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Jacques Saoutchik | San Francisco Travel Blog

Vintage Mercedes-Benz Wins Best of Show at Concours d’Elegance

By San Francisco Limousine Specialist on October 1, 2012

This year’s Concours d’Elegance auto show in Pebble Beach was a huge success, with top honors going to a 1928 Mercedes-Benz 680S. The Concours is the premier event of the year in the U.S. for serious classic car owners and fans of these superb vintage automobiles. The Mercedes awarded Best of Show at this year’s event is a gray beauty with maroon trim and custom bodywork by Jacques Saoutchik, a famous French coachbuilder. This year’s event drew 220 contestants from 15 countries and 33 states, who must pass very stringent entrance requirements. Other Best of Show nominees included a 1931 Duesenberg J Derham Tourster, a 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Figoni Coupé and a 1935 Duesenberg J Gurney-Nutting Speedster.

The people who attend this annual event pay top dollar for the privilege of witnessing automotive excellence firsthand, as general admission tickets cost $250 each. The event begins at 5 a.m., with the traditional parade of vintage cars onto the 18th fairway of famed golf course Pebble Beach Golf Links. Festivities continued throughout the day, with competitions in many different automotive classes. Later that afternoon, the owner of the winning Mercedes drove through thick smoke from fireworks to claim the top prize. Prize in hand, the owner shared a brief word with the audience about what helped his classic car stand out from the competition.

“It’s the whole package,” he said. “There’s not a bad line on this car. It was the sports car, the high performance car of its era, and then Saoutchik gave it style and grace. It has power and it has beauty.”

While many attendees only spend one day at the Concours, it is actually a weeklong series of events that include shows, tours, vintage car club meetings, races featuring vintage automobiles and one of the most prestigious classic car auctions in the world. This year’s auction set a record of $262 million in sales for 1,217 different lots on the auction block. The average sale price surged to $343,968 this year, up sharply from last year’s average of $233,950. Industry analysts said that the rise in average sales reflected recent trends in the classic car market, and they expect that trend to continue for the foreseeable future.

If you love riding in classic cars but don’t have the means to buy one for yourself, we have great news! Our San Francisco classic car rentals are very affordable and let you enjoy touring the Bay Area for a fraction of the cost of owning one. If you have been thinking about renting a classic car in the Bay Area for an upcoming birthday, anniversary or other special event, just give us a call at NLS Limo at 800-339-8936 to reserve yours today!

Make Plans to Attend This Year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

By San Francisco Limousine Specialist on August 20, 2012

People here in the Bay Area are very familiar with the wealthy and exclusive enclave of Pebble Beach. Nestled on the California coast just south of Monterey, Pebble Beach is home to seven golf courses, including the beautiful and notoriously difficult Pebble Beach Golf Links. However, when classic car enthusiasts like us think of Pebble Beach, we’re not thinking about fairways and putting greens. We’re thinking about the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, one of the world’s best classic car shows.

This annual event occurs on the third Sunday of each August and features the kind of classic cars that make aficionados swoon. This year will mark the 62nd anniversary of this marvelous event, but this show is definitely not designed to attract everyday car enthusiasts. Advance tickets sell for $200, but sticker shock has not been a problem for event organizers, who say that the car show attracted 15,000 people last year. This year, organizers have announced that they will award prizes to the top three cars in at least 20 categories. Winners will then compete for the coveted Best in Show award.

The ticket price alone would tell you that this is no ordinary car show, but to get an idea of how exclusive this annual event truly is, consider the automotive marques (brands to us ordinary collectors) that will be honored at this year’s show:

  • The Mercer automobile, which was manufactured in Trenton, N.J., from 1909 to 1925 and will have 12 entries
  • Eight Fiat automobiles, all manufactured in 1913 or earlier
  • Eleven very rare automobiles designed by Jacques Saoutchik, a Ukrainian-born custom carmaker who crafted automobiles in Paris from 1906 and 1955
  • Nine Shelby Cobras made between 1962 and 1966 by Carroll Shelby, the stuff from which car lovers from a certain era’s dreams are truly woven
  • Ten one-of-a-kind American sports cars built prior to 1968
  • Fifteen custom Rolls-Royce limousines built between 1924 and 1937 that were once owned by Indian Maharajas

In addition to that phenomenal list of vintage automobiles, there will be dozens of other superb antique cars for attendees to see and appreciate.

If you’re thinking about adding that feeling of timeless elegance to an upcoming special event, consider renting one of our San Francisco antique cars. We have a very respectable selection of vintage cars and are always in the market for models we can lovingly restore and add to our collection. Browse the pages of our site to see the Bay Area antique car rentals that are currently available. If you have questions or would like to make a reservation, call us at NLS Limo today at 800-339-8936!

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