Le auto storiche che partecipano ogni anno al Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance sono tra le più belle, preziose e perfettamente restaurate che si possano trovare nei musei e collezioni private di tutto il mondo.
L'edizione 2023 del concorso d'eleganza di Pebble Beach non si smentisce di certo e vede la giuria assegnare il titolo di "Best of Show" una spettacolare Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster del 1937 appartenente alla Patterson Collection di Louisville, Kentucky (USA).
Un'auto da Re
La lunghissima e veloce scoperta tedesca anteguerra portata al concorso da Jim Patterson è infatti una delle tre vetture simili ancora esistenti ed è stata commissionata ottantasei anni fa dal suo primo proprietario, Mohammed Zahir Shah, Re dell'Afghanistan.
La Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster è risultata vincitrice tra 216 auto provenienti da 18 Paesi e la presidentessa del concorso, Sandra Button, la descrive così:
"Questa 540K è in grado di bilanciare la forza con le linee tese e lo stile e la sua storia è unica. Parlando con Jim di quest'auto, sono rimasta colpita dal tempo e dalle riflessioni investite in questo restauro. Ogni pezzo di questa bellissima Mercedes-Benz è stato studiato con estrema attenzione per onorare la sua storia."
Jim Patterson, proprietario dell'auto vincitrice ha detto:
"Nel Kentucky si parla di vincere il Derby. Beh, esiste una cosa come vincere la Triple Crown", ha detto Jim Patterson. E così ho vinto questo Concours due volte prima di oggi. Questa è una Triple Crown per me."
A contendersi il premio più prestigioso del Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2023, inserito nel più ampio programma della Montery Car Week, sono state fino alla fine quattro splendide vetture. Le altre tre sono state la Mercedes-Benz 710 SS Special Roadster del 1930, l'Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Corto Figoni Cabriolet del 1932 e la Delahaye 165 Figoni et Falaschi Cabriolet del 1939.
Nel corso dell'evento sono state raccolte donazioni per 2,68 milioni di dollari (2,46 milioni di euro) attraverso la Pebble Beach Company Foundation e questi fondi sono destinati in beneficenza a 90 associazioni locali che si occupano di oltre 10.000 bambini nella Contea di Monterey.
Tutte le auto premiate a Pebble Beach 2023
Qui sotto trovate la lista completa dei vincitori dell'edizione 2023 del Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, suddivisi per categoria.
BEST OF SHOW
- 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster
Jim Patterson/The Patterson Collection, Louisville, Kentucky
BEST OF SHOW NOMINEES
- 1930 Mercedes-Benz 710 SS Special Roadster
Auriga Collection, Germany - 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Corto Figoni Cabriolet
Care of Gregor Fisken, Private Collection, London, United Kingdom - 1939 Delahaye 165 Figoni et Falaschi Cabriolet
Peter Mullin Automotive Museum Foundation, Oxnard, California
ELEGANCE AWARDS
Gwenn Graham Most Elegant Convertible
- 1950 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Saoutchik Cabriolet
Steve & Marilee Hamilton, Washoe Valley, Nevada
J. B. & Dorothy Nethercutt Most Elegant Closed Car
- 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante
William E. Connor Family, Hong Kong
Jules Heumann Most Elegant Open Car
- 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Corsica Open Sports
Lord Anthony Bamford, Rocester, United Kingdom
Strother MacMinn Most Elegant Sports Car
- 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Competition Scaglietti Berlinetta
Rob Kauffman/RK Motors, Charlotte, North Carolina
SPECIAL AWARDS
Alec Ulmann Trophy
- 1936 Hispano-Suiza J-12 Saoutchik Cabriolet
The Keller Collection at the Pyramids, Petaluma, California
Ansel Adams Award
