™, Stillwater Cove™, and their respective underlying logo designs and distinct images, are trademarks, service marks and trade dress of Pebble Beach Company.

Copyright © 2022 Pebble Beach Company. All rights reserved.

LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN I recently found myself packing for the Palm Beach Cavallino Classic, the Scottsdale auctions, and the whirlwind of gatherings that accompany these events. For a time, I was caught up in the flurry of sorting, selecting and folding the items I might need—it was a familiar task and I was functioning on autopilot—when suddenly I was struck by one important thought: I was doing this in January, just as I should be.

The Amelia follows in early March and Villa d’Este in May . . . Yes, Rétromobile has been rescheduled, but the delay is expected to be just six weeks. My calendar is beginning to have some semblance to normalcy.

The 71st Pebble Beach Concours is still half a year away, but most of our entry applications are in and being vetted for next month’s Selection Committee meeting.

There is a specific pace to the Concours year, and I feel that rhythm returning.

The last Cavallino Classic, held in April of 2021, was significant for me. It was the first large car event that I had attended in over a year. There, I found myself once again surrounded by cars and car people, and I felt my hope rising. I was assured that car events could happen—that our concours could happen. And it did.

We gather at these events to celebrate cars. We talk about the many ways that cars have changed our lives, the ways they hold past memories and bring the past into the present, the ways they embody both style and technology. But my focus, particularly after a time of absence, is on the people who gather with us.

I’m inspired by the many ways that people give themselves to cars.

In the coming days, I know I’ll see Steve and Kimmy Brauer, David and Ginny Sydorick, Jack and Debbie Thomas, Tom and Jill Peck and a host of other car enthusiasts, and I can’t wait to hear about the latest cars that have spurred their passions and the growth of their collections. I also want to talk with conservators and restorers about new practices, new challenges, and the projects that have most interested them.

And I want to learn from media members about all that they are seeing and witnessing in the car world.

Sandra Button opens a press conference with our Road Race winners.

Museum. But at Pebble Beach we recognize Bruce as the person who was the most passionate (and persistent!) in lobbying for hot rods to be showcased at the Concours. His efforts came to fruition twenty-five years ago, in 1997, when the inaugural class of hot rods took to our competition field.

We have continued to share and celebrate hot rods every two or three years—including this year, which marks the 70th anniversary of the creation of the 1932 Ford Deuce Coupe.

Bruce argued that giving people a chance to see and celebrate great hot rods at the Concours would lead to a growing appreciation for them, and the likelihood that more of them would be saved and celebrated. We hope that has been true—not only for hot rods but for many marques and models and individual cars over the years. If so, credit goes back to the many enthusiasts who have participated in or judged at, supported or guided the Concours.

Credit goes first and foremost to the individuals who play a role in any one car.

This Concours is really just a community of car people coming together to do all they can to share and celebrate (and perhaps save) great cars. Many thanks!

I look forward to seeing you all in August.

Sincerely yours,

Each of these people has an immense impact on the lives of cars today, and I want to celebrate that. I want to celebrate them!

I can’t wait to celebrate the impact, and the 80th birthday, of car guy Bruce Meyer. The car world probably knows Bruce best for his role in founding the Petersen Automotive

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Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Insider

Sandra Button Chairman #DriveOn

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P E B B L E B E AC H CO N CO U RS d ’ E L EGA N C E

2 0 2 2 F E AT U R E D

MARQUES & CLASSES

This 1932 Lincoln KB Murphy Roadster, owned by John and Heather Mozart, was a Best of Show Nominee in 2013.

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In 2022, we celebrate the centennial of Lincoln’s luxury automobiles, and we also kick off centennial celebrations for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Swiss Carrossier Hermann Graber gets its due, and Talbot-Lago Grand Sports take to our show field after two years of anticipation. Additional features include Alfa Romeo 8C, Alfa Romeo TZ2, McFarlan, Otto Vu, Unorthodox Propulsion, and 1932 Ford Historic Hot Rods.

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2 022 F E AT URE D MARQU E S & C LAS SE S

The Mozarts’ 1932 Lincoln earns its First in Class award.

LINCOLN CENTENNIAL Long the arbiter of elegance in America, Lincoln marks its centennial as a successful automaker this year. Begun in 1917, Lincoln Motor Company initially built the Liberty engines that powered the aircraft of World War I. After the war, a transition to automaking led to financial downturn, but Ford Motor Company came to its rescue in 1922, purchasing the company and quickly righting it. Under the guidance of Edsel Ford, Lincoln soon established a reputation for luxury, offering custom bodies on Models L and then K. The Lincoln Zephyr and Continental followed . . . and the luxury offerings continue to this day.

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Lincolns pose along the Pacific in 2013.

TALBOT-LAGO GRAND SPORT The 1950 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Rocco Motto Barchetta owned

by Ralph and Marion Stadler garners The French Cup in 2019.

When Anthony Lago took over Talbot in 1933, he immediately sought to improve both the technology and the design of these French creations. The T150C debuted the following year with a muchimproved engine, gearbox and chassis and a striking new Figoni et Falaschi body. Later iterations of the model were further improved and most bore Figoni’s iconic goutte d’eau, or teardrop, body.

But the marque reached its zenith in the early postwar era with the creation of the T26 Grand Sport chassis, which debuted in 1947. Just 32 of these cars were created and 28 survive.

Robert Kudela’s 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Figoni Fastback Coupé was a Best of Show Nominee in 2018.

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24 HOURS OF LE MANS CENTENNIAL

Craig and Bunny Davis drove their 1934 Lagonda M45 Rapide Fax & Nicholl Le Mans Team Car on the 1999 Tour d’Elegance.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans first took place in May of 1923. As this famed endurance race now heads toward its centennial, race organizers are working with the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion to host the first of many celebrations. Accordingly, the Concours will be hosting a selection of important Le Mans competitors.

Left: These three Ford GT40s made history at Le Mans in 1966, finishing 1-2-3.

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Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Insider

Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 70 Years of Automotive Excellence

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ALFA ROMEO 8C

Sandra Button greets the 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 of Scuderia N.E.

The Alfa Romeo 8C is considered by many collectors to be the ultimate classic touring car, so it is highly sought today. With a history tied to racing, it was perhaps the most technologically advanced car that could be purchased in its day. Moreover, it handled with relative ease and it often bore striking coachwork.

Important examples, each bodied by Carrozzeria Touring, have taken our top award on three occasions.

Above: The 1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Figoni Spider of Patrick Ottis traces the coast on the 2013 Tour d’Elegance.

Left: The 1931 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Zagato Spider of Jonathan Feiber and Heather Buhr took home the Gran Turismo Trophy in 2019.

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GRABER COACHWORK Frank and Milli Ricciardelli cross Bixby Bridge in their 1938 Jaguar SS 100 Graber Coupé in 2015.

Sam and Emily Mann’s 1930 Duesenberg J Graber Cabriolet was named Most Elegant Open Car in 2010.

Active from 1925 to 1970, Swiss Carrosserie Hermann Graber enjoyed a dedicated following for the impeccably tasteful styling of his convertibles and coupés.

Although perhaps best known today for his later work with Alvis, Graber led the way in the late ’40s in developing a graceful pontoon convertible with fully integrated front fenders and trunk.

True to his Swiss heritage, he was adept at blending styling details from many different countries and was equally at home working on cars from France, Italy, Germany and the United States.

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2 022 F E AT URE D MARQU E S & C LAS SE S Marc Behaegel’s 1954 Fiat 8V Supersonic Ghia Coupe placed First in Class in 2015.

