The most famous of all Monterey Car Week events is the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance. It’s hosted on the final day of Car Week and it’s easily the most prestigious, fascinating, snootiest, and potentially interesting event off the entire week. The richest of the rich show up with their priceless, timeless classics that have either been perfectly restored, down to the last period-correct nut and bolt, or are completely original time capsules. It’s a magical, ridiculous event that’s both awe-inspiring and sometimes cringe-inducing.
Whenever obnoxiously rich people gather to show off how rich they are, there’s always a bit of cringe. For many car owners at Pebble Beach, they’re showing off cars as an extension of their egos, rather than actually taking great pride in the car. However, that’s not fair to say for all people at Pebble, as many are genuine enthusiasts who’ve taken great care to present gorgeous, incredible rare cars because they’re passionate about the actual cars themselves. But that’s what makes Pebble so much fun; it’s equally as amazing as it is amusing.
One thing’s guaranteed, though — you’re bound to see cars you’ll never see again. This photo gallery below shows off some insanely rare, incredibly special, and obnoxiously expensive cars. Some are ultra-unique, coach built classics from the ’20s and ’30s, some are race cars from the ’40s and ’50s, and some are cars you’ve never even heard of. I’ll never forget seeing a 1904 Mercedes Simplex 28/32 Tonneau, which looked like it had left the factory floor minutes before landing at Pebble Beach. It even had acetylene carbide headlights, which was the first time I’d seen that in person.
Those are the sorts of cars you’ll find in this photo gallery and it will likely have cars you’ve never seen. If you’re a nerd like me, those cars lead to several google searches and hours of deep dives on historic old cars.
