Pebble Beach Concours
An Aston Martin on display a the Pebble Beach Concours
3 Days at Pebble Beach Concours
A Short Stop in New Port Beach
A big shout out to my childhood friend Kim for the invite to visit Newport Beach and join him for a few days in Pebble Beach. It was long overdue. We had talked about such a trip multiple times but something always got in the way.
I was surprised it had been ten years since I had last been to California. I caught up with Linda, Payne, and neighbors Alex and Anne-Marie who have skied with us at Silver Star Mountain several times. A great weekend and lovely to hang out in SoCal.
Kim’s Ferrari California
On Route to Pebble in Kim’s Ferrari
In an attempt to beat the morning traffic, Kim revved up the Ferrari at 5 am and we headed north on the I-5. Our destination, Pebble Beach Concours, for one of the greatest car shows on earth.
We spent three days ogling cars, walking, wining, dining, and then talking and walking some more. Oh, and did I mention driving? Check out the video below. Keep scrolling. More photos are below.
Cars Cars Cars
The streets of Pebble Beach, Monterey, and Pacific Grove are almost unrecognizable for about a week every year. People from all over the globe flock to examine, admire, talk about, photograph, buy and sell cars. It is a spectacle, unlike anything I have seen before.
Every second car on street is either a Porche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Bentley, McLaren, Mercedes, Rolls Royce, or any other luxury brand you can imagine. It may be the latest model, barely released, or it could also be one of many vintage classics on display at various venues.
Classic old Cadillacs at Pebble Beach
Car Designs
Cars are beautiful. Well, some anyway. I guess it is completely subjective. We spent loads of time discussing designs, curves, lines, and what may have influenced the designs of different periods.
My favorites were the Ferraris and Aston Martins of the late fifties and early sixties. The clean lines, carefully sculpted with a muscular stance and curves gracefully crafted, but not overdone. My favorite car was a 1963 Ferrari Superamerica pictured below.
My favorite car in Pebble Beach, a 1963 Ferrari Superamerica
Test Drive
We also test-drove a couple of cars. First up, a 1969 Mercedes Coupe. It reminded me of the old taxis we had in Denmark when I was a kid. The car was in great shape, felt as if it belonged on the highway, and would be a fun, Sunday “go grab a coffee” on a sunny day, vehicle.
The next car was the 2018 Porche Panamera Turbo. What a car that was! The interior was drop-dead gorgeous. Nothing to complain about and I only made it to the back seat.
Mercedes Coupe
Kim took the car up a winding mountain road and I was certain we were going to go off the road at some point so I braced for impact. So little trust; sorry buddy. Of course, I was wrong.
The car handled the twists and turns as if glued to the road and the driver had it under control. I made the mistake of filming part of the test drive. It was still an exhilarating experience, despite multiple stomach lurches.
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The photos and video in this article are made using a Fujifilm X-Pro2. Lenses: XF 14mm f/2.8 R - XF 23mm f/1.4 R - XF 35mm f/1.4 R - XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR (links to my camera and lens reviews). Editing was done in Lightroom and Final Cut Pro. I have used of Fujifilm film simulations for some of the photos.