OTTO VU

From 1952 to 1954, Fiat produced a 2-liter V-8 and a race-worthy sports chassis that attracted many of the world’s finest coachbuilders—and the same engine powered some Siatas. The Otto Vu (V-8 in Italian) possessed a tiny jewel of an engine, and Italian carrozzeria from Ghia and Pininfarina to Vignale and Zagato built a small series of truly memorable cars. The streamlined 8V Supersonic berlinettas by Ghia are some of the best known, but at the Concours you’ll see other rare examples of the Fiat that thought it was a Ferrari.

Jan de Reu’s 1953 Fiat Otto Vu Zagato GT was displayed on our 2009 show field.

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Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Insider

MCFARLAN

This McFarlan, now cared for by Jack & Helen Nethercutt of the Nethercutt Collection, was originally owned by Fatty Arbuckle.

First offered in 1910, early McFarlans were tested in the first and second Indianapolis 500 and soon moved into the luxury market, often being called the American Rolls-Royce for their massive size and quality. It was the vehicle of choice for such renowned characters as Roscoe Conkling “Fatty” Arbuckle, Jack Dempsey, and Al Capone. It was last offered in 1928. Fewer than two dozen McFarlans are known to exist today.

Left: A bird’s-eye view of the 1919 McFarlan Type 125 of the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum at the 2012 Concours.

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UNORTHODOX PROPULSION

The barenaked chassis of the Nethercutt Collection’s 1921 Owen Magnetic Model 60 was shown on our competition field in 2002.

As the world turns to electric vehicles, it’s important to note that at the beginning of the 20th century electricity and steam vied with gasoline engines to power these radical new “horseless carriages.” And over the years, automobiles have been coal gas-fired, propeller-driven, and powered by hybrid gasoline-electric combinations. The Unorthodox Propulsion class will present the many weird, wild, and wonderful ways that automotive inventors have sought to power the automobile. Prepare to be surprised.

The same car, complete with body, returned in 2004.

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Don Orosco’s 1932 Ford Tony LeMesa Roadster garnered third place in our inaugural hot rod class in 1997.

1932 FORD HISTORIC HOT RODS The year 2022 marks the 90th Anniversary of the iconic 1932 Ford roadster—then and now, the stripped down, souped up car of choice for generations of hot rodders. Light, stylish and fast, the first Ford production car with a V-8 engine, the “Deuce” as it’s popularly known, is the quintessential hot rod. We’re assembling a class of historic ’32 Ford roadsters— famed dry lakes racers, magazine feature cars, showboats and street rods—all innovative examples of American ingenuity.

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Bruce Meyer’s historic 1932 Ford Model 18 Doane Spencer Roadster won our inaugural hot rod class in 1997.

ALFA ROMEO TZ2

Laurence Auriana’s 1965 Alfa Romeo TZ2 pulls into position on our 2019 show field.

Introduced by Zagato at the Turin Auto Show in 1964, just 12 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2s were built, and we hope to host most of them on our show field. Unlike their TZ predecessors introduced two years prior, the TZ2s were pure racers, and they quickly racked up a multitude of class victories near home and around the globe—from Monza, the Targa Florio and the Giro d’Italia to Sebring, the Nürburgring and Melbourne.

Left: David Sydorick’s TZ2 takes to the road on the 2013 Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance.

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DEREK BELL

Derek Bell at the time of his Grand Prix debut, in September 1968. He qualified eighth but lasted just four laps before his Ferrari retired with mechanical failure in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

RACING ICON, LIVING LEGEND AN INTERVIEW WITH KATE CONSTANTIN

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Derek Bell pilots the four-wheel drive McLaren M9A in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July 1969.

It has been said that Derek Bell is one of the nicest chaps you’ll ever meet. I can attest to that.

This 6′ 2″ race car driver is now 80 and officially retired, but he still gets to drive every once in a while, and when he does, he can achieve lap times similar to those of three decades back. He has driven many prestigious marques and competed with astounding success in both Formula and sports car racing. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times, the 24 Hours of Daytona three times, the World Sports Car Championship twice, and has been awarded numerous accolades and awards, including Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his service to motor racing.

On a sunny December afternoon in Naples, Florida, sitting in his office surrounded by shelves of books, photos, model cars and awards, Derek shared his story with the Insider, reminiscing about how he got started and the highlights—and lowlights—of his amazing racing career.

Kate Constantin: You went from farm boy to race car driver.

That’s quite a social, vocational, and economic stretch. How did you do that?

Derek Bell: I wasn’t born on a farm; I was born in Pinner, Middlesex, northwest London, and spent much of my childhood running for the bomb shelter with my mum and little sister, every time a duddlebug buzz bomb came over.

After the war we all suffered from respiratory problems due to the air pollution in London, so Mum took my sister and me down to Pagham, where Grannie had a caravan. We used to hang out by the gasworks because the smell was supposed to be good for your lungs—no antibiotics in those days!

Mum met and married the chap who ran the caravan site, Bernard Hender. He was a farmer, and overnight I became big brother to four little sisters, aged two, three, four and six. It was quite a life-changing moment.

My new stepdad was known as “The Colonel.” In between schooling I did a lot around the farm, which was close to Goodwood racetrack. I could drive a tractor at the age of nine, and by 15 I was ploughing the sugar-beet fields, listening to the 24 Hours of Le Mans on my little crystal radio, fantasizing about driving a race car. Often, I could hear them cheering Stirling [Moss] as he screeched around the corners of the Goodwood circuit. You could hear every gear change.

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DEREK BELL

So, from tractor to race car? Not quite. My old man, the Colonel, had a Jaguar and he used to tell me, “Go wash the Jag.” I wasn’t supposed to drive it, but I’d wash it and then I’d go flatten the road for four miles before returning it. It was the most natural thing in the world to drive it really fast. It felt right.

Below: The Porsche 962C driven by Derek Bell, Al Holbert and Hans-Joachim Stuck makes a pit stop during the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1986. The car would go on to win the race, the fourth of five such wins for Bell.

Opposite page: Bell and Stuck celebrate a victory in the World Sportscar Championship race at Monza in April 1986.

They were driving a Porsche 962 C by Rothmans Werks.

My stepdad took me to the races whenever possible, and then a chap called John Penfold came to Church Farm to sell us agricultural machinery. We chatted a bit and he said he wanted to race, and so, with the support of my stepdad, we formed Church Farm Racing. I sold my old Mini Cooper and we each put in 300 quid so we could buy a Lotus 7 with a BMC engine. We were off to the races!

What was your first race like? My first race was March 13, 1964, at Goodwood. I was 23 years old. It was pissing down with rain and conditions were terrible. I never passed a single car because they all just kept spinning out and falling off the road in front of me. It was a 10-lap race, and as I came around the last lap John (Penfold) held up a bit of old board with “P1” on it. (We didn’t have a real lap board because we thought I’d come in last.) It was pretty amazing because Stirling Moss was my hero and he had his SMART team [Stirling Moss Automotive Racing Team] there with Hugh Dibley as their driver. Hugh was driving a glorious open-cockpit Brabham BT8 and I was in this shitty little Lotus 7 with the mudguards hanging off. I kept waiting for his car to come thundering up behind me (he had a handicap, so he started at the back), but Hugh kept spinning off the track and eventually retired. When I realized I was in first place, I pissed myself laughing the entire last lap. We won!

Our first year we finished second in the Championship despite the fact that we didn’t have enough money to participate in all the races.