- 1923 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Pall Mall
Laura & Jack Boyd Smith Jr., Elkhart, Indiana
ArtCenter College of Design Award
- 1963 Porsche 901 Prototype “Quickblau” Karmann/Reutter Coupe
Alois Ruf, Pfaffenhausen, Germany
Briggs Cunningham Trophy
- 1954 Edwards America Convertible
Gary & Cathy Edwards, Spring Branch, Texas
Center for Automotive Research at Stanford (CARS) Award for Automotive Innovation
- 1928 Mercedes-Benz 710 SSK Sport Two Seater
John Houlihan, Ireland
Chairman’s Trophy
- 1952 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Touring Spider
Matthias Metz, Rosengarten, Germany
Charles A. Chayne Trophy
- 1968 Lamborghini Miura P400 Bertone Coupé
Raphael Gabay, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Classic Car Club of America Trophy
- 1930 Cadillac 452 Fleetwood All Weather Phaeton
Hans Emerén, Nadar, Malta
Elegance in Motion Trophy
- 1947 Delahaye 135 MS Figoni et Falaschi Narval Cabriolet
Dana & Patti Mecum, Geneva Lake, Wisconsin
Enzo Ferrari Trophy
- 1950 Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta
Clive & Alison Beecham, London, United Kingdom
FIVA Prewar Trophy
- 1933 Duesenberg SJ Weymann Speedster
The Anne Brockinton Lee/Robert M. Lee Automobile Collection, Sparks, Nevada
FIVA Postwar Trophy
- 1956 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Pinin Farina Coupe
Alex & Judy Albarian, San Clemente, California
The French Cup
- 1927 Bugatti Type 38/49 Figoni Cabriolet Philadelphia
Luc Slijpen, Maastricht, The Netherlands
Gran Turismo Trophy
- 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Figoni Coupé
David & Adele Cohen, West Vancouver, Canada
Lincoln Trophy
- 1932 Lincoln KB LeBaron Convertible Roadster
Larry Carter, Los Gatos, California
Lorin Tryon Trophy
- John Bentley
Lucius Beebe Trophy
- 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Brewster Special Permanent New Market
Lehrman Collection, Palm Beach, Florida
Mercedes-Benz Star of Excellence Award
- 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster
Jim Patterson/The Patterson Collection, Louisville, Kentucky
Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy
- 1965 McLaren M1A Race Car
Egon & Birgit Zweimüller, Ennsdorf, Austria
The Phil Hill Cup
- 1957 Maserati 200SI Fantuzzi Spyder
Jonathan & Wendy Segal, San Diego, California
Tony Hulman Trophy
- 1988 McLaren MP4/4-2 Formula 1 Race Car
Mouse Motors, Chicago, Illinois
CLASS AWARDS
Class A-1: Antique
- 1st: 1910 Stearns 30/60 Touring, Stu Laidlaw & Kirk Bewley, Bolivia, North Carolina
- 2nd: 1912 Simplex 50 HP Quinby 5 Passenger Torpedo Tourer, The Singleton Collection, Newport Beach, California
- 3rd: 1910 Pope-Hartford Model T Touring, Joe & Janice Conzonire, San Marino, California
Class A-2: Vanderbilt Cup Era Race Cars
- 1st: 1910 Fiat S61 Grand Prix, William Evans, San Diego, California
- 2nd: 1911 Fiat S74 Grand Prix, George F. Wingard, Eugene, Oregon
- 3rd: 1908 Benz 105 HP Prinz Heinrich Two Seat Race Car, Bruce McCaw, Redmond, Washington
Class C-1: American Classic Open
- 1st: 1929 Cord L-29 Cabriolet, Greg Ornazian, Troy, Michigan
- 2nd: 1937 Cord 812 Sportsman Convertible Coupe, Dr. Scott & Susy Spiro, Livingston, New Jersey
- 3rd: 1931 Cadillac 452 Fleetwood Convertible Coupe, Bill & Patti Spurling, Evansville, Indiana
Class C-2: American Classic Closed
- 1st: 1932 Pierce-Arrow 51 LeBaron Sport Coupe, Ross & Beth Myers, Periomenville, Pennsylvania
- 2nd: 1934 Cadillac 452D Fleetwood Coupe, Donald Ghareeb, Vestavia Hills, Alabama
- 3rd: 1931 Packard 840 Custom Eight All Weather Town Landaulet, Mark & Vicki Smucker, Goshen, Indiana
Class D: Packard
- 1st: 1930 Packard 734 Speedster Phaeton, John D. Groendyke, Enid, Oklahoma
- 2nd: 1934 Packard 1106 Twelve LeBaron Runabout Speedster, William Lyon Family, Coto de Caza, California
