2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

Founded in 1950, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance was originally an ancillary event to the Pebble Beach Road Races. Since its relatively humble beginnings, this “competition of elegance” has grown significantly, and is now widely considered to be the most important and well-respected event of its kind in the world. This is the flagship of Monterey Car Week, the capstone to the annual central California automotive palace. Every year, roughly 15,000 enthusiasts show up to frolic amongst the well-polished metal and rub shoulders with celebrities and industry hot shots, and TopSpeed will once again be there to capture the action.

Judging the competition of elegance will be a panel of experts selected from throughout the four-wheeled sphere (racing drivers, designers, journalists, etc.), tasked with selecting a third-, second-, and first-place winner in a huge number of classes. Out of those first-place winners, only one will take home the highly coveted Best of Show accolade. The judges base their scores on vehicle authenticity, function, history, and style, and taking home a win means serious bragging rights amongst top-shelf collectors. What’s more, the event’s prestige and visibility makes it a fantastic venue for vehicle debuts, with many major automakers pulling the sheet on concepts and production vehicles throughout the weekend. We’ve collected some of the more interesting vehicles slated to show in the following preview, so read on to get the lowdown before Concours Sunday.

Continue reading to learn more about the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

2017 Featured Marques And Special Classes

As in years past, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will once again play host to a variety of interesting historic automobiles, but in addition to the traditional Packards, Dusenbergs, Ferraris, and Rolls-Royces, 2017 will add a selection of marques and special classes to the roster:

- Isotta Fraschini

- Castagna Coachwork

- American Dream Cars of the 1960s

- Ferrari Major Race Winners

- Ferrari One-off Speciales

The Concepts

Mercedes-Benz Vision Concept

Last year, Mercedes dropped the head-turning Maybach Vision concept in Pebble Beach, and now, it looks like there’s a new one on the horizon. As of this writing, there aren’t a whole lot of details to go on. Rather, Merc is teasing us with slow panning close-up shots of the exterior and interior, and so far, we like what we see. Helping it roll are thin-spoke wheels with a polished gleam, while the paint is a deep blue. Inside is a sleek looking interior with white upholstery and bronze trim. Could it be a drop-top iteration of last year’s concept? We’ll find out soon enough.

Check out the full story here.

BMW Z4 Concept

There’s a new Z4 on the way, and it’s looking like we’ll finally get a look at what it’s bringing to the table with this new concept. The concept will feature a slinky profile and an open top, essentially providing us with a preview of the third-gen production iteration due to drop in 2019. Developed in a joint partnership with Toyota, the Bavarians will offer this luxury roadster version, while Toyota will give it a hardtop and call it the new Supra.

Read the full story here.

Infiniti Prototype 9

At first glance, this gleaming slice of silver looks very much like a pre-war single-seat race car. It’s got a long, low stance, narrow dimensions, wire wheels, and skinny tires. However, this thing wasn’t made in the ‘30s – it’s a brand-new concept from Infiniti, and instead of some fire-breathing gasoline burner stuffed into the nose, this thing draws its motivation from a battery pack and electric motor set-up. It’s called the Prototype 9, and it’s got 148 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque to make it go – not bad for such a small, relatively lightweight machine. As an amalgamation of new and old, the Prototype 9 looks perfectly at home at a place like the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Read our full review on the Infiniti Prototype 9.

The Details

Where: Pebble Beach Golf Links, 1700 17-Mile Drive, Pebble Beach, California, 93953

When: The Concours field opens to entrants at 7:00 AM on August 20th. Judging kicks off at 8:30 AM, while spectators are allowed on the lawn by 10:30 AM. The awards presentation begins at 1:30 PM and continues until 5:00 PM.

How: General Admission tickets cost $375, purchasable here.

You can find more information, including maps and parking info, at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance website here.

Live Stream

Automobile Magazine will be streaming this year’s event live on the Internet, beginning at 2:00 PM PST. You can watch the stream by following the link below.

http://www.automobilemag.com/auto-shows/pebble-beach/