2022 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance: Auto Auction Awesomeness

Monterey Car Week 2022 returned in epic fashion as a love letter to all things auto. It is a must-go pilgrimage for established as well as aspiring car enthusiasts, featuring the best of the best from around the world. This year’s show represents a pivotal time in automotive history, featuring one of the largest appearances of EVs in show history combined with the usual million-dollar motors scattered on the golf course. Let’s catch up on everything that has happened in the past week.

AUTOS: Wow-Factor Winners and Radical Releases

Similar to past Concours shows, another stunning classic took the crown to win the “Best of Show:” the 1932 Duesenberg J Figoni Sports Torpedo. Not only that, but the brand marque of this year’s winner, Duesenberg, is the most successful brand in Concours history with seven total wins of arguably the most coveted award for classic car collectors. Praised for its blend of Americana engineering and sublime Euro design, this Torpedo truly is the automotive equivalent of the Mona Lisa, a true rolling piece of art. Duesenberg’s reign as the automotive American dream ended in 1937 before the onslaught of the Second World War, and its Model J platform has long been used as the underpinnings of opulent coach-built mastery, allowing owners to customize every nut, bolt, and panel of their ride.

With All Eyes on Future, Enthusiasts Take Backward Glance, Too

Pebble Beach is not only a celebration of the classics but a place to look forward to what’s to come. Simply put, there have been PLENTY of extravagant releases. So elegant, in fact, that even Land Rover named their new ultra-exclusive edition of the Range Rover SV after the beach town where the Concours take place, Carmel. More than ever at Monterey Car Week, the focus has been on EVs, like DeLorean’s 2024 Alpha 5. A beautifully crafted two-door EV, the Alpha 5 is complete with those signature gullwing doors that distinguished the original DeLorean from the rest of the road, now with a stylistic built-in rear light bar running along the frames. You can thank Italdesign for the new look. Top speed is expected to surpass well-beyond 88 miles per hour (that will happen in 4.35 seconds), however, only 88 total will be produced per the company’s original publications. The recently revived company has high hopes for the Alpha 5, promising over 300 miles of range, 0-60 in under 3 seconds, and a steep price tag. The DeLorean lineup is rapidly expanding too, given the introduction of new concepts such as the Alpha 5 Plasmatail wagon, the Alpha 2 sports car, and their Baja-inspired Omega. For the Alpha 5, more info on the power, range, and features are set to be released as the 2024 production date grows closer (our flux capacitor broke so we can’t go to the future to get the specs). For now, we wait with the hopes that our high expectations will be met.

Lincoln also is joining in on the EV fun with their L100 Concept, hoping to reclaim its status as a top-tier luxe brand. One of the featured brands for this year’s show, Lincoln had to make a statement. Future-focused, the L100 also pays homage to Lincoln’s very first model, the 1922 Model L, all while delivering an effortless autonomous experience. This new sleek, subtle, low-top Lincoln gives the definition of Landyacht a whole new meaning, delivering social seating configurations, a glass roof, cloud-level comfort, an expansive center control unit, and even a built-in chessboard. If the chessboard wasn’t enough, the reverse-hinge “suicide” doors give this car “boss-level” status that will surely change your mind.

AWE-INSPIRING AUCTIONS: Huge Hammer-down Hits 

Pebble Beach has class and boy, does it have cash. There have been unfathomable hammer prices this weekend with over hundreds of millions of dollars spent on the crème de la crème of cars crossing the auction blocks. For example, Gooding and Co. reported their total sales surpassed $105 million. One of the most notable auctions, however, was the final sale of the Porsche 911 “Sally Special,” a one-off edition of the newest “992” 911 Carrera GTS. Equipped with a manual gearbox and clever “Kachow!” mode on the steering wheel, and 996-inspired wheels similar to those on Sally Carrera from the movie “Cars,” the Sally Special features the same potent power and handling from the GTS, now with head-turning looks. Built for a cause, this bright blue Porsche sold for $3.6 million dollars at RM Sotheby’s, and the funds are headed to the Girls Inc. and UN Refugee Agency organizations.

Now, consider this: What happens when the auto shows end and the night starts? All around Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea, the streets are filled with everything that auto has to offer. If it’s got four wheels, you’ll find it here. It’s an automotive paradise that looks straight out of a video game because it feels so surreal. After the golf courses close, the real fun begins: exquisite restaurants and exclusive ultra-private parties allow invite-only crowds to dance the night away until more automotive action starts the morning after. If the Forza Horizon in-game festival was real, this would truly be the closest thing.

And that’s your overview of this year’s magnificent motor-powered weekend in Monterey. Each year, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and all of Monterey Car Week never ceases to amaze, and this year was no different. To hear more info about the slew of product releases throughout the week, from super SUVs to multi-million-dollar supercars, check out last week’s A-List, and stay tuned for more to come later this week.​