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Monterey 2010: A century of Indianapolis 500 entrants féted at Pebble

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Racing

Indianapolis 500 100th Anniversary at Pebble Beach

Indianapolis 500 100th Anniversary at Pebble Beach – Click above for high-res image gallery

The 95th running of the Indianapolis 500 this May represented the 100th Anniversary of “The Greatest Spectacle In Racing.” The unbroken streak halted a total of five years during our involvement with the two World Wars. It’s hard to believe we’ve had this legendary race for that long, but the centennial was certainly deserving of recognition – and although perhaps a bit incongruous to some, it was celebrated in grand style at no less than the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. As America’s premier race, why not have America’s – and perhaps the world’s – premier classic car event host the festivities?

A large class of past Indy winners and notable contenders gathered in Pebble Beach on Sunday. Take a look at our gallery and you will see most, if not all, of the entrants – many on rare special loan from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum:

1911 Marmon “Wasp”
1920 Peugeot 3 Litre
1928 Miller “Front Drive Special”
1934 Ringling & Henning “Wonder Bread Special”
1938 Maserati 8CTF “Boyle Valve Special”
1950 Kurtis “Cummins Diesel Special”
1953 Kurtis Kraft KK 500B “Bardahl Special” B
1961 Cooper T51 “Kimberly Cooper-Climax Special”
1961 Watson “Bowes Seal Fast Special”
1965 Lotus 38 “Powered by Ford”
1972 McLaren “Sunoco Special”

Some incredible cars with the strongest of pedigrees are in there, and the best part of this class was seeing how much things have changed while some things seem to stay the same despite the era. Take a look at the gallery below and see the evolution of Indy race cars over a century.

Gallery: Indianapolis 500 100th Anniversary at Pebble Beach

1972 McLaren 1961 Watson

Monterey 2010: A century of Indianapolis 500 entrants féted at Pebble originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monterey 2010: Ferrari 250 GT SWB lovefest at Pebble

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Coupe, Misc. Auto Shows, Ferrari

Ferrari 250 GT Scaglietti SWB Gathering at Pebble Beach – Click above for high-res image gallery

Although most Ferrari modelsare highly coveted, the 250 GT Short Wheelbase Berlinetta is one of those cars that sportscar enthusiasts dream of even catching a glimpse of someday. Well, “someday” was Sunday at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance for those who attended. And not only did they get the chance to see a 250 GT SWB up close and personal, but there were eight of them on hand so everyone could share. How clever.

As the historians among you will know, Ferrari had been building street and race cars since 1947, and through the ’50s they also made some of the most exquisite dual-purpose cars of all time as well – cars that could be driven to track then raced there. In the late ’50s, the best known of these was Ferrari’s 250 GT Long Wheelbase Berlinetta – a.k.a. the “Tour de France.” At the Paris Auto Show in 1959, its replacement was shown for the first time – the 250 GT Passo Corto, or Short Wheelbase Berlinetta. As its name suggested, it rode on a shorter wheelbase than the TdF, but also had other significant changes.

The engine was a classic 3.0-liter Ferrari V-12, producing between 240 and 280 horsepower. Less than 160 SWBs were built from 1959-1962, no two exactly alike. There were “Lusso” versions with a steel body, a full interior, door panels, sound deadening materials and wind-up windows. There were also light alloy cars with smaller diameter tube frames, no sound deadening, sliding Plexiglas windows and race-ready high-compression engines. These were for people who definitely wanted to track their car,s and although faster than the Lusso editions, they didn’t quite match the ultimate SWBs – the Comp/61 or “SEFAC Hot Rods.”

The SEFAC cars had the alloy body but also some subtle changes like a more laid-back windshield. They also used the highest spec, with almost 300 horsepower. So-equipped, they could run 0-60 mph in five seconds and had a top speed over 150 mph. Ferrari only built 21 of these Comp/61s and four of them were in the mix at Pebble this year. What a treat.

Although ruggedly handsome, with an aggressive stance and tight proportions, the appeal of the SWB goes further. The SWB is forever coupled with that time in racing history when the Italians started to feel the pressure from a new foe – The Americans…and one particular Texas chicken rancher/racer who was helping Ford take down the Maranello firm. The threat posed by the Shelby Cobra was countered by another evolution of the dual-purpose Ferrari sports racer – the legendary 250 GTO.