How did you make the transition to Formula 3? A mate of mine crashed the Lotus 7 at Mallory Park, and I was down at the pub with my old man and he asked me, “What you gonna do now?” I really wanted to race single seaters, so we sold the Lotus 7 and bought a Formula 3 one-liter Lotus 31 and then in 1965 a Lotus 41, and I embarked upon a major program of events in Europe. We got pretty banged up that year, endured all manner of shunts and scrapes—I even sheared off the wheels between two trees at Pau—and we ended up with enough spare parts for three cars. By the end of the 1966 season I was getting the hang of it and managed to eke out a fifth place at Albi and a couple of top six finishes.

We graduated to a Brabham BT21 for the 1967 season, and I was finally getting some results: I took first at Brands Hatch, Castle Combe, and Silverstone, and second in Barcelona and

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Albi. But you have to keep moving up the ranks or you get typecast, so we set our sights on Formula 2.

How did you get the funding to move to Formula 2? Good question. We needed a trailer, a car, and a couple of engines— it was a huge project for our little outfit. By this time my stepdad could see I wasn’t going to be a farmer, so we sold the Brabham BT21, which he had funded, took that money

plus a £10,000 loan backed by the farm, and bought a brand new Brabham BT23C chassis for £2,500, two Cosworth FVA engines each costing £2,500, and a bunch of other stuff. I tried to get sponsorship, but after writing millions of letters all I got was a lapel pin from AVIS with their slogan “We Try Harder.”

Sounds like you were trying pretty hard. How did it go? Not well. Our first outing of 1968 was Barcelona and we didn’t start because a valve broke in practice. The second outing was Hockenheim on April 7, and that’s the race when Jimmy [Clark] died—so tragic. I met him for the first time the night before the race and was with him at breakfast the next morning with Graham Hill. I couldn’t believe it—Graham Hill, Jimmy Clark . . . and me! We went to the track together.

Jimmy was one of my heroes, he was 32 years old. I was devastated, couldn’t help but think, “What the hell am I doing?”

But you kept racing? Yes. We all did. It was horrific, but we kept to ourselves. I was lucky, I was never in the same place at the same time as a fatal accident, although I was on the same track sometimes. No one ever gave details while you were on the track, but if they stopped the race you knew it was pretty major.

With that event on your mind how was it to continue through the season? It shook me up, but I had a job to do. It’s strange because people often used to say to me, “When are you going to stop this playboy lark and get a real job?” I said, “Bollocks!

You wanna go out there and risk your neck? You think I’m a playboy dreaming about nightclubs and girls when I’m tearing round the track at 200 mph trying to earn some prize money?”

We’d invested time, energy, and a lot of money in this career; I wasn’t going to stop then. Besides, I got married in 1968 to Pam, so I had a wife to support.

After Hockenheim, I managed a third at Thruxton and Nürburgring, and then, to my amazement—and I guess everyone else’s—I got a call from Ferrari. They wanted me to try out for their Formula 2 race team, driving their lovely little Dino 166. Ferrari! I couldn’t believe it! Life was further complicated by the fact that around the same time Major Terry Owens of the Cooper Grand Prix Team approached me to drive in their Formula 1 crew. It was like Christmas, twice over!

By this time, you must have felt you had made it with the big boys. No, I didn’t at all. I constantly felt as though they were going to find out I was a fake and a fraud. I figured I was just

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DEREK BELL Above: Derek Bell and his son Justin, together with Andy Wallace, on the podium at Le Mans in June 1995. Driving a McLaren F1 GTR, they scored a third-place finish for Harrods Mach One Racing.

lucky and had a better car than other drivers. I guess you’d call it “imposter syndrome” today. I just tried not to make mistakes and it got me through.

The next day I was at Silverstone testing one of the 1967 Cooper-Maseratis. I got a real gut-full of the big time in just two days!

That said, you must have been overjoyed to test for Ferrari.

That’s an understatement. Intimidated, too. When I arrived at Monza there were a bunch of Italian drivers there, including Mario Casoni and Tino Brambilla. I tested quicker than any of them, which was very reassuring. Then I drove down to Maranello and was shown around the factory by this little Italian guy. The place was deserted due to a “national holiday,” which is Italian for a labor strike! As we walked around the factory floor a gentleman walked towards us, tall, immaculate, wearing dark glasses with slicked back silver hair and a white raincoat over his shoulders. “That’s El Commendatore!” says my guide. Enzo Ferrari! We talked briefly. He was impressed that this kid from nowhere was beating his drivers in his cars, and he wanted me to drive for him. We went for a lovely lunch during which we spoke only French—he wouldn’t speak English, although I’d swear he could.

So, you had the choice of Formula 1 with Cooper or Formula 2 with Ferrari? Indeed. Not really a hard choice, to be honest.

I mean seriously—Ferrari versus Cooper? Besides the big V-12 Cooper-Maserati felt like an old truck in comparison to Ferrari’s Dino 166. I was not impressed.

It was beyond my wildest dreams to get called by Ferrari, all rather bizarre.

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I remember I went home to see Pam, who was in hospital with a serious bout of colitis at the time. My mum took me on one side and said, “You’ve received a telex from Ferrari. They want you to go back to Maranello and sign the contract. But if you sign that contract after what happened with Jimmy (Clark) and with your new wife in hospital, you’ll never step foot in this house again.” No pressure there then! In the hospital Pam asked me, “Did you sign the Ferrari contract?” Rather sheepishly I told her I hadn’t, and she said, “Why the hell not?

You get back there and sign it!” The subject was never raised with my mum again.

But you didn’t sign immediately, right? You ran a race for Ferrari without a contract. True. I went back to Ferrari to test

“ABSOLUTELY BLOODY MARVELOUS! WHAT A GIFT FOR A FATHER & SON TO DRIVE TOGETHER IN AN EVENT LIKE THAT!” DEREK BELL ON DRIVING LE MANS WITH HIS SON, JUSTIN.

Derek Bell at the wheel of the McLaren F1 GTR during prequalifying for the 1995 Le Mans event.

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DEREK BELL

out for the Monza Lottery Formula 2 Grand Prix. I couldn’t believe it when they asked me how I wanted the pedals positioned, what shape I preferred for a gear shift knob, and where would I like my seat padding. A far cry from the Lotus 7 with the mudguards hanging off! Yet, I wanted to do my first race contractually uncommitted. I’d been in control of my own car and my own career for so long, Ferrari’s dominance was a bit daunting. Besides, Coopers hadn’t told me what their offer was yet. I’d imagined £10,000—they wanted me for Formula I, after all. Apparently, times were hard and they offered me a token gesture: a £5 retainer for three years. I thought, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

I went down to Monza for my first Ferrari race and qualified for pole position, with 50 cars behind me—felt great! After 15 laps I was up front with a group of others in the race when someone touched me and my car suddenly swapped ends in a turn. My spin made three other Ferrari-works Dinos shunt, and Jean Pierre Jaussaud was flung from his Tecno. It was awful.

Thank god he made a full recovery from the accident. But I had singlehandedly decimated the Ferrari squad. I thought, “Should’ve signed that contract!”

Did Ferrari want to sign you after your Monza mishap?

Incredibly, yes! Enzo was very impressed by my ability to get pole position on the grid at Monza. Not only did they want me to sign with them, they offered me a £1,000 bonus and a shot at Formula 1. The deal was £500 for an F1 race, and £250 for an F2. That’s how I joined Ferrari! Today they get a cool half million for an F1 race—but hey, I was living the life.

