66th annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2016
Posted: 02.06.2016
Source: Pebble Beach Company
Event Information:
| Date and Time: | August 21 Dawn – Field opens to entrants 8:30 am – Judging commences 10:30 am – Field opens to spectators 1:30 pm – 5:00 pm – Awards are presented |
| Location: | The Lodge at Pebble Beach |
| Website: | 66th annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance |
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance to Include Giotto Bizzarrini’s First Automobile
The Car Will Be Among Several Bizzarrinis Featured
Posted: 28.06.2016
Source: Pebble Beach Company
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (June 28, 2016) — The very first car made by Giotto Bizzarrini when he was a mechanical engineering student at the University of Pisa will be among the many Bizzarrini automobiles featured at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance this coming August.
Bizzarrini built the car, nicknamed The Macchinetta, in the year 1953, and it was the foundation for the start of his career. Based on a Fiat 500 Topolino chassis and drive train, it had an aluminum body formed over a lightweight steel frame. Despite the fact that the engine had a capacity slightly smaller than that of a standard Fiat 500 unit, Bizzarrini was able to fit a SIATA high performance cylinder head with twin carburetors, boosting its output to around 30 bhp. Bizzarrini also integrated The Macchinetta into his graduation thesis, a piece that was highly commended by all of his professors.
Bizzarrini later drove The Macchinetta to a job interview at Ferrari, and once Enzo Ferrari saw it, Bizzarrini was hired without hesitation. He went on to develop some of the most-loved Ferraris in the world today. The list includes the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, the Ferrari 250 GT SWB and the Ferrari 250 GTO. He also designed the Lamborghini V-12 engine and worked with Alfa Romeo, Iso and American Motors.
The automobiles to be featured at the forthcoming Pebble Beach Concours are those that Bizzarrini built under his own name, such as the Bizzarrini P538 Barchetta, the 1900GT Europa and the rare 5300 Spyders. The Macchinetta was restored and shown at a small collection of European events, but this is the first time it will appear in the United States.
“Although Giotto Bizzarrini was a remarkable engineer,” said Ken Gross, the Selection Committee Member who helped assemble the class, “he wasn’t afraid to choose Chevrolet Corvette V-8 power for his own cars.” Author Winston Goodfellow quoted Bizzarrini as saying, “The first time I tried one, I was shocked. It was superior to Ferrari’s engines, offering the same power with immediate throttle response.”
Pebble Beach Automotive Week begins on Wednesday, August 17 and includes car debuts, the Tour d’Elegance, the Classic Car Forum speaker series and RetroAut
Posters Revealed for Pebble Beach Automotive Week
Artist Realizes Lifelong Dream in Bringing Ford GT40s to Life
Posted: 09.06.2016
Source: Pebble Beach Company
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (June 9, 2016) — In 1965, as a young designer fresh out of Art Center College of Design, Ken Eberts went to work for Ford Motor Company, helping to design cars like the Ford Econoline, the Ford Falcon, and the Ford Galaxie. But it was the Ford GT40 that Ken dreamed of styling.
“At the time I was a 21-year-old beginning designer,” said Eberts. “Virtually every young designer I knew thought the ultimate assignment was to design a sports car. The icing on the cake was that this Ford was to challenge Ferrari at the 24 Heures du Mans.”
That dream was unfulfilled in 1968 when Ken left Ford to focus on fine art, eventually founding the prestigious Automotive Fine Arts Society (AFAS). But this spring, nearly five decades later, Ken finally got his chance to paint the famous sports car when he was asked by Edsel Ford and commissioned by Concours Chairman Sandra Button to create the main event poster for the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance—which features the Ford GT40s that finished 1-2-3 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.
“While I didn’t actually work on the design of that American icon at Ford, I am honored to be doing this painting of the three Le Mans winning GT40s now,” said Eberts, who has produced approximately 1,300 automotive fine art paintings in his lifetime.
Barry Rowe, another member of the AFAS, has created the poster for the 2016 Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance presented by Rolex. The Tour poster features the BMW 507 once owned by the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley.
“In my teens I collected car brochures, and I remember drawing the 507, with its beautiful modern lines, in my sketchbook,” said Rowe. “It’s amazing that I have now painted a poster featuring the BMW 507 on the Pebble Beach Tour!”