Gallery: Ferrari 250 GT Scaglietti SWB Gathering at Pebble Beach

Monterey 2010: Ferrari 250 GT SWB lovefest at Pebble originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monterey 2010: Pebble Beach honors Alfa Romeo on its 100th birthday

Filed under: Car Buying, Concept Cars, Motorsports, Classics, Misc. Auto Shows, Alfa Romeo

A Century of Alfa Romeos at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance – Click above for our high-res image gallery

It might be hard to believe, but Alfa Romeo is a century old. Check that – A.L.F.A. (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili, or Lombardy Car Manufacturing Company) is 100, having been established in 1910. That was the year that a group of Milanese enthusiasts decided they could build cars better than the stuff they were getting from foreign automakers. ALFA wasn’t very successful at first – at least not financially – but during World War I, the company was taken over by a young engineer, Nicola Romeo, and the rest, as they say, is history. 100 years later, we have some of the most incredible and memorable sports and racing cars of all time wearing the cross-and-serpent or the Quadrifoglio.

At the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Sunday, the automaker received a warm welcome, with two dozen or so of their most significant models on hand for the festivities – many from the factory museum. Those 24 cars represented just a small sample of the sports and racing cars that made the company famous – everything from one of their first 1910 A.L.F.A. 24-hp Torpedo model, to the bio-mechanical 2010 Alfa Romeo Pandion Bertone Coupé.

It was a great gathering of incredible cars to honor this legendary automaker as it enters its second century, a century that will thankfully see its return to the United States market. It’s hard to say if today’s models will stand the test of time like the classics gathered at Pebble, but we think that the 8C Competizione will look sensational out there on the 18th fairway in 40 years, just like it does today.

Gallery: Alfa Romeo 100th Anniversary at Pebble Beach

1931 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Zagato Spider 1934 Alfa Romeo Tipo B P3 Aerodinamica 1931 Alfa Romeo Tipo A Grand Prix

Monterey 2010: Pebble Beach honors Alfa Romeo on its 100th birthday originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monterey 2010: Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion puts vintage racers back on track

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Racing

2010 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

2010 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion – Click above for high-res image gallery

This year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion was actually the first one ever run, as there was a name change to go along with last year’s change in management. The former Historics are now the Reunion, but name change aside, the event was still the same old week of wheel-to-wheel racing action. Now we know that you can see that kind of action on any given Saturday or Sunday, but the players are usually much, much newer.

Classic and vintage race cars from every era of motorsports are what make this such a wonderful event. There are literally hundreds of your favorite old race cars running in the nearly twenty classes of racing action. Legendary race cars like Ferrari SWBs and Lotus 23s, Porsche 962s and Trans Am Mustangs, Cobras and Vettes as well as F1 cars, Can-Am racers, NASCAR, Indy cars, and so on and so on. The classes take you from the under 1500 cc Minis up to the 1,000-horsepower 917Ks, with almost everything imaginable in between.

We were out there for hours and hours watching, listening to, feeling, smelling and enjoying these vintage racers, and we’ve assembled a sizable gallery to help convey what that was like. Click any image below to see our massive high-res gallery.

Gallery: 2010 Monterey Motorsports Reunion

Monterey 2010: Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion puts vintage racers back on track originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Porsche 918 Spyder moves under its own power in Monterey [w/videos]

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hybrid, Performance, Videos, Porsche

Porsche 918 Spyder Concept

Porsche 918 Spyder Concept at Pebble Beach – Click above for high-res image gallery

While we’ve heard rumblings that Porsche was going to show its hot new 918 Spyder Hybrid Concept here at Pebble Beach, it appeared that the car was only going to be shown to a select few at private events scattered around the Monterey Peninsula during the week.

Well, today at the Pebble Beach Lodge, site of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the company surprised us by driving the hybrid supercar up to the concept lawn for all to see – and hear. They did a quick turn around after sitting still for a second and as the V8 rumble died away, the car started moving forward again. A couple of people were taken by surprise as they thought the driver may have forgotten to engage the parking brake, but no, the car had switched over to battery power.

We shot a little video and took a few pics as we pushed through the massive scrum surrounding the car when it finally came to rest. Follow the jump to see the video and click below to see our high-res images.

