1932 Duesenberg J Figoni Sports Torpedo Wins Best of Show at 71st Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
By D. Brian Smith
Monterey Car Week's first exposure to the Best of Show winning automobile was at approximately 6:45 am. Under murky, misty Monterey Pebble Beach Golf Resort Links skies, the 1932 Duesenberg J Figoni Sports Torpedo motored onto the 18th fairway just in time for this Dawn Patrol veteran and hustling photographer to snap a 3/4 front and a 3/4 rear photo, before the magnificent automobile could whisk away and take its place on the fairway. As the car passed by, I thought to myself, "That may well be the overall winner of this 71st edition of the greatest Concours d'Elegance." And I was correct.
Photography: D. Brian Smith
The 1932 Duesenberg J Figoni Sports Torpedo, Best of Show winner at the 71st Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, looks every bit as lustful coming or going. Lee R. Anderson Sr., of Naples, Florida is the car's lucky owner.
For all the years that MontereyCarWeek.net has covered The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, our luck has always been the best, when we're able to get to the Golf Resort before the sun rises. Being a part of the Dawn Patrol and shooting some photos of these magnificent machines drive into place, is magical indeed. This year, we were staying in Gilroy, CA, which is the Garlic Capitol of the U.S.A. and some 45 minutes to an hour way from the Pebble Beach Golf Links. What with how popular this event is, the Pebble Beach Concours Media Team doesn't dole out any parking passes for automotive media for this show. So it's simply a matter of providence and luck as to whether a close parking spot is found. Perhaps we made our own luck this year, as we hustled down Highway 1 at 5:30 am on show Sunday and arrived at our fourth parking lot by 6:15 am. Three other possible parking possibilities even closer to the show were blocked by Pebble Beach Concours volunteers. No worries. We managed to park some 200 yards away from the Pebble Beach Concours Media Center at the top of the hill. All in on Sunday Monterey Car Week shot some 700 photos and walked more than 10 miles.
Acclaimed actor Aaron Paul, who starred in the popular TV show 'Breaking Bad' and also in the fantastic movie, 'Need for Speed,' was also up early for the Dawn Patrol.
In years past at the Dawn Patrol hour, we've seen luminaries like Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld. We didn't know that Aaron Paul is an automotive aficionado, but it's good to see that he is. As the protagonist in Need for Speed, Aaron piloted a custom Shelby Mustang GT500 for much of the movie, until the baddies in the flick took the Shelby out of action. He finished the race in first place driving some sort of fictitious super car. However, with the bulk of the action, his hand built Shelby Mustang galloped without competition, as Aaron had a late start and was playing catch up in the multi-state competition.
Earning 1st in Class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centennial Early category was a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta. In 1963, this 250 GTO first raced at Le Mans and placed 4th overall, 2nd in class. The next year, Lucien Bianchi and Georges Berger drove the Ferrari to an overall victory at this most prestigious endurance race. In its illustrious racing career, the V12 powered Ferrrari had six more podium finishes.
The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is always in earnest a multi-day event. The Tour d'Elegance takes place on Thursday morning of Monterey Car Week. Vintage autos that are part of the Concours begin lining up at the famous golf resort at 7 am and will then depart the golf links for a 60-mile drive at 9 am. Show vehicles that participate in this drive earn extra points for when they're professionally judged on show Sunday. Should there be ties in the Class categories or indeed in the Best of Show competition, the cars that cruised on the 60-mile drive will break the tie and be awarded the victory over the vehicles that didn't participate.
Auto manufacturers place their prototypes, dream cars, and indeed new vehicles on the Concept Lawn the day before the Concours on Saturday. Czinger Vehicles are born from a proprietary production system that incorporates 3D printing, AI design, patented materials, and high accuracy fixtureless assembly. This Czinger 21C V Max hyper car is built to obliterate records for 0 to 60 mph, 0 to 400 to 0 kph, and the quarter mile.
For 2022, The Pebble Beach Concours raised more than $2.67 million, which benefits more than 95 local children's charities and positively impacts more than 10,000 kids in Monterey County. Overall, more than $35 million in charitable donations have been made to date, thanks to this fantastic yearly mid-August event.
Gooding & Company is the official auction house of The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. This 1937 Bugatti57SC Atalante, which had a final sale price of $10,345,000, was the top seller of the auction.The Gooding & Company auction achieved total sales of $105 million. They've been the official auction house for the Pebble Beach Concours for 18 years now.
Show goers who appreciate and collect automotive art and automobilia always enjoy visiting the Retro Auto tent during the Concours. There were a good number of paintings, sculpture, and restored automobile signs (neon and painted), as well as renewed vintage fuel pumps that visitors could purchase to add to their collection of automotive finery.
