Autoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.Is there a better drive for a car fanatic, or a golfer for that matter, than the one straight up the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach Golf Links? For the 75th year, a few lucky auto aficionados made that short trek to the winner's platform Sunday as the latest iteration of the fabled Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance crowned its gleaming champions from across the automotive spectrum. For the proverbial record books, Best in Show went to a 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster once owned by Hollywood legend Clark Cable, a choice that seemed to reaffirm that show's penchant for heralding pre-war cars.But perhaps even more fortunate were the few hundred thousand gear heads – your scribe among them – who made the pilgrimage to the foggy Monterey Peninsula to behold an array of machinery that truly defied description. But we'll give that a shot here, with a nod to a few cars that struck a particularly emotional note. AdvertisementAdvertisementTo begin with, it bears noting that the event now commonly referred to as Car Week is a bit of a daunting affair. There are the crowds for one, which clog the normally tranquil byways of the Del Monte Forest, Pebble Beach and neighboring Carmel-by-the-Sea. Locals have begun to decry the commotion, but area officials and law enforcement have tightened restrictions and beefed up patrols, and the hooliganism that can be on display was mercifully at a minimum during this anniversary incarnation. There are also the prices, from hotel rooms that go for comical multiples of normal rates to the cost of tickets to some of the events themselves, which include $500 to attend Concours Sunday to triple that for entry to the vaunted The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering by The Peninsula, a mouthful of a name that nonetheless delivered an equally impressive event over in nearby Carmel Valley.Marco Della CavaAll that said, for car people, well, this is our Oscars and Super Bowl and Indy 500 all wrapped into one. Significantly, for anyone who ever feels out of the place due to their outsized automotive passion, here there is always someone who is crazier about cars or more nit-picky about detailing than you are. And that's a wonderfully reassuring feeling. You're among your people, who it must be said come in a rainbow of colors, ages and social classes. The car passion just levels the playing field in an instant, and for that alone it's worth saving those cushion-quarters and making a trip next year.But back to 2026 fare. My own journey started with a day attempting to help some friends out who were in charge of organizing the staggering sheet metal invitees to The Quail, which takes place on the property of the Carmel Valley hotel by the same name. Despite a persistent fog and chill temperatures, the volunteer task was a joy. It didn't hurt that you were rewarded by some truly one of a kind sights and sounds. Marco Della CavaHow about more than a dozen Ferrari F40s all parked next to each other to celebrate that still-outrageous Maranello creation from the late '80s? Or what about helping a few Bugatti Chirons find their parking spots, cars that still wore their German license plates after making the journey here by plane? Or perhaps it was a glimpse of Audi's new halo car, the aptly named Nuvolari, after the famed Italian driver Tazio Nuvolari? AdvertisementAdvertisementSpeaking of exotics, there was also Bugatti's outrageous Destrier, looking like something that would eat the Batmobile for lunch; and the Lamborghini Revuelto SV, said to be the fastest production car ever out of Sant'Agata Bolognese and a perfect modern compliment to the dozens of Lambo Diablos that made up a gum ball-hued tribute to that game-changing model. And things just got crazier from there. A new display for this incarnation of the The Quail was a beautifully designed tribute to 100 years of Route 66. Those with the proper four-figure tickets could sample delicious food and wine as they wound their way through an automotive history of the road that help define America's western migration by car. Among the stand-out machines were two brought by renowned Beverly Hills collector Bruce Meyer: the first Cobra ever built by Carroll Shelby for a customer back in 1962, and a 1957 Ferrari 625/250 Testarossa, which ended up taking home the coveted Quail Best of Show trophy. Seeing both those cars is all about staring history in the face, true time machines to a pre-car-show era when racing was where it was truly at. Marco Della CavaThe next day, the sun broke through which only made the 700-plus Porsche owners assembled at the annual Porsche Werks Reunion at Monterey Pines Golf Course even happier to be there. Though one sensed they'd have come rain or shine. Where some Car Week event can truly feel like a meeting of the 1% club, Werks Reunion, organized by the Porsche Club of America, felt like an egalitarian affair. Sure there was your obligatory Carrera GT