Exotic Car Introductions At Pebble Beach 2008
Amidst the classics at the Monterey Weekend, manufacturers often display some new prototypes and models aimed at "lifestyle" audience of Pebble Beach. This year, visitors could take a look at some Tesla roadsters at Concorso Italiano. At Pebble Beach, could check out the new (and impressive) Hyundai Genesis sedan and coupe, the whole lineup of new Porsche models alongside the first-ever Porsche model, the Cadillac CTS wagon, and others.
Gooding and Company, which has rapidly become the premiere auction during the weekend thanks to David Gooding's apparent eye for detail, wasn't left out of the loop. At an invitation-only preview reception on Friday night, the designers at Pinninfarina introduced their new Rolls Royce Drophead-based Hyperion. Though somewhat dulled by the recent and untimely death of Andrea Pinninfarina, the introduction of this vehicle wowed the well-healed crowd.
Personally, I don't think it's Pinninfarina's best work... what with a room filled with classic Ferraris, Lancias and even a mint Nash-Healey all bodied by the famed Carrozzeri to remind us why Italian designers are held in such high regard. The ungainly Hyperion was more a tribute to unbridled conspicuous consumption than to Italian style. Even though it looked like an enormous BMW Z4 with Rolls Grille tacked on the front, it probably is as good as it gets when starting with the bones of the new Rolls Royce Phantom and Drophead which are just aweful to look at. And I'm not just saying this because I can't afford one, almost nobody can, their styling is effective at giving a big "FU" to the peons in S-Class Mercedes but not in demonstrating Rolls Royce's historic elegance. Some nice photos of the Hyperion can be found here . I couldn't get a clear shot of the car due to the crowd around the stage.
Going a step further, the folks at Bugatti joined the classics on sale at the Gooding and Company auction by offering chassis #1 of the new targa-topped Veyron 16.4 "Grand Sport." High bidder was also invited to join the folks at the factory to help build their car and, I assume, choose the details of their new supercar... perhaps paint color to match their better-half's eyes or interior upholstered in the skins of the exotic species of their choice? While accomodations near the factory were provided, transportation to the location was not... likely assuming that the buyer could provide his or her own plane anyway. Once again, the Veyron shows that money and taste aren't necessarily linked but the car does the job of grabbing attention even if one isn't attaining the reported top speed of 253 mph (with the hard top on).
The final bid on the car was $3,190,000, just slightly lower than the price realized by the fantastic 250 GT LWB California Spider that crossed the block shortly before it. Single-digit fuel economy be damned, if you can afford the car you don't need to worry about the price of fuel. It was a heady atmosphere, what with the finish of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance a few hours earlier and a bidding crowd obviously insulated from the effects of the econonomic downturn.
This was my 14th visit to Pebble Beach and I continue to believe that it's a pilgrimage every car nut must make at least once in his life. It's expensive and crowded (how about $350/night for a room at the Travelodge in Monterey over the weekend, ouch) but nowhere else can one see such an exquisite collection of classic iron... and that's just in the parking lot of Concorso Italiniano or parked on the side of Ocean Avenue in Carmel.
Steve Haas
Stumble It!
Gooding and Company, which has rapidly become the premiere auction during the weekend thanks to David Gooding's apparent eye for detail, wasn't left out of the loop. At an invitation-only preview reception on Friday night, the designers at Pinninfarina introduced their new Rolls Royce Drophead-based Hyperion. Though somewhat dulled by the recent and untimely death of Andrea Pinninfarina, the introduction of this vehicle wowed the well-healed crowd.
Personally, I don't think it's Pinninfarina's best work... what with a room filled with classic Ferraris, Lancias and even a mint Nash-Healey all bodied by the famed Carrozzeri to remind us why Italian designers are held in such high regard. The ungainly Hyperion was more a tribute to unbridled conspicuous consumption than to Italian style. Even though it looked like an enormous BMW Z4 with Rolls Grille tacked on the front, it probably is as good as it gets when starting with the bones of the new Rolls Royce Phantom and Drophead which are just aweful to look at. And I'm not just saying this because I can't afford one, almost nobody can, their styling is effective at giving a big "FU" to the peons in S-Class Mercedes but not in demonstrating Rolls Royce's historic elegance. Some nice photos of the Hyperion can be found here . I couldn't get a clear shot of the car due to the crowd around the stage.
Going a step further, the folks at Bugatti joined the classics on sale at the Gooding and Company auction by offering chassis #1 of the new targa-topped Veyron 16.4 "Grand Sport." High bidder was also invited to join the folks at the factory to help build their car and, I assume, choose the details of their new supercar... perhaps paint color to match their better-half's eyes or interior upholstered in the skins of the exotic species of their choice? While accomodations near the factory were provided, transportation to the location was not... likely assuming that the buyer could provide his or her own plane anyway. Once again, the Veyron shows that money and taste aren't necessarily linked but the car does the job of grabbing attention even if one isn't attaining the reported top speed of 253 mph (with the hard top on).
The final bid on the car was $3,190,000, just slightly lower than the price realized by the fantastic 250 GT LWB California Spider that crossed the block shortly before it. Single-digit fuel economy be damned, if you can afford the car you don't need to worry about the price of fuel. It was a heady atmosphere, what with the finish of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance a few hours earlier and a bidding crowd obviously insulated from the effects of the econonomic downturn.
This was my 14th visit to Pebble Beach and I continue to believe that it's a pilgrimage every car nut must make at least once in his life. It's expensive and crowded (how about $350/night for a room at the Travelodge in Monterey over the weekend, ouch) but nowhere else can one see such an exquisite collection of classic iron... and that's just in the parking lot of Concorso Italiniano or parked on the side of Ocean Avenue in Carmel.
Steve Haas
Labels: auctions, collector cars, New Cars, Pebble Beach
Stumble It!
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