- 3rd: 1933 Packard 1005 Twelve Convertible Victoria, Chuck Spielman, La Jolla, California
Class E-1: Figoni Centennial 1923-1937
- 1st: 1937 Talbot-Lago T150 C-SS Figoni et Falaschi Teardrop Coupé, Lee R. Anderson Sr., Naples, Florida
- 2nd: 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Figoni Coupé, David & Adele Cohen, West Vancouver, Canada
- 3rd: 1937 Delahaye 135 MS Figoni et Falaschi Special Roadster, Miles Collier Collection at Revs Institute, Naples, Florida
Class E-2: Figoni Centennial 1938 – 1948
- 1st: 1939 Delahaye 165 Figoni et Falaschi Cabriolet, Peter Mullin Automotive Museum Foundation, Oxnard, California
- 2nd: 1938 Talbot-Lago T150 C Figoni et Falaschi Coupé, Academy of Art University, San Francisco, California
- 3rd: 1947 Delahaye 135 MS Figoni et Falaschi Narval Cabriolet, Dana & Patti Mecum, Geneva Lake, Wisconsin
Class G: Duesenberg
- 1st: 1929 Duesenberg J Murphy Dual Cowl Phaeton, Rob & Jeannie Hilarides, Visalia, California
- 2nd: 1936 Duesenberg SJN Rollston Convertible Coupe, The Nethercutt Collection/Helen & Jack Nethercutt, Sylmar, California
- 3rd: 1929 Duesenberg J Murphy Convertible Sedan, Thomas Maoli, Mendham, New Jersey
Class H: Rolls-Royce Prewar
- 1st: 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Barker Torpedo Sports, Bradley Greene, San Carlos, California
- 2nd: 1923 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Pall Mall, Laura & Jack Boyd Smith Jr., Elkhart, Indiana
- 3rd: 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Vanden Plas Torpedo, John & Mary Campbell, Woodinville, Washington
Class I-1: Mercedes-Benz S
- 1st: 1928 Mercedes-Benz 680 S Gläser Sports Tourer, John Bentley, Harrogate, United Kingdom
- 2nd: 1928 Mercedes-Benz 680 S Murphy Speedster, John Rich, Gilberton, Pennsylvania
- 3rd: 1929 Mercedes-Benz 680 S Gangloff Tourer, Robert Kudela, Chropynĕ, Czech Republic
Class I-2: Mercedes-Benz SS & SSK
- 1st: 1930 Mercedes-Benz 710 SS Special Roadster, Auriga Collection, Germany
- 2nd: 1929 Mercedes-Benz 710 SSK Barker Roadster, Miles Collier Collection at Revs Institute, Naples, Florida
- 3rd: 1928 Mercedes-Benz 710 SSK Sport Two Seater, John Houlihan, Ireland
Class J-1: European Classic Sport
- 1st: 1932 Talbot AV105 Fox and Nicholl Vanden Plas Tourer, Richard Lisman, New York, New York
- 2nd: 1937 BMW 326 Erdmann & Rossi Cabriolet, Karra L. Canum, San Jose, California
- 3rd: 1937 Talbot BI 105 Darracq Airline Saloon, Charlie Elliott, Chelmsford, United Kingdom
Class J-2: European Classic Touring
- 1st: 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster, Jim Patterson/The Patterson Collection, Louisville, Kentucky
- 2nd: 1936 Hispano-Suiza J-12 Saoutchik Cabriolet, The Keller Collection at the Pyramids, Petaluma, California
- 3rd: 1938 Horch 855 Special Roadster, PS-Speicher Einbeck, Einbeck, Germany
Class K: Bugatti Type 57
- 1st: 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante, The Pearl Collection/Fritz Burkard, Switzerland
- 2nd: 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Vanvooren Cabriolet, Bill Pope, Scottsdale, Arizona
- 3rd: 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante, William E. Connor Family, Hong Kong
Class L-1: Prewar Preservation
- 1st: 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Corto Figoni Cabriolet, Care of Gregor Fisken, Private Collection, London, United Kingdom
- 2nd: 1924 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Barker Tourer, Theodore Reimel, Wayne, Pennsylvania
- 3rd: 1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Brewster Tourer, David & Dawn Gooding/Ahrens, Santa Monica, California
Class L-2: Postwar Preservation
- 1st: 1962 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, Ann M. Fagan, Briarcliff Manor, New York