My first drive in a Formula 2 Ferrari was at the old Modena autodrome. The chief engineer, Mauro Forghieri, was there, and as they were fastening my belts he leant into the cockpit and said, “You crash the car, it is the last time you drive a red car. Maybe you will drive a green car [British racing colors], but never again a red car!” As I went through the first chicane, I spotted a little 2+2 Ferrari with Enzo sitting in it, watching my performance. He was parked exactly where I would crash if I missed the turn. I guess he trusted me and I got the drive.

How did you balance this high-pressure, high-adrenaline lifestyle with regular life? Away from the track my life was pretty normal: I played tennis, went skiing—had a wonderful life. We all did in those days. I’d play squash every Monday night, and my mates would say, “Off to Monza this weekend again, then. See you next Monday for squash?” and I’d say, “Hope so!”

It’s not like that now when you’re on the simulator 24/7 and it’s test, test, test. Racing was very different back then, more organic. We had no electronic aids, no AC in our helmets, you

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had to shift every gear with a clutch and gear lever, taking your hand off the steering wheel. The cars we drove were living, breathing animals, whereas today it’s all electronics. I consider myself very fortunate to have been part of that era.

The era he refers to included 475 races over a span of 40 years. Derek drove with the Ferrari team for much of 1968 and most of 1969, in both F1 and F2. He also raced in F1 for Wheatcroft, McLaren, Surtees and Tecno teams, driving a variety of marques including Brabham, Porsche, Alfa, BMW, and Jaguar, to name a few. He won the World Sportscar Championship twice, the 24 Hours of Daytona three times, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times, in 1975, 1981, 1982, 1986 and 1987.

In 1970 you participated in the making of the movie Le Mans and became friends with Steve McQueen. Tell me about that.

A bunch of us were stunt drivers for that film: Brian Redman, Richard Attwood, David Piper and me. It was great fun but a bit boring—loads of downtime between takes. I drove a lot for Steve and we became good friends. I got to drive the Porsche 917, which was a very spontaneous and responsive car. It was very fast, but I didn’t do anything stupid. I thought, “I’d be a right dick to crash making a movie!”

At Le Mans in 1971 you clocked the fastest speed ever recorded on the Mulsanne Straight at 246 mph in a Porsche 917LH. What was that like? The first time I drove the 917 at Le Mans, other than in the Steve McQueen film, was at the test weekend. I had driven for Ferrari the year before, and here I was driving a Porsche. Doesn’t get much better than that! The Ferrari could do 210 to 215 mph on the Mulsanne Straight, but the 917—that was something else. You just weren’t aware of how fast you could go.

I was testing the 917 with Norbert Singer, the Chief Engineer at Porsche, the best engineer I ever worked with. I finished a few laps and Norbert asked me, “How many revs were you pulling?” and I said, “About 8,100.” He looked at me and grinned, “That’s good—she blows up at 8,200!” Anyway, Norbert starts fiddling with his slide-rule to compute my top speed and he starts to laugh. I asked him what was so funny, and he says, “I probably shouldn’t tell you; it’s better you don’t know.” I told him, “If Ollie [Jackie Oliver], Pedro [Rodriguez] and I have to drive this thing for 24 hours, we should know what it can do.” He grinned and said, “You topped 246 mph on the straight!” The 917 was other-worldly.

In 1971, it took four track records: fastest qualifying lap, fastest race lap, longest distance covered and highest top speed at 244 mph—two miles slower than my test lap! I knew I could drive, but I didn’t know I could fly!

Right: Bell lines up with the David Price Racing team and their two McLaren F1 GTRs at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1996 — Bell’s last Le Mans race. With Andy Wallace and Olivier Grouillard, he placed sixth overall.

Below: Justin and Derek Bell together at Daytona in January 2008.

Your racing history is extraordinary. What was the highlight and lowlight of such an expansive racing career? Well, the lowlight was, without a doubt, Jimmy Clark’s death.

The highlight was driving Le Mans with my son, Justin.

What was it like driving Le Mans with your son? Absolutely bloody marvelous! What a gift for a father and son to drive together in an event like that!

We drove Le Mans together in 1992, along with Tiff Needell, in a Porsche 962C GTi with a 3.0-liter Turbo Flat 6 engine. It was very wet and our car was set up for dry conditions, but we didn’t do too badly and came in 12th.

Above: Derek Bell, shown here in 2016, often serves among the Honorary Judges at the Pebble Beach Concours.

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DEREK BELL

By 1995 Justin was well on his way as a driver. He called me a month before the 24 Hours of Le Mans and said he and Andy (Wallace) were going to race and wanted me to join them. I was 53 at the time and had driven the Le Mans race 24 times already and won it five times. I figured I’d done enough. But he was adamant and I couldn’t say no. We were with Mach One Racing in a McLaren F1 GTR with a BMW S70 6.1-liter V-12 engine—and I didn’t get to drive the car before we got to Le Mans. I think we were 12th on the grid, but at about 3 am we were leading the race in diabolical conditions. In the middle of the night, it was Justin’s turn to take over from me. Usually you lean in and tell the next driver about the conditions and what to look out for—grease on the Mulsanne Straight, water in the chicane, etc. But as I strapped him in and he’s looking up at me with those big eyes, waiting for Dad’s words of wisdom, I couldn’t say a thing. It was a nightmare out there, so wet, and I was so scared for him—he was about 26 years old. I slammed the door—I couldn’t talk.

It was bloody horrible.

Dare I ask how it went? We did great. Came in 3rd overall and 2nd in our class, with 296 laps. The McLaren F1 GTR finished first with 298 laps. It was the highlight of my life!

What’s the greatest challenge as a race car driver? I know some drivers have concentration issues and neck problems in endurance racing. I have been extremely lucky. My demeanor is calm and I don’t take chances. Concentration was never my problem and, although you got to the point sometimes where you were counting the laps, thinking “I can’t do much more of this,” I never really had a problem with focus or neck cramps, even though I am very tall. I threw up once at Nürburgring because my helmet was hitting the chassis; the seat had come loose and was vibrating violently, and it jarred my head. But that was unusual.

So, no major accidents? Oh no! I didn’t say that. I’ve had a few spills. The worst was probably 1990 at Daytona driving a Porsche 962 owned by Giampiero Moretti. It was the first time Misti, my second and current wife, had come to watch me race, and she was wearing a yellow suit, like a race marshal.

I remember seeing her as I came out of a chicane and went to the top of the wall. After five laps of waving at her, she disappeared and at that moment I blew a tire. I was at the top of the bank and went up in the air, coasting through the sky . . . floating . . . doing 190 mph. I could see the stars and hear the engine just ticking over. It seemed to last forever and was all rather surreal. Then I hit the ground and was flying along the tarmac upside down. The road tore through the roof and part of my helmet. Then, it all stopped. Nothing but the thrumming of the engine and the glug, glug, glug of dripping

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Above: Derek Bell, now at home in Florida, is surrounded by mementos and fond memories.

fuel—I had just refueled! I could smell the gas, and I couldn’t get out. I turned off the engine to stop the fuel pump, and then I hit the fire extinguisher. Big mistake! I passed out as the oxygen was sucked out of the cockpit. It took emergency services two minutes and 40 seconds to get to me, and next thing I know they have the car on its side and are dragging me out. I was fine but was taken to hospital. Misti was in the tunnel when she heard the announcement that my car was in an accident. She went to the hospital but they wouldn’t let her in because we weren’t married yet. Eventually, I walked out and she was standing outside the hospital door. Poor lass! I was lucky. Very, very lucky.

