I attended Monterey Car Week and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance for the first time in 2001, covering the event for Classic Motorsports magazine. I had been to a lot of smaller events, including regional concours and vintage races, but I really had no idea what the whole Monterey thing was all about. To say I was blown away was an understatement, especially by the sheer scale and quality of the cars at Pebble. I had never experienced anything like this magical event and, even now, having attended it every year since, I am still awestruck.
Over my 23 years in the hobby, I never even dreamed I would have a chance to actually show a car on the lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The event is in the rarefied air of the collector car world: a place where notables such as Ralph Lauren, Jay Leno, and Jerry Seinfeld go to show off the very finest vehicles in their collections. I was resigned to the fact that this was a league out of reach to me as a car enthusiast.
Then, about four years ago, officials at the Maine Classic Car Museum in Arundel asked if I, as the collection’s insurance broker, might be willing to show a car for them and, if so, which concours would I recommend. I felt the Amelia Island Concours would be a good starting point as it is a great event, closer to Maine geographically, less expensive than Monterey Car Week, and a good way to get our feet wet. We showed our 1939 Alfa 6C 2500SS Berlinetta by Touring and came away with Second in Class and the Mille Miglia Award—an amazing result, given it was my first time showing at Amelia. This thrilled the museum’s owner and led not only to me being asked to serve as their collections manager, but also to wins at other concours—including more wins at Amelia Island, a Best of Class win at Greenwich, and a Best of Class win at Misselwood.
As collections manager, I also recommend and acquire cars for the museum. This is a lot of fun, as I get to look at lots of cars and purchase those that are the best fit for the museum. One of these excursions was to Arizona Auction Week in 2023, when my goal was to buy a pair of vehicles at Bonhams: a 1954 Chrysler GS1 by Ghia and a 1957 Chrysler Ghia Super Dart 400 concept car. After strong bidding, with some aggressive close bids on my part, we acquired both cars. The owner of the museum was delighted, and both cars have become favorites of visitors to the museum.
We took the GS1 to Amelia last year and won, but I purposely kept the 1957 Super Dart 400 away from the bigger concours events, instead sending it to Greenwich in 2023, where the car received the Preservation Award.
I took a stab at entering the museum’s Ferrari 166 Inter Cabriolet by Stablimenti Farina at the Pebble Beach Concours in 2024, but we were declined. I totally understood the verdict. Even though it carried the pedigree of being the 16th Ferrari road car built, this was Pebble we were talking about, which seemed just a “bridge too far.”
Fast-forward to December 11, 2024. I received a call from my friend Ken Gross, a motor journalist, concours judge, and museum exhibit curator. He wanted to know if I was able to take the 1957 Super Dart to Pebble Beach. There must have been about 30 seconds of silence on the phone from my end. He asked if he still had me on the phone and I said, “I’m still here.” I told Ken I would love to take the Super Dart to the show and, if the owner disagreed, I would figure out another way.
I called the owner and explained that we had just been asked to show at Pebble, and we needed to answer in the affirmative. He has never been to Monterey Car Week before but, after I explained that Pebble Beach is the “World Series” of concours events in the U.S., he agreed. A few days later, I filled out the online entry form and waited for the outcome, though Ken assured me it would be accepted. About two months later I received the acceptance email from Sandra Button, chairman of the Pebble Beach Concours.
I held back letting people know about showing at Pebble, only telling a few friends, as I knew Pebble wanted to do their own PR first. Finally, last week, a press release went out featuring a period photo of our Super Dart. A few days later I received my Pebble Beach Exhibitor package, and it was at this point that reality sunk in—I was going to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance to present a car. I blew up people’s phones, posted about it on social media, called Sandra Button to thank her, and am now writing this story to document the process.
Will our car win an award? Who knows. To me and most entrants, just being invited to have the opportunity to show at Pebble is a true win in itself. I am both thrilled and nervous, but I know the Super Dart will be well-received by spectators.
Now the work begins. I will be at the Maine Classic Car Museum with my friend Tim McNair for most of next week, getting the vehicle ready for Pebble. While I am a Pebble Beach rookie, the 1957 Chrysler Super Dart 400 by Ghia is a veteran, having been shown on the lawn two other times in the past 30 years.
So, if you have ever thought that showing a car at the Pebble Beach Concours was out of reach, who knows what might happen in the future for you? It is happening to me, and I am beyond amazed and grateful.
I will have an update about our Pebble Beach adventure, the concours prep, and more in the weeks to follow, so stay tuned and wish us luck.