Aren't these neon signs and automotive paintings awesome? We think so, too!You're viewing a painting that depicts racer Ken Miles and racer/car builder, race team owner Carroll Shelby behind the 1966 Ford GT40 that finished the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1st place, but was given 2nd place on a technicality (which was B.S.).
As you might have guessed, the 71st edition of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance was a stunning spectacle of automotive excellence from the past as well as the present and future. Next year's Concours, the 72nd affair, will be held on Sunday, August 20. Several marques will be honored, including McLaren, Alvis, Dream Cars of the 1950s, Mercedes Benz S / SS / SSK, Invicta, with additional marques and special features to be announced in the early fall. Famous coachbuilders Pegaso and Joseph Figoni will also be celebrated. For additional information about next year's Pebble Beach Concours, visit www.pebblebeachconcours.net. Until then, please enjoy some more photos and brief descriptions of the cars that made the field for 2022. We hope to see you next year at the greatest Concours on earth!
Powered by a V16 engine, this 1931 Cadillac 452A Dual Cowl Sport Phaeton has a 148-inch wheelbase and weighs 6,300 pounds. The elegant automobile is owned by General Motors. Warren, Michigan.Also on the Concept Lawn, French automobile manufacturer Delage exhibited its Delage D-12 hyper car. The D-12 is a tandem two-seat auto that was conceived to establish the new world record on the Nurburgring in the Road Legal Category in 2023. If stunning and sleek looks are any indication, perhaps there's quite a bit of technology and engineering to back up this near future attempt.Tom & Gwen Price, of Belvedere, California own a most resplendent 1938 SS100 Roadster. SS Cars later became known as Jaguar. The SS100 weighs 2,610 pounds and is powered by a 3-liter straight six engine. The sleek and light sports car had a top speed of 100 miles per hour and could sprint from zero to 60 mph in a brisk 10 seconds, which was outstanding for the 1930s.Although the finish was controversial, this 1966 Ford GT40 Mk II (chassis # P/1046), driven by Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon, won overall at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race car is currently owned by Richard Kauffman / RK Motors, of Charlotte, North Carolina.On Thursday of Monterey Car Week, three days before the Pebble Beach Concours, the Delorean Motor Company premiered the Alpha5. This version of the Delorean has its signature gullwing doors, rear louvers, and three-layered taillights. What's different is that the Alpha5 has 2+2 seating and an all-electric powertrain that provides 0-60 mph in 2.99 seconds and has a projected tiop speed of 155 mph. Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt piloted this 1967 Ford GT40 Mk IV to an overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1967. Despite being 600 pounds heavier than its chief rival, the Ferrari P4, it finished the 1967 endurance race three laps ahead of the P4. The car is owned and on display at The Henry Ford (museum) in Dearborn, Michigan. Making its onto the show green during the Dawn Patrol hour was an elegant 1962 Lincoln 430-cubic inch V8 powered Continental Convertible. It's owned by the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, California.If you're going to have an automobile in the show field at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, you might as well dress in the era of when your car was created.This 1937 BMW 328 NSKK Race Car was a BMW Works car that was lost for 80 years. Three 328 Works cars raced at the 1939 Le Mans, clad with 26, 27, and 28. They finished 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in class and 5th, 7th, and 9th overall. Cars 26 and 28 were found shortly after the end of WWII. Number 27 wasn't found until 2017, sequestered in a garage. The current owner, Stephen Bruno, of Boca Raton, Florida, honored the 328 with a ground up restoration, bringing it back to its race configuration.On the Ferrari fairway, also known as Ferrari Classiche, exhibited an otherworldly restored 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO. Father Jim and son Chris Shelton, of Las Vegas, NV are the current owners and custodians of the famous Gray Baskerville 1932 Ford Roadster. Mr. Baskerville drove the roadster to Petersen Publishing where he worked as an automotive photo journalist, writing for 'Hot Rod' and 'Rod and Custom' magazines for over 30 years. The Shelton's drive and maintain the roadster the way that Gray did, with a well used patina of primer spots and a bit of use and road rash here and there. The iconic hot rod is in the best of care with the Shelton's to be sure. Indeed, Chris is also an accomplished automotive scribe and photographer, having worked for 'Street Rodder' magazine for many years and continuing