Photos by Vijay Sankar; press release info from Pebble Beach Concours
For the first time in the history of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Best of Show was awarded to a preservation car—a Bugatti Type 59.
This year, 214 cars from 16 countries and 29 states pulled onto the competition field, and the car named Best of Show was a 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports presented by Fritz Burkard of The Pearl Collection in Zug, Switzerland. The ‘Wedge Cars’ category was a favorite among the attendees this year, and garnered entries from around the world. Casa Ferrari featured its usual display of historically significant Ferrari road and race cars, which garnered huge acclaim as usual. Three 250 GTOs and 24 Hours of Le Mans prototypes from the 60s headlined the display.
Concours Chairman Sandra Button noted, “This storied Bugatti, the first Type 59 built, is a rare factory race car that recorded multiple Grand Prix victories at the hands of several important racing greats—and it also has ties to royalty. Perhaps most importantly, it wears all of its history to this day, having been preserved in the livery it was given when redressed by King Leopold of Belgium.”
Thrilled owner Fritz Burkard exclaimed, “I’m so happy for the car, so happy for Bugatti. This car is incredible. It’s so much history—one of the most successful Bugattis in history—and to win with this car means a lot to me. First time a Swiss, first time a European wins, first time a preservation wins. It’s important that preservation also gets recognition, because a car can only be once original. And it drives so beautifully.”
Preservation cars have appeared on our show field for decades, and we have hosted formal classes for them since 2001.
With this win, Bugatti and Mercedes-Benz are tied for the most Best of Show awards at Pebble Beach: ten wins each.
This year’s race for Best of Show featured other strong contenders, including the 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Saoutchik Fastback Coupé presented by Robert Kudela of Chropyně in the Czech Republic; the 1934 Packard 1108 Twelve LeBaron Sport Phaeton presented by Harry Yeaggy of Cincinnati, Ohio; and, perhaps most surprisingly, the 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero Bertone Coupe, which was presented by Phillip Sarofim of Beverly Hills, California, in our history-making display of Wedge concepts and prototypes.
The competition got underway on Thursday when the majority of Concours entries participated in the 26th Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance, which traces about 70 miles of scenic coastal roads. Entries that complete the Tour have the advantage if they tie in the Concours class competition.
Gooding & Company, the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance for the 20th year, hosted its largest auction to date, grossing over $105 million in sales. The top lot of the Pebble Beach Auctions was the award-winning, highly desirable 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider, which sold for $14,030,000.