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MOTORSPORTS
Pebble Beach
Concourse d’Elegance
T
he central event of the Monterey Classic Car Week is
the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, arguably the
most prestigious classic car competition in the world.
Held on the 18th fairway of one of golf’s most breathtaking holes, nestled along a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean,
it is the gathering point of the crème de la crème of vintage and
collectible automobiles. Rolex is a main sponsor of the Concours
d’Elegance, a natural fit given the rather obvious synergies between
collectible cars and collectible watches.
Winners at each Pebble Beach Concours are chosen from
among a range of classes, with a handful of cars nominated for the
most prestigious award, Best of Show. This year, those nominees
were a 1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Kellner Torpedo Phaeton
owned by Doug Magee Jr. of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire; a 1937
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WRISTWATCH | 2016
Delahaye 145 Franay Cabriolet owned by Sam & Emily Mann, of
Englewood, New Jersey; and a 1953 Abarth 1100 Sport Ghia Coupé
owned by Grant Kinzel of Calgary Alberta. The winner, however, was a masterfully restored 1924 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A F.
R amseier & Cie Worblaufen Cabriolet owned by Jim Patterson/The
Patterson Collection, of Louisville, Kentucky.
We were privileged to have Rolex ambassador and Formula 1
Champion Sir Jackie Stewart lead a tour of the cars assembled for
the competition, which included a fleet of Shelby Mustangs outfitted
in white and blue racing livery, Mercedes racecars from the 1930s
and beyond, and the very car driven by James Dean in the classic
film Rebel Without A Cause.