The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 2024

What is the Pebble Beach Concours Car Show?

There’s an argument that the inaugural Pebble Beach Concours Car Show of 1950 rewrote the entire concours concept. Unlike earlier events in Europe, which had showcased new models, this event on the US West Coast placed the focus on dream-spec collectibles, while inviting along racing legends, holding credible driving events – and hosting it all on the 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links, with the Pacific Ocean as the twinkling backdrop.

In modern times, as the grand finale of the equally splendid Monterey Car Week, Pebble Beach is probably the world’s most respected classic car collector competition. Here’s what you can expect to see and do if you make the trip to America in 2024. 

Pebble Beach Concours Car Show 2024 highlights

Stroll onto the Pebble Beach fairway on 18th August and you’ll find some of the most fabled vehicles anywhere in the world. Each year, event organisers gently flavour the field with themed classes and the 2024 Concours d’Elegance is no exception. With no fewer than four Packards having previously won Best Of Show – and the marque toasting its 125th anniversary – there will be storied Speedsters and more on display from the brand that many consider the ultimate in American luxury.

Meanwhile, for a distinct Italian flavour, Pebble 2024 will welcome some of the greatest creations from Maserati’s near-century of visionary production, while tipping a hat to the undulations and squared edges of Pietro Frua’s iconic coachbuilding. Looking forward as well as back, you’ll also find some of history’s great curveballs with a class celebrating one-off wedge concept cars, alongside a category saluting the BPR and FIA GT racers that made our hearts beat a little faster in the ’90s.

The green ribbon of excellence

While inspecting the show field on Concours Sunday, keep an eye out for Pebble’s distinctive green ribbons proudly pinned to select windshields. It’s a tradition that dates back to 1998, when Pebble co-chairmen Lorin Tryon and Jules J Heumann introduced a new rule to deflect the criticism that concours cars were too pampered to actually be driven: if a vehicle proved its mettle by participating in the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance, it earned the right to wear the rosette (and would also have an advantage if tied with a non-ribbon wearer in competition).    

In each class at Pebble, a team of expert judges weigh up the vehicles’ authenticity, beauty, technical excellence and provenance, alongside the quality of any restoration work. From there, the winner of each class advances to compete for the most coveted prize of all. Last year, the Best Of Show title was rightly claimed by a 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster first owned by the Shah of Afghanistan (one of just three surviving examples in the world). It’s a high bar, but somehow Pebble always manages to rise to the occasion.

Also, an exclusive element this year, Land Rover are putting on a unique dispay of 10 vehicles of HM Queen Elizabeth II. This is the first time this has been done outside the UK as a tribute to the late Queen and it will be accompanied by a British Garden Party.

Must-sees and must-dos at Pebble Beach 2024

You’ll come for the concours, but there’s far more going on at the Pebble Beach Concours Car Show if you arrive a few days earlier. Visit the RetroAuto in the Concours Village for the rarest collectibles and memorabilia. Drop in on the Classic Car Forum to hear the industry’s thought leaders take the pulse of the sector. You could enter the Motoring Classic that will see you purr along the perimeter of the Pacific Northwest Coast, ocean breeze in your hair – or pick up a dream machine at the Pebble Beach auctions.   

But just as important to the Pebble Beach experience is the social side. We’d certainly recommend gathering friends and reserving a place for the Concours Sunday Gourmet Picnic, which lets you enjoy a gourmet al fresco meal in the heart of the fairway. Meanwhile, keep an ear to the ground for the parties that fizz to life each night: there’s no telling who you’ll get talking to if you pop a bottle of Moët in the Concours Village, or frequent the most popular spots including the Stillwater Bar & Grill, The Gallery Café, The Bench, The Tap Room, The Terrace Lounge and Club D’Elegance.

Pebble Beach Concours Car Show at a glance

• When is Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance 2024? The event takes place on Sunday 18th August 2024 as the highlight of the Pebble Beach Automotive Week.
• Where is Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance? This annual automotive event is held on the Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, on the Monterey Peninsula in California, USA.
• How much are tickets to the Pebble Beach Concours Car Show? General Admission tickets start at $495, with various tiers from Club D’Elegance tickets at $1100 all the way up to the Chairman’s Hospitality tickets for $4500.

Classic car storage where passion meets expertise

Pebble Beach Concours Car Show 2024 isn’t the only place to spot the world’s greatest automobiles. Windrush’s classic car storage in London and the Cotswolds welcomes cherished vehicles of every model, marque and vintage. At our classic car storage facilities we offer a made-to-measure maintenance schedule that means each car – and customer –  receives the VIP treatment, every day of the year.

For classic car storage in London and the Cotswolds, contact the Windrush team.

Images supplied by Pebble Beach Company