After a life lived on high adrenaline what do you do now for kicks? I play tennis, hang out with the grandkids, and take my lovely wife for dinner in the boat we have moored off the dock. Honestly, I don’t need the adrenaline buzz . . . although, having said that, the moment I sit in a race car, it’s incredible—the years melt away, and all of a sudden I’m 34 again, I’m at Le Mans . . . and I want to drive!

BY K A T E C O N S T A N T I N

FOLLOW

YOUR (Three-Pointed)

STAR!

The 2021

MERCEDES-BENZ 300 SL CLASSIC A car for all seasons, all roads and almost all drivers

Randy Elber traces the curves in his 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster.

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Above: Dannie and Craig McLaughlin give the Classic two thumbs up.

“‘Trailer Queens not advised!’

This should be the caveat for the 300 SL Classic tour!” joked John Willott, President of the 300SL Foundation, when he called to invite me to ride on the 2021 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Classic tour. In hindsight, I can see why: in the space of five days participants aged from 32 to 92 encountered sun, sleet, and snow, climbed to over 14,000 feet, and covered over 1,200 miles. “These cars were built to drive,” said John.

“They need exercise!”

The 300 SL Classic was the brainchild of Tom Thornhill, long-term owner of a 1955 Gullwing and marque enthusiast, who recalls, “One night in 2017, I was having a few drinks with Craig McLaughlin at the closing dinner of The Colorado

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Grand, and he said, ‘I’ll do it!’ The 300 SL Foundation and Board were formed and the Classic was conceived!”

Craig, director of the 300 SL Foundation, purchased his dream car—a 1957 300 SL roadster—in 2011 in San Francisco, where it had been garaged since 1977. “When I was a kid,” he says, “my parents bought me a slot-car race track and it came with two cars, a Jaguar XK 120 and a Mercedes 300 SL. I fell in love with the SL and my fate was sealed!”

Together Craig and Tom mapped out a route, sent the information to Gull Wing Group members and other 300 SL enthusiasts, and in the fall of 2018 the first 300 SL Classic explored northern Arizona. A roaring success, it was followed by the oversubscribed 2019 Classic through Monument

“

T H I S I S T H E M O S T F U N YO U C A N H AV E W I T H A 3 0 0 S L— B U T I T I S N OT FO R T H E FA I N T O F H E A RT.

“

— Craig McLaughlin

Dean and Allison Rogers power through the rain in their 1955 Gullwing.

Valley, Zion and Arches National Park of Utah. The third Classic took place this past September, when 47 coupes and roadsters, 100 drivers and navigators, two hospitality directors, three photographers, two luggage and soirée hosts, and a crew of four marque mechanics, complete with a fully stocked Mercedes-Benz parts truck and flatbed, drove from Colorado Springs to Santa Fe, New Mexico. “This is the most fun you can have with a 300 SL—but it is not for the faint of heart,” says Craig.

The mystique of the 300 SL, with its iconic Gullwing doors and voluptuous profile, is globally appreciated. From 1951 through 1952, the race iteration of the model took first and second at Le Mans and a clean sweep of first through fourth at the Nürburgring. Production started in 1954 and continued Steve and Kimmy Brauer pose in their 1961 Roadster.

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George Bunting’s Gullwing poses with doors spread wide at the top of Ridgway Pass in Colorado, with a stunning view of snow-capped peaks in the distance.

until 1963 by which time about 1,400 coupes (more often, called “Gullwings” for their uplifted doors) and 1,858 roadsters had been built. “These cars aren’t just rare and amazing to look at,” says John Willott, “but they are the scions of a postwar racing champion. To see almost 50 of these cars on the road at the same time—it doesn’t get any better than that.”

D AY O N E Colorado Springs to Aspen (196 miles) Shifting gears to day one of the tour, after a brief drivers’ meeting, participants departed from the Broadmoor—an opulent hotel built in 1918 in Colorado Springs—and headed for the open roads of Colorado, route book in hand and adventure in heart. The first leg was up Pikes Peak in the celebrated tracks of the Stutz Bearcat of William Brown, who,

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in 1913, first scaled the infamous 12-mile, 14,115-foot peak in five hours and 28 minutes. For this segment of the tour, I sat beside John Willott in his gorgeous 1955 silver Gullwing, as he artfully passed three 50-foot semis on the elusive straights between 360-degree switchbacks, whilst ascending a 7% gradient, toggling between first and second gears.

Most of the 300 SLs scaled Pikes Peak in under an hour, stopping at the summit just long enough to appreciate the effects of 43% less oxygen on the human brain and the 3-liter, 6-cylinder engine of the SL. “You can feel the decrease in power,” John remarked. “That said—mission accomplished!”

John’s Gullwing was built for Prince Paul von Metternich of Austria and it was built specifically for racing. The car ran at Le Mans in 1956, having already participated in the Italian Mille Miglia, where it came in 2nd in class and 6th overall,

Brown Maloney, a hard-core all-weather driver, kept his top down no matter the weather.

Bob and Dave Baker in their 1955 Gullwing.

bearing the same number John uses today: 504. John’s father, a master machinist, purchased the car in 1966 and set about transforming it into the ultimate everyday driver. “My dad threw a rope over the limb of an oak tree in our yard to hoist the body off the car,” recalls John Jr. “He laid out sheets on the living room floor, one for the engine and another for the transmission. Great days!” John Sr. rebuilt the wiring harness and added an extra-large fan for cooling, a sports cam and electric fuel pumps, as well as hand-crafting a beautiful wooden dash. In 1969, John took his high-school friend, Ann, for a spin. “When we got back, I asked her how she liked it,” says John. “She said, ‘Can it go any faster?’ That was the moment I knew I would marry her!”

Right: Clusters of Aspens dot Ridgway Pass.

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A Gullwing is dwarfed by the mountains of Colorado.

“

T H E S E C A R S W E R E B U I LT TO D R I V E .

THEY NEED EXERCISE!

“

— John Willott

Above: Glenn Rudner and Mary Beth Beasley brought an amazing all-original 1955 Gullwing, posed here at a lunch stop at Midway Schoolhouse in Paonia, Colorado.

Right: John Willott and Kate Constantin stand beside John’s 1955 Gullwing at the top of Pikes Peak, elevation 14,115 feet.

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Willott’s car passes boulders stacked like monuments.

Having scaled Pikes Peak, the descent was a breeze—for most. In line for the parking lot at the top, Martin Button and his co-pilot Sandra suffered a stalled engine and, to add insult to injury, their starter quit. The steep road was alarmingly narrow with harrowing drop-offs on both sides. Quick as a flash, Sandra signaled to the cars behind to hold while Martin coasted the 300 SL backward down the slope, dropped into reverse and popped the clutch to bump-start the car. With the engine running, they did a 9-point turn on the narrow roadway and took off downhill to the jubilant clamor of onlookers!

(Thanks to the marvelous machinations of the mechanics from the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center—Nate Lander, Nick Antonio and Robert Webster, under the direction of Mike Kunz—a new gear reduction starter unit was fitted and the lovely ivory roadster was raring to go the following morning.)

Next we motored by the Garden of the Gods with its towering edifices of red rock pushed up through the surface of the earth some two billion years ago as tectonic plates collided. Lunch was in the little town of Buena Vista, then we continued west through the breathtaking Twin Lakes and over Independence Pass at 12,095 feet, surrounded by giant boulders of pink granite. Superb planning and benevolent weather facilitated the most stunning scenery, set against aspen trees turning from green to gold and sending sheets of gilded pennies flying in the wake of motorcars.