The 2016 Pebble Beach RetroAuto poster was painted by respected artist Tim Layzell, whose creations have also gained worldwide recognition. This poster features the elegant stylings of Chapron-bodied Delahayes of the Classic era.
“I paint this style in block color so there is no shading, to give a clean poster finish,” said Layzell. “These Delahayes have such beautiful lines and also such stunning color schemes, which work well with my style. Hopefully I’ve captured the elegance of it!”
The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will take place on August 21, 2016. For more information on all the events of Pebble Beach Automotive Week please visit pebblebeachconcours.net
Victorious Ford GT40s Head to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance this August
Every Major Race-Winning Car is Expected to Be in Attendance
Posted: 01.06.2016
Source: Pebble Beach Company
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (June 1, 2016) — The formal invitations have been sent out and received—and the owners of every Ford GT40 that won a major international race have agreed to send their cars to one scenic swath of green this summer—the 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Fifty years back, GT40 Mk IIs finished 1-2-3 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, snapping a six-year winning streak by Ferrari and recording the first win by an American constructor. Ford’s Ferrari beaters went on to win again at Le Mans in 1967, ’68 and ’69, and they also recorded a host of victories at other venues—at Daytona, Watkins Glen and Sebring; at Rheims and Montlhéry; at Silverstone and Snetterton; at Spa; at Monza; at Kyalami; at the Nürburgring and Zeltweg.
All of the GT40s that won these races are headed to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance this August.
“We’re honored—and thrilled—to be able to unite all of these historic champions,” said Concours Chairman Sandra Button. “This is an unprecedented gathering—one that has excited every member of our Selection Committee and one that promises to make history in its own right.”
Many of the racing greats who drove these cars to victory will also be on hand; Chris Amon, Dan Gurney, Jacky Ickx, David Hobbs, Brian Redman, and Sir Jackie Stewart are all hoping to attend.
“Fifty years have scarcely dimmed the momentous achievement of the designers, mechanics and drivers who swept the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans for Ford,” stated Edsel B. Ford II, board member of Ford Motor Company. “I attended that race with my father, and the thrill of that day remains vivid in my mind. This is but one among the many victories from that golden era that will be celebrated by the historic gathering of cars and drivers that the Pebble Beach Concours is bringing together this August. I am looking forward to the event with great anticipation!”
For more information on the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, or to purchase tickets, go to www.pebblebeachconcours.net.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
First conducted in 1950, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® (www.pebblebeachconcours.net) has grown to be the world’s premier celebration of the automobile. Only the most beautiful and historic cars are invited to appear on the famed 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links®, and connoisseurs of art and style gather to admire these masterpieces. Charitable donations raised by Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® now total over $21 million. Related events include Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance® presented by Rolex, Pebble Beach RetroAuto™, Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum™, and Pebble Beach® Auctions presented by Gooding & Company. Pebble Beach®, Pebble Beach Golf Links®, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance®, Pebble Beach RetroAuto™ and Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum™, Pebble Beach® Automotive Week are trademarks, service marks and trade dress of Pebble Beach Company. All rights reserved.
About Pebble Beach Company
Pebble Beach Company, headquartered in Pebble Beach, Calif., owns and operates the world-famous Pebble Beach Resorts®, including The Lodge at Pebble Beach™, The Inn at Spanish Bay™ and Casa Palmero®. The company also operates four renowned golf courses: Pebble Beach Golf Links®, Spyglass Hill® Golf Course, The Links at Spanish Bay™ and Del Monte™ Golf Course. Its other famed properties include scenic 17-Mile Drive®, The Spa at Pebble Beach™, Pebble Beach Golf Academy™ and Pebble Beach® Equestrian Center. It annually hosts premier events such as the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, TaylorMade Pebble Beach Invitational presented by EMC2, Pebble Beach Food & Wine and Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach. Future site of the 2019 U.S. Open Championship, Pebble Beach Golf Links® has hosted five U.S. Opens, four U.S. Amateurs, one PGA Championship and numerous other tournaments. For reservations or more information please call (800) 654-9300 or visit www.pebblebeach.com.