Automobile treasures: Most expensive traffic jam in world history after a PS party

Menus

• Most expensive traffic jam in world history after a PS party
• The value of the car increases with the winning title
• Sales in the millions at auction
• The most expensive traffic jam in world history
• Historic racing cars next to luxury limousines
• Restored vehicles with a unique history
• The PS party lasts a whole week
• The most expensive new cars in the world
• Choice of the "ugliest cars in the world"

Most expensive traffic jam in world history after a PS party

1 of 12

Swan song: In 1910 a Scottish businessman built this noble creature on a chassis from the automobile manufacturer Brooke.

Source: http://www.pebblebeachconcours.net

2 of 12

When the swan first showed up at Pebble Beach in 1993, the precious one won an award straight away.

Source: http://www.pebblebeachconcours.net

3 of 12

Style-defining: a 1940 coachcraft roadster

Source: Copyright © 2012 by Michelle Herrera Cousineau

4 of 12

Gem: A 1959 Bentas Raven

Source: http://www.pebblebeachconcours.net

5 of 12

Streamlined: a 1948 Norman Timbs Special

Source: http://www.pebblebeachconcours.net

6 of 12

Frenzied cigar: a 1948 Templeton Saturn

Source: http://www.pebblebeachconcours.net

7 of 12

Open and sporty: a 1940 coachcraft roadster

Source: Copyright © 2012 by Michelle Herrera Cousineau

8 of 12

Another convertible dream: a 1929 Stutz M Hibbard & Darrin Convertible Victoria.

Source: Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

9 of 12

Elegant ride: Two participants in a 1934 Ford Model 40 Special Speedster.

Source: Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

10 of 12

Noble twins: Two Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts.

Source: Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

11 of 12

Class and size: a 1936 Mercedes-Benz 290 Cabriolet A..

Source: Kimball Studios

12 of 12

Spectators watch the parade led by a 1932 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Brewster Croydon.

Source: Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

Nowhere else are classics celebrated as elegantly as around the "Concours d’Elegance" on the elite golf course in Pebble Beach, California. Record prices are achieved at the auctions.

F.For some it is one of the most beautiful golf courses in the world. And for the others, the green is Pebble Beach no less than the “god’s pit of automobile history”. After all, nowhere do more noble and, above all, more expensive classic cars come together than at the "Concours d’Elegance" of the same name. on the stony peninsula off California’s Pacific coast.

That is why over 200 horsepower treasures from more than 100 years met the curious gaze of many thousands of visitors and, above all, the critical eyes of around 100 jurors there on August 18th and 19th. Because a class win in Pebble Beach is something like an accolade for a classic car, and the “Best of Show” award is almost equivalent to a canonization.

The value of the car increases with the winning title

There couldn’t be more fame for an old car and its owner. This is not only a matter of honor, but also a question of money: with the title of winner, the value of the car also increases.

In addition to all the fascination for performance, paintwork and leather, money is a decisive driving force in dealing with classic cars: because mobile scrap iron is good business.

The more uncertain the stocks get, the more investors try a classic and usually do good business. Because the meanwhile numerous auto indices have recently risen faster than DAX & Co. It is not for nothing that numerous record prices were achieved at the many auctions around the “Concours” over the weekend.

Sales in the millions at auction

Alone R&M has auctioned two dozen cars for more than a million dollars each and raised eleven million for the Ford GT40 from the Steve McQueen film "Le Mans". And the Mercedes 540K from 1936 is now one of the most expensive classic cars in the world.

Because there is no more important meeting for the industry than the "Concours d’Elegance" in Pebble Beach, the vehicle field is accordingly top-class.

And, above all, it’s international: Because the green in front of the lodge has not only been for cars from American collections for a long time. But also collectors from Asia, South America and Australia have flown their treasures to California and have developed such a need for special transporters that weeks before the “Concours” in the large circle around San Francisco not a single truck can be rented.

And of course the Europeans are also well represented: You can hear German and Italian on the lawn, Spanish and French.

The most expensive traffic jam in world history

Perhaps the most important horsepower party of the year begins at dawn: meticulously planned and choreographed like a bolide ballet, over 200 horsepower gems from more than 100 years are displayed on the close-cropped greenery that was pounded by the Pacific surf within a few hours Millionaire Peninsula – and most of them drove at least the last few kilometers on their own, producing what is perhaps the most expensive traffic jam in world history.

In the impenetrable mist, such a wonderful smell of all kinds of fuels mixes, wafting from hundreds of exhaust pipes.

Climate protectionists may feel red angry, but for car fans there is no better perfume than the smell of gasoline and hot engine oil that mixes with the salt of the sea in Pebble Beach.

Historic racing cars next to luxury limousines

With every minute the fog clears a little and the splendor becomes clearer: fender to fender, finely sorted according to topic, epoch and origin, there are historical racing cars next to luxury limousines from the pre- and post-war period, next to shovels from the turn of the century and wonderful prototypes from the early ones Fifties, Italian sports cars, German roadsters or the legendary “Woodies” from General Motors.

The dew is still on the hoods, convertible tops, hood ornaments and chrome rims. But everywhere there is scrubbing and polishing, and with rags, compressed air and toothbrushes the very last speck of dust in the farthest corner is removed in order to polish the classics to a high shine.

The judges will select the most beautiful car in each class. The three of them walk through the ranks like the inquisitors. With the clipboard in front of your chest and the glasses on your nose, they check around 20 individual criteria for every car, from small details such as a functioning blinker to the quality of the restoration and proximity to the original. “Because only if a car is real and contemporary does it have a chance in Pebble Beach,” says one juror.