Above: Kate Constantin in Brown Maloney’s roadster.

After 196 miles of high-adrenaline motoring, we arrived in Aspen, where the 300 SLs lined up in the basement parking lot of The Little Nell, an exclusive boutique hotel named for a mining claim made in the late 1800s. The luxurious ski resort was once a hub of silver mining and was the first town west of the Mississippi to get electricity, in 1885.

As we took the elevator up to the reception desk, we came across Helmut Reiss and his co-pilot, Danica. “What a day!” remarked Helmut, owner of the “Black Prince,” a 1962 roadster that overheated and had to be flat-bedded to Aspen while Helmut and Danica drove a 21 AMG GT 63 coupe

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2021 M E R C E D E S - B E N Z 3 0 0 S L C L A S S I C Drivers found themselves dodging cascades as well as raindrops.

D AY T W O Aspen to Gateway (235 miles) Bright and early on day two, I co-piloted for Brown M. Maloney, owner of a lovely 1957 roadster that he purchased in 1993 with 74,000 miles. “I love these cars!” said Brown, who has toured both Australia and Israel with the roadster. “They have everything: beauty, sex-appeal, performance, gravitas and track heritage! The 300 SL is really just a thinly veiled racecar.” At the drivers’ meeting we learned that there was some inclement weather awaiting us on the road to Gateway, 235 miles west of Aspen. “No problem,” beamed Brown. “We won’t get wet with the top down if we drive fast enough!”

Sure enough, we made it through the Redstone Historic District with only a minor dousing, and on to Paonia, where my navigation skills were sorely tested as we drove past our lunch stop—twice! Following a tardy but sumptuous lunch, we motored on by Grand Junction and made it to Gateway Canyons Resort—just in time for cocktails at the resident automobile museum. All around us, glowing in the setting sun, the austere buttresses of red rock stood like sentinels posted across the landscape.

D AY T H R E E Gateway to Santa Fe (403 miles) The third day of the tour placed me in a superb 1956 silverover-red Gullwing with George Bunting of Baltimore, Maryland. Although George could find no documented history for the car, a small spherical light on the righthand side of the top-dash, used to signal the car’s identity to the pit mechanics, suggested that the car may have been raced. “This car is moving sculpture,” remarked George as we set out for Santa Fe, New Mexico, under very heavy skies. “The iconic styling and engineering were way ahead of their time . . . but the windshield wipers really suck!”

Above: George Bunting on the rooftop garage of La Posada de Santa Fe.

provided by Mercedes. “Our car broke down, but we still got to see some of the most beautiful countryside in America in a fantastic Mercedes!”

Once again, thanks to the trouble-shooting masterminds of the mechanic crew, the Black Prince was back on the road for day two, with a new thermostat and two very happy occupants.

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The rain came down in sheets as we departed Gateway Canyon and drivers ahead of us texted snapshots of snow on their windshields. (“Don’t worry,” texted Martin from 50 miles ahead, “If you don’t like the weather in Colorado, just wait half an hour!”) Luckily, we did not encounter snow— only dense fog, driving rain, and hail. George used the wipers intermittently with the lights, so as not to drain the battery.

“In a Gullwing you have two choices,” he explained, “enjoy visibility with the windshield wipers going or with the lights on! You can’t do both!”

On the world-famous Million Dollar Highway, we cut through great forests of aspen that oxidized the valley walls

“

Jan and Michael Friberg’s Roadster nears Gateway Canyons Resort in Gateway, New Mexico.

THESE CARS AREN’T JUST RARE & A M A Z I N G TO LO O K AT, B U T T H E Y A R E T H E S C I O N S O F A P O S T WA R R AC I N G C H A M P I O N .

“

— John Willott

with a translucent blush. The route climbed to over 11,000 feet, well above the tree-line and through lunar landscapes, looking down on the lilliputian villages of Silverton and Ouray. George skillfully navigated hairpin bends, skirting the mountains on single track roads with signs that warned “Watch out for falling rocks and wildlife,” while veering around murky rock-laced cascades emptying out onto the road before us. “Note there are no guard rails up here,” commented Shawn McGregor, the flatbed driver who followed us up the pass and stopped with us at the summit to take photos.

“That’s to enable the snow plows to push the snow off the edge of the mountain. There’s a memorial up here somewhere in memory of all the snow plow drivers who didn’t make it!” With this information nervously absorbed, we set off for Durango and lunch.

Above Right : Craig and Hanne Ekberg wait patiently, as do others, while a road crew removes loose rock from a cliff face above our route.

Right: Sandra and Martin Button sporting pullovers from the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Way to represent!

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“

T H E S E C A R S A R E 70 Y E A R S O L D, & BAC K I N T H E DAY T H E Y W E R E T H E FAS T E S T C A R S O U T T H E R E . T H E Y A R E M E A N T TO B E D R I V E N — FAS T.

“

— Craig Ekberg

The 300 SL of Ed and Tina Knoll complements the craggy monoliths.

Over a burger and root beer float, we chatted with the most senior members of our little group, Egon and Tila Hagemann, aged 92 and 91 respectively. Egon and Tila emigrated separately from Germany to the United States in 1959, met over Kaffee und Kuchen, and have been to every 300 SL convention in the US and Germany since 1992, often in their 1957 roadster. “We’ve been driving together for a long time,” smiles Tila as she takes Egon’s hand at the table, “and I’m still a terrible navigator!” Egon nods and says, “That’s true, but we always get there in the end. I’m a great driver, but she still tells me how to drive after all these years! I don’t like to see brake lights ahead, so I get up close to overtake. I like to say I have never rear-ended anyone, but one or two cars have backed into me!” Egon winks.

Back on the road we head for Santa Fe via Pagosa Springs and Espanola, bypassing the “Uranium Drive-In” gas station and stopping at one of the few stations to carry the high octane/ non-ethanol fuel these cars need to operate efficiently at altitude. Close to 6 pm we arrive at La Posada Santa Fe, ready for some libation while comparing notes with old friends and new acquaintances.

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This year’s tour was equally divided between those who had participated previously in a 300 SL Classic and those who were newcomers, such as Glenn Rudner and Mary Beth Beasley, pathologists (forensic and pulmonary respectively) in Manhattan. Their car, a 1955 Gullwing, is an unrestored “barn find”—literally; it was discovered in a barn with 18,000 miles on the odometer. Marque specialist Randy Elber not only found the car, he made it run and drive. “And not just drive, but drive up Pikes Peak no less!” enthused Glenn. When asked what two pathologists discuss over dinner, Glenn revealed, “Dead bodies and diseased lungs! Oh, and cars of course!”

D AY F O U R Santa Fe Loop I (254 miles) Day four rolled around, and I found myself seated beside Craig Ekberg (also known as Sir Craig) for a circular outing from La Posada up through Taos to Red River for lunch.

Craig’s 1955 Gullwing was fully restored in 2000 and is fitted with a racing kit. “These cars are 70 years old, and back in the day they were the fastest cars out there. They are meant to be

driven—fast.” In addition to his passion for driving fast cars, Craig is the team captain of the Tiger Squadron, a formation flying team of 20 pilots who execute precision acrobatic demonstrations in a variety of vintage aircraft.

