For a long-standing brand like Bugatti, participating in large and small car events is no longer a strange thing. However, between Bugatti and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance event there seems to be a special relationship. Bugatti is one of the rare brands that has participated in this event since it was first held in 1950 and to date, Bugatti cars have won the award for the most impressive car of the event 9 times since then. for the first time in 1956.
This Sunday, August 15, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will mark its 70th anniversary. Bugatti will also be present to celebrate the brand’s first participation in the event in 1950 with cars parading together around the Pebble Beach Road Race track. In the first year of the event, Bugatti appeared with a 1938 Bugatti Type 57 Coupe de Ville with its owner, Mr. John Edgar.
With cars on display on the 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links and Carmel Bay at the event in 1956, the French car brand was honored with its first victory. During this event, Doctor Milton R. Roth’s Bugatti Type 37 Grand Prix won the prestigious “Best of Show” award. Since then, Bugatti models have been displayed on the 18th fairway to date.
One of Bugatti’s most memorable Concours d’Elegance appearances was when six Bugatti Type 41 Royales appeared at Pebble Beach in 1985, the only time these iconic cars ever appeared. appear together. Type 41 Royale is known as the greatest luxury car for aristocrats and royalty. The brand has only ever produced a total of 6 of these cars, so this event is an extremely special occasion when gathering all 6 of these cars.
The idea of gathering 6 Type 41 Royale cars was initiated by Chris Bock, executive director of the event. Two of the six were granted diplomatic immunity by the US Government, a status usually reserved for individuals, sometimes bestowed on works of art but never before applied to cars. “Four of the Bugatti Royales were in the US and the remaining two were in France and were maintained and preserved by the French National Association of Automobile Museums,” Bock recalls.
Despite diplomatic immunity, two Royales cost up to 85,000 Euros in 1985 to transport to the US. However, this amount of money was contributed by car collectors, judges, and officials so that the two legendary Bugattis could reunite with the remaining 4 Type 41 Royale cars. Two other Bugatti Type 41 Royales come from the collection of William F. Harrah in Reno and a fifth comes from the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Briggs Cunningham brought in the sixth Type 41 Royale in a Ford F250.
Bugatti models have provided many memorable moments at the Pebble Beach event over the years, including famous designer Ralph Lauren winning “Best of Show” with the Type 57SC Atlantic in 1990 In 2003, the Ralph Lauren car reunited with the similar Type 57SC from the Mullin Collection, creating a rare reunion of the world’s few 57SCs. In 2019, all four Bugatti Type 59 Grand Prix cars were gathered for the first time since 1934.
The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport was introduced to car enthusiasts around the world at Pebble Beach on the eve of the 2008 Concours d’Elegance. The car was sold at the Pebble Beach Auction presented by Gooding & Company. The car was sold for $2.9 Million, $900,000 more expensive than the car’s retail price. The amount of $900,000 was donated by Bugatti to the Pebble Beach Company Foundation charity organization. More recently, in 2019, Bugatti introduced the ultra-sexy version of the Centodieci at Monterey Car Week. Centodieci is known to be a special tribute to the legendary Bugatti EB110.
Chris Bock praised: “Bugatti is the perfect combination of technique, style and rarity. Every mechanical detail is created with the delicate eye of the designers as well as skillful craftsmanship.” of the engineering team. Bugattis are true works of art.”