UPDATE: Porsche has revealed that the 918 Spyder actually made its driving debut a couple days earlier on a closed road in Monterey. The company kept the drive a secret, though produced a nice video of their own that really shows off how the car sounds under its own power. Added after the jump.

Gallery: Monterey 2010: Porsche 918 Spyder at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

Porsche 918 Spyder concept in Monterey

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Porsche 918 Spyder moves under its own power in Monterey [w/videos] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monterey 2010: Concours d’LeMons brings oil leaks and levity

Filed under: Etc.

2010 Concours d’Lemons – Click above for high-res image gallery

Monterey’s main event – the Concours d’Elegance – is underway on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach, but before the winner takes to the podium, here’s what the rest of us poor, oil-soaked wretches can related to.

The second annual Concours d’LeMons played host to the tired, huddled masses at the Toro Regional Park, with a random assortment of French, German, Japanese and American iron that will never grace the surgically manicured lawn behind The Lodge.

We started off watching a shortened VW van doing wheelies and stoppies in the parking lot, then took in the sights and smells of a rotary-powered Beetle, an Opel GT coated in Compuware ‘Vette livery, a 1948 Davis Divan, a few Pacers, a 2CV, a Gulfed Datsun 1600 and, yes, an Aztek, complete with full camping gear.

Get an eyeful in the gallery below and stay tuned for the real winner of Monterey… soon.

Gallery: Monterey 2010: Second Annual Concours d’Lemons

Rotary-powered Volkswagen Beetle Opel GT in Compuware 'Vette livery

Monterey 2010: Concours d’LeMons brings oil leaks and levity originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monterey 2010: Bentley unveils pair of limited edition Continental GTC models

Filed under: Bentley, Design/Style, Luxury

2011 Bentley Continental GTC Speed 80-11 Edition – Click above for high-res image gallery

Pebble Beach is fast becoming one of the best places for new car debuts. Besides seeing the McLaren MP4-12C, Fiorvanti SP1, Perana Z-One, Morgan EvaGT, Jaguar XK175, Jaguar XJ75 Platinum, Boss 302 Mustang, Veyron Super Sport, Lotus Exos T125, Lotus Evora GT4 Cup, and so on and so on, we just got to see the new Bentley Continental GTC and GTC Speed 80-11 Editions. These 80-11 models, designed exclusively for the North American market, will be limited to just 80 units each. The “11” in the title refers to 2011, the model year of these specials.

These are basically trim packages, adding things like 20-inch, 14-spoke polished wheels, and red calipers on the Speed, but they at least look tasteful. While the 80-11 Editions will be available in any Bentley color, they’ve introduced a new color – Midnight – that will be exclusive to these models.

If the wheels or special color don’t tip you off to the special nature of these vehicles, you might be able to spot them by their little Union Jack badges on the front fenders. Check out the full press release after the jump for more details and be sure to peruse our gallery as well.

Gallery: Monterey 2010: Bentley Continental GTC Speed 80-11 Edition

2011 Bentley Continental GTC Speed 80-11 Edition

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Monterey 2010: Bentley unveils pair of limited edition Continental GTC models originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monterey 2010: Dan Gurney honored at 2010 Motorsports Reunion

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Celebrities

Dan Gurney tribute

Dan Gurney Tribute at the 2010 Monterey Motorsports Reunion – Click above for high-res image gallery

Dan Gurney is one of America’s most accomplished motorsports personalities. Drawn together for this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion were a couple dozen examples of the cars that helped transforme Gurney into a living legend. Dan got behind the wheel of over 50 different types of cars during his 312-race driving career. His All American Racers (AAR) team was responsible for creating and campaigning some 157 more race cars piloted by 66 different drivers over a period of about 35 years. Gurney’s touch was felt in Formula 1, sports cars, NASCAR, Indy, Trans Am, Can-Am, Formula Ford and Formula 5000.

Click through the gallery and you’ll see cars like the dark blue Eagle Gurney-Weslake V-12, which is regarded as one of the most beautiful Grand Prix cars ever built. The Henry Ford Museum also shipped out the same red Ford GT40 Mk IV that Gurney and A.J. Foyt drove to victory in the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans. That win marks only All-American victory in the legendary 24-hour enduro’s storied history. When Gurney took to the winner’s podium after the race, he spontaneously shook his congratulatory magnum of champagne and used it to spray everybody within range. That victory celebration has been copied by countless racers ever since.