In 2019, Craig took his Gullwing to England and decided he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit the Goodwood Motor Circuit. He arrived at the end of the day when the Lotus race team was leaving the track. “I asked an official if I could take a spin around the track,” recalls Craig, “but he said ‘no.’ I told him I had come all the way from California to drive the Goodwood track, and I showed him my CA license plate. He told me to wait there.” The official disappeared and after a few moments returned, jumped in a Porsche Cayenne and told Craig to follow him.

“We tore around that track and it was fantastic!” says Craig, “One of the highlights of my life!”

Sure enough, Craig put his Gullwing—and me—through our paces, winding the engine up to 6,000 rpm before overtaking, and cruising at speeds just “slightly” north of the limit.

Notably, unlike the Italian supercars that hunker down and crouch through acceleration, the Gullwing seems to lift and soar, defying its mighty 2,800 lbs of bulk, in an almost out-of“metal”-body experience. Needless to say, we got to lunch and back to La Posada in record time.

D AY F I V E Santa Fe Loop II (213 miles) The final day of the tour was a leisurely trip out to the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort in Bernalillo, via the small bohemian village of Madrid. Bob Baker needed a navigator, as his son, David, had to return home. Instead of a navigator, Bob got me, quite possibly the worst map-reader in the group. Somewhat predictably, we overshot the lunch stop.

Shortly after Bob acquired his 1955 Gullwing, he took it on a rally in Utah where the group encountered a sandstorm.

“We got totally sandblasted, and the fine sand got into every corner of the interior,” says Bob. “The bumpers looked like brushed aluminum, and I was really concerned the sand had gotten into the engine.” Bob had the car fully restored in 2010 by the in-house restoration atelier at the Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar, California, where they assured him that the engine was perfectly fine. “These cars are fantastic; just look at the aerodynamic design! Plus, they are reliable. I don’t care how beautiful a car is, if it is wed to the flatbed, it’s no good to me!” As we motored back to base through heavy Santa Fe traffic under a hot fall sun, the temperature inside the

An overview of 300 SLs converging at the Midway Schoolhouse.

Gullwing cabin rose significantly. “It can get to be a sauna in here,” Bob commented, lifting his door to cool the interior at a red light, much to the amazement of motorists all around us.

“The payback for having excellent visibility is the ‘Gullwing greenhouse’ effect.”

The Classic culminated in a lavish dinner at which prizes were awarded and money was raised for the various charities supported by the Gull Wing Group—the Make-aWish Foundation and McPherson College. Students in the Automotive Restoration Technology Program at McPherson are restoring a 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Cabriolet in the hope of having it invited to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2023, and the Gull Wing Foundation raises funds to support the program and ensure the longevity of dying restoration skills.

New friends and old said their farewells, exchanged contact information, airdropped photos, and lingered on the patio to prolong the five-day event for a few more precious moments.

“It has been fantastic,” remarked Sandra Button. “Great cars, fantastic venues, amazing scenery, all types of weather, and some very memorable driving. All in all, a wonderful adventure with great friends.” Her husband, Martin, added, “We are ready for the next tour in 2022. Drive while you are alive. You can sleep when you’re dead!”

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2021 CONCOURS

Jonathan and Wendy Segal’s 1956 Maserati A6G Zagato Coupé was a Best of Show Nominee.

a final look back 2021 PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE

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Above: Anne Brockinton Lee shares her 2006 Best of Show– winning Horch with friends.

Middle Left: The owners of the DePalma-Miller Special await the start of the Tour d’Elegance.

Left: Motoring Classic participants Paula Morrier, Brian Renhard and driver Angie Renhard enjoy the Tour.

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2021 CONCOURS

A Final Look Back

Before the start of the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance, all five of the overall winners of the Pebble Beach Road Races gathered together at the edge of the old race course for the first time ever.

ALL FIVE ROAD RACE WINNERS GATHER We chose to begin our 70th celebration by paying homage to our origins—and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance began with the Pebble Beach Road Races. The two events were born together in 1950, and the races were clearly primary.

On this occasion, we brought together, for the first time ever, all of the overall winners of the Pebble Beach Road Races.

They first gathered together at the edge of the race course where they first made history. There, before the Tour, they were welcomed by Concours Chairman Sandra Button and Emcee Derek Hill and introduced to the crowd by Historian Bob Devlin. They were also displayed at the edge of the Pacific on Concours Sunday, and were presented to the crowd during our Awards ceremony.

“These were the true star cars of our early years,” noted Button.

Above: The Road Race winners also posed at the edge of Carmel Bay.

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Below: Historian Bob Devlin introduced each of the Road Racers.

Concours Master of Ceremonies Derek Hill also emceed the press conference.

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2021 CONCOURS

A Final Look Back

Sandra Button presents Anne Brockinton Lee with the 2021 Lorin Tryon Award.

2021 Lorin Tryon Award Goes to

ANNE BROCKINTON LEE The Lorin Tryon Award, the only award we present to a person rather than a car, went to Anne Brockinton Lee in 2021.

Anne was honored for her ongoing dedication to the Robert M. Lee Collection in Reno, Nevada.

Anne was an active partner with her husband, Bob, in overseeing the collection for decades, and she has continued in that role since his death in 2016—curating, caring for and sharing the cars.

The creations of Ferrari, particularly those bodied by Pininfarina, have long been the heart of the collection, which includes four of our former Best of Show cars, two that won after the Lees restored and showed them and two prior winners. So 2021 was a big year for the Lee Collection at Pebble Beach. Anne showed a total of six cars on our competition field!

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Anne’s 1953 Lancia Aurelia Pinin Farina PF200 C Spider won the Postwar Pininfarina Class.

Below: Anne’s 1956 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Superfast Pinin Farina Coupe Speciale took home the Enzo Ferrari Trophy.

Anne cues up to cross the ramp in her Best of Show–winning Horch.

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2021 CONCOURS

A Final Look Back

The 1926 Miller 122 Locomobile Junior 8 special from the Richard H. Driehaus Collection leads this lineup of Millers.

Above: The DePalma-Miller enthusiasts definitely dressed the part!

The 1926 Miller 91 Front Drive Special came to us courtesy of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museu

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The 1931 Miller 122 DePalma-Miller Special participated in the Tour in its own fashion.

MILLERS GARNER A MULTITUDE OF CONCOURS AWARDS The cars of Harry Miller were nearly unbeatable in their day—and that winning streak continues in the present.

Millers took home a multitude of awards from the 2021 Pebble Beach Concours.

In fact, every Miller that crossed our awards ramp was a double winner, garnering both a class award and a special trophy!

The 1926 Miller 91 Perfect Circle Special of Tom & Suzie Barbour, which placed First in Class, also won the Dean Batchelor Trophy. The 1926 Miller 122 Locomobile Junior 8 Special of The Richard H. Driehaus Collection, which placed Second in Class, won the Tony Hulman Award. And the 1924 Miller 122/91 Boyle Special from the Miles Collier Collections at the Revs Institute, which placed Third in Class, won the Briggs Cunningham Trophy.

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2021 CONCOURS

A Final Look Back

This early electric charging station was paired with the 1901 Columbia Mark XXXI of Mark Grewal.

GOING BACK TO THE FUTURE Amidst all of the elegant cars on display on our 2021 show field, it was an awkward and aging bit of technology in our Early Electrics Class that caught the eye of many spectators, often stopping them in their tracks.

The item was the early charging station—officially a Mercury Arc Rectifier made by General Electric Company of Schenectady, New York—paired with the 1901 Columbia Mark XXXI Victoria Phaeton of Nick Grewal. Complete with generator, Rectifier valve, starting switch, circuit breaker, and alternator, not to mention many cords and coils, and with the ability to deliver power at a high or low rate, it completed the glimpse back at this early alternate technology that competed against gas-powered vehicles at the dawn of the automobile.