- 2nd: 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Cabriolet, The Anne Brockinton Lee/Robert M. Lee Automobile Collection, Sparks, Nevada
- 3rd: 1967 Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster, Peter Klutt, Halton Hills, Canada
Class M-1: Ferrari Grand Touring
- 1st: 1953 Ferrari 212 Inter Vignale Coupe, Kim & Stephen Bruno, Boca Raton, Florida
- 2nd: 1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Pininfarina Coupe Aerodinamico, Kevin Cogan/Cogan Collection, Louisville, Kentucky
- 3rd: 1966 Ferrari 330 GTC Pininfarina Coupe Speciale, Lee & Joan Herrington/The Herrington Collection, Bow, New Hampshire
Class M-2: Ferrari Competition
- 1st: 1957 Ferrari 500 TRC Scaglietti Barchetta, Andrew Pisker, Principality of Monaco
- 2nd: 1952 Ferrari 225S Vignale Coupe, Arnold Meier, Zollikon, Switzerland
- 3rd: 1957 Ferrari 250 GT Scaglietti Berlinetta, Stu Carpenter, Needham, Massachusetts
Class N: Pegaso
- 1st: 1952 Pegaso Z-102 Tibidabo Touring Spyder, Daniel Sielecki, Punta del este, Uruguay
- 2nd: 1954 Pegaso Z-102 Touring Coupe, Robert Bishop, Palm Beach, Florida
- 3rd: 1953 Pegaso Z-102 Touring Coupe, Nicholas & Shelley Schorsch, Newport, Rhode Island
Class O-1: Postwar Sports Racing
- 1st: 1965 Ford GT40 Mk I, William H. & Cheryl K. Swanson, Pebble Beach, California
- 2nd: 1957 Maserati 200SI Fantuzzi Spyder, Jonathan & Wendy Segal, San Diego, California
- 3rd: 1955 Jaguar D-type, Bill Rooklidge, Laguna Beach, California
Class O-2: Postwar Touring
- 1st: 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Bertone Coupé, Alberto Gutierrez, Albuquerque, New Mexico
- 2nd: 1959 Maserati 3500 GT Bertone Coupé, Jim Utaski, Skillman, New Jersey
- 3rd: 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, Dr. C.R. Bonebrake & Hon. Rebecca Crotty, Topeka, Kansas
Class O-3: Postwar Luxury
- 1st: 1955 Imperial Convertible, David & Teresa Disiere, Southlake, Texas
- 2nd: 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Cabriolet, McPherson College, McPherson, Kansas
- 3rd: 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Cabriolet, Craig Kappel & Meg McCarthy, Chatham, Massachusetts
Class O-4: Postwar British Luxury
- 1st: 1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I “Honeymoon Express” Freestone & Webb Drophead Coupé, The Anne Brockinton Lee/Robert M. Lee Automobile Collection, Sparks, Nevada
- 2nd: 1956 Bentley S1 Continental Park Ward Drophead Coupé, David Wilkie, Sydney, Australia
- 3rd: 1952 Bentley R-Type Continental H.J. Mulliner Fastback Saloon, Charles L. Marshall II, Dayton, Ohio
Class P: Lamborghini 60th Anniversary
- 1st: 1968 Lamborghini Miura P400 Bertone Coupé, Raphael Gabay, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 2nd: 1971 Lamborghini Espada Series 2 Bertone Coupé, Steve Girard, Pewaukee, Wisconsin
- 3rd: 1994 Lamborghini Diablo SE30 Coupé, Robert Cleary, Elmira, New York
Class R: McLaren 60th Anniversary
- 1st: 1967 McLaren M6A Can-Am Race Car, Richard Griot, Tacoma, Washington
- 2nd: 1988 McLaren MP4/4-2 Formula 1 Race Car, Mouse Motors, Chicago, Illinois
- 3rd: 1995 McLaren F1 Coupe, Chris & Ann Cox, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Class S: Porsche 75th Anniversary
- 1st: 1963 Porsche 901 Prototype “Quickblau” Karmann/Reutter Coupe, Alois Ruf, Pfaffenhausen, Germany
- 2nd: 1972 Porsche 916 Karmann Coupe, Todd Blue/LAPIS, Malibu, California
- 3rd: 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS Touring Coupe, Private Collector, Memphis, Tennessee
Class V: American Dream Cars of the 1950s
- 1st: 1953 Kurtis Sorrell SR-100 Roadster, Mark & Newie Brinker, Houston, Texas
- 2nd: 1954 Edwards America Convertible, Gary & Cathy Edwards, Spring Branch, Texas
- 3rd: 1952 Fageol Pataray Roadster, Mark & Newie Brinker, Houston, Texas
Alcune delle nuove auto che hanno debuttato alla Monterey Car Week