Other highlights from the gallery include some of the Eagles that played major roles at Indianapolis in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the Toyota GTP Eagles that defined that era of IMSA Sports car racing. There’s also his Formula 1 Porsche; his game-changing, rear-engined Indy 500 Lotus-Ford; the 1960 “Birdcage” Maserati that he and Stirling Moss drove to victory in a rainy and fog-shrouded Nürburgring 1000 km race; his 1963 NASCAR Riverside 500 winner; the Can-Am “McLeagle” and a 1970 Trans Am series AAR ‘Cuda just to name a few. Click any image below to see the whole gallery, and be sure to check out the rest of our ongoing Monterey 2010 coverage.

Gallery: Dan Gurney Tribute at the 2010 Monterey Motorsports Reunion

Monterey 2010: Dan Gurney honored at 2010 Motorsports Reunion originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monterey 2010: RM auction stacked with million dollar cars

Filed under: Classics, Auctions

RM Auction during Monterey car week

2010 RM Monterey Auction – Click above for high-res image gallery

RM Auctions always reserves its most prestigious cars for Saturday night during the Monterey car week, and this year’s lineup of vehicles was one of the most impressive in recent history. No less than 14 cars broke the million dollar mark, although the highlight of the auction, a 1958 Ferrari 250 TR, failed to meet its reserve price despite a $10.7 million offer on the table. Here’s a rundown of the million dollar cars at the auction:

Lot 359: 1938 Talbot-Lago T150-C Lago Speciale Teardrop Coupe – $4,620,000
Lot 351: 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Berlinetta – $4,620,000
Lot 353: 1949 Delahaye Type 175 S Roadster by Saoutchik – $3,300,000
Lot 360: 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder – $2,612,500
Lot 347: 1955 Jaguar D-Type – $2,090,000
Lot 365: 2007 Ferrari FXX Evoluzione – $1,925,000
Lot 335: 1959 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Series III Coupe – $1,760,000
Lot 345: 1933 Packard Twelve Coupe – $1,622,500
Lot 346: 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Series I Cabriolet – $1,622,500
Lot 342: 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Berlinetta – $1,567,500
Lot 341: 1933 Duesenberg SJ Riviera Phaeton – $1,430,000
Lot 349: 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/6C Alloy Berlinetta – $1,155,000
Lot 339: 1966 Ferrari 500 Superfast – $1,127,500

You can see the highlighted cars from RM’s auction in the high-res gallery below.

Gallery: 2010 RM Monterey Auction

1958 Ferrari 250 TR 1959 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Series III Coupe 1966 Ferrari 500 Superfast

Monterey 2010: RM auction stacked with million dollar cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monterey 2010: Jaguar XJ75 Platinum concept marks 75 years of The Cat [w/Video]

Filed under: Concept Cars, Sedan, Videos, Jaguar, Misc. Auto Shows, Design/Style, Luxury

Jaguar XJ75 Platinum Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery. Follow the jump to watch video.

The Jaguar XKR175 isn’t the only special kitty making its debut out in Monterey. Jag’s new limited-production coupe is joined by the one-off XJ75 Platinum concept created to honor of the brand’s 75th anniversary. Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance attendees will find it parked on the Concept Car Lawn.

Pearlescent white paint provides a stark contrast to the big saloon’s blacked-out grille, D-pillar, and custom 22-inch wheels. Inside, black leather seats get quilted, diamond-stitch suede inserts. The same material also adorns the headliner. Additional glitz comes courtesy of the Bremont Watch Company, which is responsible for the bespoke clock installed in the XJ75’s console.

If the 470-horsepower supercharged 5.0-liter V8 doesn’t provide enough entertainment, the XJ75 Platinum also features a 1,200-watt, 20-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system. Check out both the official photos and live pictures in high-res galleries below or follow the jump for video walkaround by Jaguar design Boss Ian Callum.

Gallery: Monterey 2010: Jaguar XJ75 Platinum Concept

Gallery: Jaguar XJ75 Platinum Concept

Continue reading Monterey 2010: Jaguar XJ75 Platinum concept marks 75 years of The Cat [w/Video]

Monterey 2010: Jaguar XJ75 Platinum concept marks 75 years of The Cat [w/Video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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