to lead the field. This 1953 Aston Martin DB3S Race Car was first owned by the company's owner, David Brown. He turned it over to John Wyer in the racing department at Aston. The team replaced the car's fiberglass body panels with aluminum and began to campaign the car. With drivers that included Sir Stirling Moss, Roy Salvadori, and Peter Collins, this fifth built DB3S won 12 races at tracks that included the Nurburgring, Spa, and the Mille Miglia. Of course, the roadster also campaigned at Goodwood, Silverstone, and at Spa-Francorchamps. To the crew at Monterey Car Week, the roadster has a design that appears ahead of its time. Perhaps that explains why the DB3S was ahead of its competition back in the early to mid 1950's. Part of the Time to Drive Collection, in Charlottesville, Virginia, is a beautiful 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Touring Corto Spider. This 8C 2300 Spider (chassis # 2211071) has Carrozzeria Touring and represented the Alfa brand so impeccably at the 1932 Paris Auto Salon. Stanley and Malcolm Ross, of Columbus, Ohio own this 1985 Porsche 962C Longtail. It won at a litany of endurance races in the mid-1980's, including an overall victory at Le Mans in 1986. The car was driven by Derek Bell and Jans-Joachim Stuck for most of these campaigns. It even podiumed in 1987 and 1988. Sylmar, California is the current home for this lavishly luscious 1923 McFarlan 154 Twin Valve Six Knickerbocker Cabriolet. It's part of the equally lustrous Nethercutt Collection, which is owned by Helen and Jack Nethercutt. Fly Yellow 1958 Ferrari Testa Rossa on the Ferrari Classiche FairwayTed Davis, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is the current caretaker of this elegant 1930 Packard Speedster Eight Heaton Custom Runabout. The car is supposed to have a top speed of 117 mph, according to literature from the 1930's, which is hustling even in the present. Here's an overview shot of the Concept Lawn. When the Concours isn't afoot, it's a putting practice green for the famous Pebble Beach Golf Links Resort.Back at the Concept Lawn, the Czinger 21C is propelled by a bespoke twin-turbo V8 paired with two electric motors and powered by a lithium titanate battery that enables 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds and achieves a scintillating top speed of 253 mph. The car weighs just 2,734 pounds, which is about 100 pounds less than a 1965 Mustang V8/four-speed manual trans equipped 2+2.Lincoln unveiled a wild-looking Centennial Concept at Pebble Beach. What do you think?@ the Ferrari Classiche fairway, some Prancing Horses ready to tear up the turf...1961 250GT Berlinetta @ Ferrari Classiche fairway -- can you dig it? We know you can!Auburn V12 Boat Tail Speedster driving onto the Pebble Beach Concours show fairway...coming and goingCadillac MascotBugatti Cabriolet matriculating onto the 2022 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance show fairwayMonterey Car Week loves the iconic 1935/36 Auburn Supercharged Straight-Eight Boat Tail Speedster. Here's one in burgundy. Classic.In the Postwar Preservation Class is a 1961 Jaguar E-Type Roadster that has just 54,275 miles showing on the odometer. You're looking at one original E-Type Jag! In fact, it was the archetype example for a book titled 'Jaguar E-Type Six-Cylinder Originality Guide', written by Dr. Thomas Haddock, who drove the car just 752 miles in his 46 years of ownership. We at MCW call that outrageous. The current caretaker for this wonderful ragtop is Dr. Christian J. Jenny, of Thalwil, Switzerland.On display as part of the Mercedes Pavilion was a 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K. The 'K' stands for Kompressor, or supercharger, but you knew that (because you are a fan of MCW).Peter Klutt, owner of Legendary Motorcar Company Ltd., in Halton Hills, Canada, also owns an epically restored 1963 Factory Team Shelby Cobra (CSX2026). It's powered by a 12:1 compression ratio 289 cubic-inch V8. Having won 11 races in its career, and having achieved the first race win for the Shelby Racing Team in 1963, it's possibly the most famous Shelby Cobra, as it's the most accomplished. That's actually Peter Klutt approaching the roadster from the driver's side, where he's engaged in finishing up on polishing the car before judging (two more pics just below). In the Duesenberg Class there was a superb 1935 Duesenberg J LaGrande Dual Cowl Phaeton that's owned by Thomas Maoli, of Whippani, New Jersey. The car was first sold on October 28, 1936 to 26-year-old Hugh Bancroft Jr., whose family published 'The Wall Street Journal.'@ the Ferrari Classiche fairway, a 1971 Ferrari 512M flanked by a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTS4 NART Automotive journalist Ken Gross owns a 1932 Ford Roadster that won the Bruce Meyer Preservation Award at the 50th Grand National Roadster Show in 1999. Home for the roadster and Mr. Gross is Hamilton, Virginia.
