Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
For those in the classic car universe there are few words more evocative then “Pebble Beach.”
Once a single event – the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, established in 1950 in Monterey, California – it now signifies an ever-expanding roster of happenings, officially called Monterey Car Week, of which the Concours itself is but the finale.
From The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, the event that kicks off the proceedings on Friday, to the Concours itself on Sunday, Pebble Beach is truly about automotive elegance, from vintage race cars to the hordes of supercars that descend on the posh golfing community every August.
The least interesting thing about it all (this year in any case), was the car that actually won Best of Show at the Concours: an alluring but somewhat boring 1936 Lancia Asturia Pinin Farina cabriolet once owned by Eric Clapton.
Far more appealing to my eyes was the 1957 BMW 507 Roadster once owned by Elvis Presley, impeccably restored by the German marque in honor of its 100th anniversary.
An air of elegance also pervades the VIP hospitality suites, private parties and client mixers that bubble and froth around the actual events, like the champagne that is poured by the jeroboam.
At the Concours in particular, the festive air is amplified by entrants who dress in period garb to match their classic Rolls-Royces, some of which are 100 years old.
Look through the gallery above for highlights from Pebble Beach 2016.