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The 1912 Rauch & Lang TC4 Brougham shown

by John W. Rich Jr. placed First in Class.

Above: The battery gauge on the Rauch & Lang.

Left: The battery compartment at the back of the diminutive 1896 Riker of Richard and Judy Riker.

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SOCIAL SEEN

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Maneuvering David Cooper’s 1938 Peugeot 402 Darl’mat Pourtout Roadster into position is the work of many hands.

Top: Alma and Derek Hill and family await a trip over the ramp.

Above: Sometimes it’s all about the perfect bonnet— or do you say hood?

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Top: The whole of the Keller clan celebrates their Best of Show win.

Below: The Fritz Burkard family poses beside their new Bugatti.

Concours Chairman Sandra Button surprises Anne Brockinton Lee with the Lorin Tryon Award.

Above: Jill Shibles pairs perfectly with the 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Gangloff Stelvio she showed with John P. Shibles.

Right: Harry Yeaggy’s “Mormon Meteor” Duesenberg serves as backdrop for two Tour starters.

SOCIAL SEEN

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Above: Sandra Button welcomes Renee Brinkerhoff, Lisa Taylor, Lyn St. James, Cindy Sisson, Jacque Connor and Merle Mullin to a Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum celebrating Women Who Love Their Cars.

Doris Gilles, Brooke and Erica Hyman provide a pop of color.

The concept lawn is a delight to enthusiasts, no matter the age.

Merle Mullin emerges from the Bugatti 57SC Atlantic that took our top award in 2003.

Above: Black and white (with perhaps a tinge of cream and shades of gray) are always right.

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2022 TICKETS

TICKETS TO THE 71st PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS d’ELEGANCE 71st PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS d’ELEGANCE Sunday, August 21, 2022

We’re going digital this year! Ticket orders will be fulfilled via email.

Click here to purchase your tickets.

GENERAL ADMISSION Make a memory at the Concours. Stroll through the show field, visit manufacturer displays, bring or purchase a tasty meal and enjoy an al fresco lunch at our Café Seating & Picnic Area.

CLUB D’ELEGANCE Attend the Concours and enjoy respite at the Club d’Elegance, located in an elegant tent at Parc du Concours, a short shuttle ride away from the show field.

THE VENUE Above the Concept Lawn The Venue Above the Concept Lawn enjoys the very best view of the automotive industry’s latest concepts. Not only will you enjoy great cars while walking the show field, but you’ll get a sweeping overview of all the concept cars while enjoying a gourmet luncheon buffet and hosted beverage service inside The Venue, located above the putting green in front of The Lodge at Pebble Beach.

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The Venue Above the Concept Lawn

Left: Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket and chairs and enjoy a picnic on The Lodge lawn.

PATRONS PATIO at the Winners Circle Hear the roar of the engines, feel the heat of the steam. Get right next to the action with a seat at our outdoor Patrons Patio, located adjacent to the Awards Ramp. This VIP luxury fullimmersion experience allows you to sit back and relax as each of the newly awarded winners parade before you as they exit the ramp.

CHAIRMAN’S HOSPITALITY at The Lodge The ultimate VIP experience, Chairman’s Hospitality at The Lodge offers seating at the Chairman’s Suite inside The Lodge’s Stillwater Bar & Grill. From the comfort of your seat, enjoy a panorama of the show field and enjoy a direct overview of all the winners driving up to the ramp. You won’t want to miss the spectacular view of the Best of Show presentation when the winner is announced!

Club d’Elegance

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BREAKTHROUGH COLLECTING: NEW PERSPECTIVES FOR SUCCESS A Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum presented by AIG & Alliant

Always on the leading edge of thoughtful collectors, Miles C. Collier, who founded the Revs Institute, sat down with Rupert Banner of Bonhams, as well as consultant and appraiser Donald Osborne, to talk about new research, important trends, and suggested strategies for satisfaction and success in car collecting.

Much of the discussion focused on helping collectors think through and answer one key question: Why Collect Cars? Possible answers ranged from nostalgia to aesthetics to fellowship—and individual collectors were encouraged to decide which responses best described what spurred them to begin their collection and what they want from it.

Additional topics included the changing view of the collectible car, the compressed time frame in which cars now move from new to collectible items, the increasing focus

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of restorations on the individual car rather than some set “standard” for marque or model, and much much more. Many of these topics were pulled from Collier’s new book The Archaeological Automobile: Understanding and Living with Historical Automobiles.

To view this full Forum, click here.

PEBBLE CONCOURS

BEACH d’ELEGANCE

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE KELLER COLLECTION AND TO PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS ON 70 AMAZING YEARS!

THANK YOU FOR GIVING US THE HONOR OF BRINGING THE WORLDS GREATEST AUTOMOTIVE EVENT TO THE WORLD

Charity Giving

TRADITIONS

Pebble Beach Company CEO David Stivers (center) and Pebble Beach Company Chairman Sandra Button (beside him) with Concours charity representatives (l to r): Dr. Steve Packer of Montage Health; Dr. Jeff Bass, guest, and April Ritchie of Natividad; Kevin Causey of Montage Health; Steve Emerson of United Way Monterey County; Ron Johnson of Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County; Carol Bishop of Kinship Center; Gina Nucci of Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County; Nicki Pasculli of Kinship Center; Adrienne Laurent of Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System; Katy Castagna of United Way Monterey County; and Jeff Wardwell of Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital Foundation. Photo: Sherman Chu/Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

70th PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS d’ELEGANCE CHARITABLE DONATIONS EXCEED $2 MILLION Throughout Its History the Event Has Raised Over $32 Million to Help People in Need The 2021 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance raised over $2 million for charity—a figure on par with funds raised in pre-pandemic years. The full amount, a total of $2,089,450, was announced today by Pebble Beach Company CEO David Stivers as these funds were distributed to the event’s charitable partners—and he stressed that these funds stay local.

“The Pebble Beach Concours and Pebble Beach Company are synonymous with excellence, and both have long supported local charities on the Monterey Peninsula and across Monterey County,” said Stivers. “The Concours, under the leadership of Chairman Sandra Button, has raised over $32 million for local charities since its inception.”

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Through Pebble Beach Company Foundation, its primary charitable partner, Concours funds benefit more than 95 of the region’s best youth-focused nonprofits, impacting the lives of more than 10,000 children each year. Several charities, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County, Kinship Center, Montage Health, Natividad Foundation, Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System and United Way Monterey County, also benefit directly from Concours Charity Drawings.

“We’re thankful for all of the people who continue to gather at Pebble Beach to celebrate cars and raise funds for people in need—and we’re also grateful for the organizations that make certain these funds get put to good use in our community,” said Button.

Button also made special mention of the generous sponsors who supported Concours charities by donating new cars: Genesis donated a 2022 Genesis GV70 3.5T AWD Sport; Infiniti donated a 2022 Infiniti QX Luxe AWD; Lexus donated a 2022 Lexus NX F Sport; and Mercedes-Benz donated a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 250 SUV. Via the Concours Charity Drawings, these vehicles went to winners in Pinole, Salinas, Port Hueneme, and Seaside, California.

We invite you to join us in supporting our Concours charities this year. Make a donation by clicking here.

FROM CLASSICS TO NEW-VEHICLE FLEETS, EVERY RIDE GETS

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Sandra Button greets Glenn Rudner in his preservation 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing.