Carmel, CA (August 16, 2007) -- A driving tour featuring some of the rarest automobiles in the world is the first real event of the Pebble Beach weekend taking place on the Thursday before the main event – the Concours d’Elegance. This sixty-mile rolling art show is a real crowd pleaser. The fact that it's open to all without any charge helps to make it an annual favorite.
The Tour is comprised of entrants for the Concours that elect to drive in the Tour in exchange for extra points in the critical judging on Sunday. The participating drivers and their cars assemble at Pebble Beach around 8:30 a.m., and proceed to drive a set course that winds around 17 Mile Drive, eventually arriving in Carmel between 11:30 a.m. and noon.
The 2007 Tour attracted nearly 100 participants (from a Concours field of 175), who drove over portions of the original 17-Mile Drive, traversed nearby mountains and valleys, stopped in Carmel-by-the-Sea, and then traveled South on Highway One, across Bixby Creek Bridge and into Big Sur.
While in Carmel, the cars parked on Ocean Avenue (the main street) for two hours while the drivers and their privileged passengers enjoyed a pleasant lunch under the trees in the adjacent park.
Promptly at 2:00 pm, the cars begin leaving Carmel for the rest of the trip which eventually takes them back to Pebble Beach for a celebratory champagne toast.
The parade of these fabulous vehicles leaving downtown Carmel is a site not to be missed, and the crowds line the street hoping to snap some photos and applaud their favorites.
“The Tour underscores the fact that these historic vehicles are still meant to be driven. Nearly 10,000 spectators line the Tour route and jam into Carmel to view these spectacular rolling sculptures in action. It’s quite a sight to see a line of vintage Ferraris, Rolls-Royces, Duesenbergs and Aston Martins cruising up and down Highway 1,” said Sandra Kasky Button, Concours Chairman.
The Tour can be habit forming for spectators and participants alike. Stephen F. Brauer and his wife Kimmy have taken part in every Pebble Beach Tour since its inception in 1998, and this year they drove an American-built 1929 Rolls Royce Derby Phaeton. Brauer, a former U.S. ambassador to Belgium, is Chairman and CEO of Hunter Engineering, a privately-held firm that designs, manufactures and sells computer-based automotive equipment worldwide is also a member of the Concours Selection Committee.
“I’ve shown cars as an entrant at Pebble Beach for quite a while,” said Brauer. “Like most collectors, I really enjoy driving my cars, so I was very excited when the Tour was added to Concours Week back in 1998. The Pebble Beach Tour follows a delightfully scenic route along the water and, while I participate in several driving events throughout the year, there’s really no other like Pebble Beach.”
Other frequent Tour participants include four-time Concours winners Sam and Emily Mann. Their entries in 2002 (1934 Voisin C-15 ETS Saliot Roadster) and 2005 (1937 Delage D8-120 S Pourtout Aero Coupé) drove in the Tour and three days later captured “Best of Show” at the Concours.
In addition to the cars, you’re also likely to see automotive icons like famed racecar driver, Sir Stirling Moss, or car loving stars like Jay Leno who’s an annual fixture at Pebble Beach.
While celebrity sightings are always fun, the Tour is really about seeing some of the world’s most beautiful and rare cars that are invited to appear on the famed 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links during the Concours. You’ll run into lots of like-minded connoisseurs of automotive art and style who also flock to see these masterpieces rolling down the road. It’s the way these cars were meant to be seen.
For more information about the Tour and the Concours d’Elegance: www.pebblebeachconcours.net
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