Restored vehicles with a unique history

There are a number of candidates for this. Among the Maharajah cars, for example, which used to belong to the Indian royal family, there are one or two extremely rare, well-restored vehicles such as the Rolls-Royce 18EX with a unique history.

A Mercedes 540K always has what it takes to be a winner, and when coachbuilders like Jaques Saoutchik are involved, things get really exciting.

And mostly successful too: In any case, it wasn’t the Timbs Roadster, tuned in the early fifties, that was so well received by the public, the anachronistic Hoffmann X-8 as a blue huggable ball from a time when classic cars were still big and expansive or over 80 Year-old Packard owned by Margaret Dunning, who is 20 years older than her classic car and who drove the car to Pebble Beach herself.

Instead, in the confetti rain, at the end of the day there was a 1928 Mercedes 680S with a torpedo body from Saoutchik, which is now allowed to bear the honorary title of “Best of Show”.

The PS party lasts a whole week

The traditional award ceremony on the golf course culminates in a horsepower party, which now lasts a whole week and attracts several hundred thousand guests.

Because long before the big concours starts in Pebble Beach, there is a smaller but no less prominent beauty competition on almost every golf course in the area. Sometimes Ferrari, Fiat & Co meet for the “Concorso Italiano”, sometimes Mercedes, Audi and BMW fight for the honorary title “Legend of the Autobahn” and sometimes it’s about the most beautiful hot rod or the most rustic woodie.

And if you want to see the cars in action, you can watch the Concorso vehicles at the “Tour d’Elegance” or go to Laguna Seca and see the old racing cars speeding as if you were looking for spare parts for a Cobra, Porsche 356 or BMW M1 buy every corner.

The most expensive new cars in the world

Probably the most exclusive prelude to the “Concour” is the event at de Quaile-Lodge. In addition to the most expensive classic cars, there are also the most expensive new cars in the world, because collectors have to get through everyday life somehow.

Because nowhere else can they address their target group as accurately as there, the luxury manufacturers in particular have brought a lot of new cars with them: a special series of the Rolls-Royce Phantom in the style of earlier record-breaking aircraft, a near-series study of the Bentley Mulsanne as a convertible, the BMW Z4 in Zagato design, a reinterpretation of the Porsche 550 or a wacky Art Deco design for the McLaren MP4 12C – there is a lot to be done with the necessary change.

And so that there are no misunderstandings in the first place, the organizers are already ensuring a certain degree of exclusivity with the admission prices: the entry to the "Motorsport Gathering" at The Quail costs over 400 dollars – the equivalent of 325 euros – and of course the space was sold out as always.

That you don’t necessarily have to be rich and famous and you don’t need an expensive car if you want to have fun in Pebble Beach can be seen a few miles further at the “Concours de Le Mans”.

Choice of the "ugliest cars in the world"

In a rather dingy suburb of Monterey, a few weird birds around initiator Jonathan Klinger from vehicles like the Sunbeam Tiger, the Fiat 500, the Chrysler New Yorker, the VW Phaeton or a Mazda 323 vote for the “ugliest cars” with a lot of humor and even more fun of the world."

Klinger always has a cheeky saying on his lips and a smile on his face. But what he says about the award ceremony, he means it very seriously and thus bridges the gap on the lawn of Pebble Beach: No car is so bad, weird or unsuccessful that it doesn’t have a few lovers.

Related articles

• Top Ten: These are the ten most expensive classic cars in the world

  These are the ten most expensive classic cars in the world 1 of 10 Place 10 on the list of the most expensive classic cars: the Bugatti Royale Kellner…

• Ranking: These are the most expensive cars in the world

  These are the most expensive cars in the world 1 of 10 Tenth place: a Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder, built in 1963. The value of the magnificent…

• Three million car: Lamborghini Veneno – the most expensive car in the world

  Lamborghini Veneno – The most expensive car in the world The Lamborghini Veneno manages the sprint from zero to 100 km / h in barely more than 2.5…

• Giotto Bizzarrini: The maker of the Ferrari 250 GTO, the most expensive car in the world

  The man who built the most expensive car in the world When Giotto Bizzarrini developed a new sports car, he drove thousands of kilometers with it….

• 750 PS: The most expensive police car in the world

  The most expensive police car in the world Faster and more expensive than almost any other car: the police in Abu Dhabi are preparing to dup their…

• Most expensive car in the world: $ 40 million for a classic Bugatti?

  $ 40 million for a classic Bugatti? Bugatti 75 C: The most expensive car in the world Source: Helmut Werb The most expensive automobile in the world, a…

• “Forbes” list: The ten longest traffic jams in world history

  The ten longest traffic jams in world history A seemingly endless line of GDR cars, mainly Trabis, has formed to the west. The crowd was especially big…

• Collector’s item: This is the most expensive VW Beetle in the world

  This is the most expensive VW Beetle in the world VW Beetle Source: Classic Trader It is one of the cheekiest used car offers of the year: A Wolfsburg…

• Record auction: Ferrari GTO is the most expensive car in the world

  Ferrari GTO is the most expensive car in the world 1 of 4 This grass-green Ferrari went under the hammer. Stirling Moss was supposed to drive him, but he…

• Miniatures: This racer is the most expensive model car in the world

  This racer is the most expensive model car in the world 1 of 4 High-flyer: The Lamborghini Aventador, in the version as a model car, is milled from a…