and more 911 GT3RSs than you could shake a stick at, there were also plenty of wonderful and more humble 911s and 356s and even the occasional 550 Spyder tribute cars that were the pride and joy of a family. Plaques often told wonderful tales of owners of Social Security age who recalled riding the back of now patina'd old Porsches where they were toddlers, lap-belts be damned. Wonderful traditions being carried on through generations. A great atmosphere and an event not to be missed if you either are fortunate enough to own a Porsche – whether that's a 924 or a 918 Spyder – or simply are dreaming of one. Saturday brought out myriad sports cars to Laguna Seca raceway, a multi-day event that could easily keep you busy for the entirety of Car Week. Replete with vintage racers from across the horsepower spectrum, the Historics as they're known are nothing less than a time machine to another era. And let's face it, seeing cars of all vintages dive down that famous Corkscrew Curve is something not easily forgotten (when you're in a car heading for that turn, you're instructed not to aim for an apex, but rather a tree on the opposite hill, so steep is the quick descent). AdvertisementAdvertisementThis year, the Historics paid particular tribute to the Japanese race cars of the 80s and 90s (think: those indelible racing Nissan GTP cars with enough downforce to race upside down in a tunnel) that made racing legends like Porsche and Mercedes-Benz sit up and take notice. That theme actually continued on Sunday, as a dozen or so such cars took pride of place on the 18th fairway along a placid bay. That display represented a distinct break from a notably retro-focused tradition, perhaps a hint of things to come as the chairmanship of the Concours d'Elegance passes from longterm steward Sandra Button to incoming chair, Vince Finaldi. While the event still has plenty of machines from 100 years ago to thrill an older audience, it remains to be seen if Finaldi will feel forced to modernize the focus of the event in order to attract younger car enthusiasts for whom a 1980s Ferrari represent a historic vehicle. Time will tell.For this year, however, those issues were not front and center. What were, were some 200-plus cars from more than 30 states and around 20 countries. In fact, one senses that every massive car transporter in the nation was likely here in the Monterey area this week. And what cars there were. Where to begin. Well, how about an assortment of classic Ferraris that confounded processing. Let's start with a vintage Fiat-built Ferrari race car transporter that was carrying about $50 million in machinery on top between a 250 GTO and a Testa Rossa. Crazy. Or the three Alfa Romeo BAT cars, pure exercises in aerodynamic perfection that have coefficients of drag that any modern supercar would envy. Or the absolutely crazy 1000-hp Sunbeam that was the first car in the world to hit 200-hp, in 1927 no less. It was just recently restored so it could be fired up here at Pebble, rendering a few folks instantly deaf. The point is simply that whatever you happen to like was likely on display. Rolls-Royces fit for royalty, Maseratis destined for movie stars, or Duesenbergs that defied logic. Like the 1933 Model SJ Rollston Arlington Torpedo Sedan on display, better known as the Twenty Grand car, as that's what it cost in 1933, a crushing time in America when a new car typically cost $400. As one docent put it simply: "Pebble Beach is really just the best car museum in the world that's open for just one day."AdvertisementAdvertisementSo well said. And to that end, my own personal choice for best in show. It's an emotional one, as the car in question, while sleek and menacing in black, isn't something that might stop most attendees in their tracks. And indeed when I wandered by, a man who was clearly its proud caretaker was busy on an important call. No one was paying him particular mind. But there she was, a Jaguar XK120 ready for the races. The rear driver's side wheel had a few markings on it etched in white chalk. One just said "Hill." Not far away stood a tall if faded trophy. This is the car that arguably started all the hoopla here on the Monterey Peninsula. The year was 1950, and a young man from Southern California who was keen to restore cars for a living but also knew his way around a race course decided to enter that year's inaugural races through the thick Del Monte Forest. Phil Hill won that race, and helped popularize a post-race picnic judging of the nicest cars on the track. And so, The Concours d'Elegance was born. Hill would of course go on to glory on race track around the world, often for Ferrari, and became in 1961 the first American Formula One champion. And the little car judging party he helped ignite is still going strong 75 years later. Long may it run. This story was originally published by Autoblog on Aug 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the Cars section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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