V12 beats straight-eight

Daimler beats Alfa for concours crown

Pebble Beach doesn’t disappoint as Coventry-born classic bodied by a London coachbuilder takes the top spot

Though the entry list was significantly down on previous years, the 2006 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance reaffirmed its place as one of the world’s premier old-car events. Despite one of the central themes being cars that raced at the Pebble Beach circuit in the early ’50s, the coveted Best of Show award was a close play-off between Miles Collier’s sublime Alfa Romeo 8C2900B Berlinetta with Touring coachwork and Robert Lee’s 1931 Daimler Double-Six 50.

And it was the British car that ultimately scooped the silverware, its dramatic Corsica body being a hit with judges who included BMW designer Chris Bangle and Ken Okuyama, architect behind many recent Pininfarina Ferraris. In total, 175 cars (down from last year’s 225) appeared on the precisely manicured 18th Fairway on August 20, with major standouts including Arturo Keller’s Mercedes-Benz 540K Autobahn Kurier coupe. The event also included a special class for the fabulous creations of Gabriel Voisin.