Monterey Car Week wrapped up on Sunday with the return of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. A black 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Autobahn Kurrier took top honors at the show, now in its 70th year, held on the golf course overlooking the Pacific Ocean. But it was the electric hypercars and high-performance hybrids, not the historics that stood out this year.
Over the years, the glitz and glam of Pebble Beach has ballooned into a week of activities around racing, displaying, parading and selling cars throughout the picturesque Monterey Peninsula. Last year, car week was canceled. This year, despite ongoing concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Champagne was flowing. When the New York Auto Show was canceled earlier in the month due to concerns over the presence of the delta variant, there was speculation that Pebble would also be canceled. But it snuck through as the de facto show that must go on before the uncertainty of the fall season amid pandemic shutdowns. On the days leading up to the Concours, the streets of Carmel and Monterey were quieter and less busy, and there seemed to be fewer old cars driving around. There were plenty of modern Lamborghinis, Bentleys and Ferraris revving their engines in parking lots. Many guests slipped masks on and off at gatherings, which were mostly held outside, despite misty rain and cool temperatures. By Sunday, the crowds were back in full force for the Concours, which seemed as packed as ever. The main event, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, was once dedicated to restored pre-war classic cars. But as generations and tastes shifted, newer cars were featured on the green. The attendees also seemed younger; high-performance sports cars dominated the scene. A 1995 McLaren F1 was auctioned for a record-breaking $20 million at the Gooding & Company auction on Friday night. Meanwhile, automakers hurriedly pulled together splashy car launches of their limited edition high-dollar supercars for the media and their top customers who milled about at private events. “Pebble Beach is an important pillar,” said Lamborghini CTO Maurizio Reggiani. “Pebble Beach told us what people love in terms of the aesthetic of the car.” Most notably, Audi showed the futuristic Skysphere concept on Wednesday. Mercedes-Benz previewed a new California-style convertible SL on Friday, which won’t be officially revealed until September. Aston Martin showed its Valkyrie and Valhalla models on a generous stand overlooking the golf course at Pebble Beach, but only allowed media and serious, vetted customers a close look at its models. Both Rimac Automobili and Lucid Group showed up at Pebble Beach to connect with potential customers that can afford to invest in the most pricy electric powertrains. Rimac used the podium to debut its blistering fast Nevera sports car. Monterey 2021 seemed to have shifted to where new cars and new player overtook the old on the periphery. After a year of pent-up demand for super luxury cars, it was the perfect setting for showing off all of those pandemic purchases on the race track and roads in and around Monterey and Carmel. As auction prices soared and seven-figure sports car sold out, it became clear that performance car enthusiasm hasn’t waned. The new cars shown at Pebble Beach share much in common: All are pricey, packed with sports car technology and manufactured in low volumes. Here are some of the highlights.