Submitted by editorgary on 08-23-2011
This is a small sample of the pictures I took at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on Sunday August 21, We'll be featuring images from Legends of the Autobahn, Pebble Beach, and the Star Lounge, and other sights from Monterey as the major features of the November-December issue of The Star.
The White Knights -- Prewar Race Cars
Following are the class winners from the Mercedes, Benz, and M-B classes.
Class I-1 Celebrating 125 Years of Mercedes-Benz – Antique Era
1st 1914 Mercedes 115 HP Grand Prix
George F. Wingard, Eugene, Oregon
2nd 1922 Mercedes 28/95 HP Targa Florio
Arturo Keller, Petaluma, California
3rd 1911 Mercedes 50 HP Maythorn Five Passenger Tourer
B. Scott Isquick, Pepper Pike, Ohio
Class I-2 Celebrating 125 Years of Mercedes-Benz – Classic
1st 1928 Mercedes-Benz S Murphy Speedster
John W. Rich, Sr. & Jr., Pottsville, Pennsylvania
2nd 1929 Mercedes-Benz 710 SS Tourenwagen
Claus-Dieter Dressel, Bad Homburg V.D.H., Germany
3rd 1929 Mercedes-Benz S Erdmann & Rossi Cabriolet
Hermann Layher, Sinsheim, Germany
Class I-3 Mercedes-Benz 380K through 770K
1st 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster
Richard & Melanie Lundquist, Palos Verdes Estates, California
2nd 1934 Mercedes-Benz 380K Zapon Roadster
Berthold Albrecht, Essen, Germany
3rd 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Sports Tourer
William Parfet, Hickory Corners, Michigan
Class I-4 Mercedes-Benz Preservation
1st 1894 Benz Victoria Vis à Vis
Karl-Heinz Rehkopf, Einbeck, Germany
2nd 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster
Frans van Haren & Roos van Os, Druten, The Netherlands
3rd 1969 Mercedes-Benz 600 Presidential Landaulet
Stephen F. Brauer, St. Louis, Missouri
Class I-5 Mercedes-Benz Postwar
1st 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing
Michael Dever, Covington, Kentucky
2nd 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SC Cabriolet
Bruce Meyer, Beverly Hills, California
3rd 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster
Frank & Beverly Spellman, Chevy Chase, Maryland
1915 Mercedes 28=60 HP with winter Tourer body
Owned by Penultimate Group, Westlake Village
The summer Torpedo Body for the same 1915 Mercedes 28-60, with panels mounted on a false chassis.
1911 Benz 200 HP "Blitzen Benz" in Burman livery
owned by William Evans, San Diego
The famous 300 SLR Roadster, number 722, in which Stirling Moss won the 1955 Mille Miglia
But $200 for a ticket seems a bit - much.
Well, Bill--there are a lot of people who would agree that $200 is a lot of money. Throw in a hotel expense (if you can find one) and related and it is a major investment. There are a lot of people with a lot of money visiting that Concours, but your average Joe and Jill like to see gorgeous Concours-quality cars, too.
So, if you want to see cars of this caliber, consider coming to the 2012 Concours d'Elegance of America at St. Johns. You'll see an article on the 2011 show in the next issue of The Star, but suffice to say that this Concours (formerly known as Meadow Brook) attracts the same kinds of cars, from the same collectors. No it isn't Pebble Beach, but instead of fog, wind and 60 degree temperatures we had a gorgeous summer day in the midwest with temps in the mid 80's and beautiful blue skies. Though day of show weather can vary anywhere of course, that's as typical for us here as the summer coastal weather south of the bay area.
In 2011 we had 331 cars on display, which is about 100 more than typical for such a Concours. Yes, that's MORE cars for LESS ticket costs. Oh yes, if you had joined us for the $25 ticket, we threw in close-in VIP parking and lunch to boot! Hotels are nearby and affordable as are the plethora of restaurants (in any class or price range), attractions (museums etc.), golf courses (affordable and plenty of them) and what ever else might add up to a vacation/holiday centered around a car show.
This Concours at St. Johns was, is and will probably always remain accessible to all with very affordable prices in a very affordable area.
I would still love to see Pebble one day, but the cost puts it way out of my range.
To see cars you would never see before was priceless. I enjoyed every minute of it although I was working most of the time. I could have spent another day just seeing the cars that I never knew existed. My "Bucket List" is complete in terms of car shows.
Doug Dees
RD North East Region MBCA
Are these posters available?
http://products.theconcoursstore.com/index.php/posters.html