Best in show
Fortified by coffee and doughnuts, we watch proud owners wielding last-minute toothbrushes and polishing rags. The immaculate natural scenery provides a spectacular backdrop for the chrome, brass, and steel before us. Launched in 1950, the Concours (pebblebeachconcours.com) has grown over the years into a weeklong celebration of vintage autos.
The serene morning contrasts sharply with the rest of Speed Week, a medley of rallies, showcases, auctions, and parties up and down the stunning Monterey Peninsula during the days leading up to the show. Hotels and restaurants were packed all week, and revelers thronged the streets until well after midnight. The traffic was terrible. But the Mazda RX-8 sports car we drove (lent to us to mark the 40th anniversary of the rotary engine) was equal to the task.
So how could I complain, surrounded by Aston Martins, Shelby Cobras, and so many red Ferraris that they seemed as common as Toyotas? This year’s festivities - like others around the country - were the best attended in the history of the Concours. That’s because collecting old cars has never been more popular. Affluent baby-boomers, now entering retirement age, have the time and means to indulge in such luxe hobbies.
RM Auctions (rmauctions.com), based in Blenheim, Ont., estimates that 40% of its buyers are new customers. What’s more, auto collecting has undergone an image makeover in recent years, thanks to the vogue for classic, affordably priced American muscle cars. Most of us aren’t about to shell out $3.9 million for a 1938 Talbot-Lago, but there’s a much bigger market for a 1965 Mustang coupe priced at $15,500 to $22,000.