The first Ferrari-badged automobile, a 125 Sport with a 1.5-liter V12 engine, took to the open road in the spring of 1947. Soon after, with amazing speed, cars bearing the mark of the prancing horse wove their way into the hearts of enthusiasts worldwide. Nowhere was this more true than in the golden state of California, where the marque quickly garnered its greatest following, inspiring the creation of models such as the Spyder California.
Accordingly, the premier North American celebration of Ferrari’s 70th anniversary will take place this August at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
“This will be a historic celebration of Ferrari, bringing its 70 years of engineering, style and passion to life for our clients, collectors and fans during the incomparable Pebble Beach Automotive Week,” said Edwin Fenech, President & CEO, Ferrari North America.
Four classes of Ferraris will compete on the 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links, where special classes for Ferrari Major Race Winners and Ferrari One-Off Spéciales will be featured. Ferraris will also line the first fairway of the famed course, where Ferrari North America will simultaneously be hosting the Ferrari 70th Anniversary Concours.
Throughout Pebble Beach Automotive Week, Ferrari will make its home at Fairway One at The Lodge, the newest luxury addition to Pebble Beach Resorts, fronting the first fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links. Opening in August, Fairway One features a meeting facility and 38 new guest rooms — 30 in three two-story hotel buildings and two four-bedroom golf cottages.
Pebble Beach Automotive Week events held there will begin on Thursday, August 17. Cars for the Ferrari 70 th Anniversary Concours will be loaded onto the first fairway on Saturday, August 19, beginning at 4 p.m. — and the public is invited to come and help celebrate them!
“Pebble Beach has a long and very strong relationship with Ferrari, particularly when you note the Ferraris and Ferrari drivers that made their mark here at the Pebble Beach Road Races in the early 1950s,” said Concours Chairman Sandra Button. “Our history together is almost as old as Ferrari itself, and we are proud that we continue to make history together.”
The first Ferrari imported into the United States, a 166 MM Touring Barchetta made its way to California in September 1948. The Pebble Beach Road Races and Concours d’Elegance began in 1950, and by the following year Ferraris gained Pebble Beach recognition: another 166 MM (chassis 0010M) driven by Jim Kimberly appeared at that Concours, then placed 6th in the preliminary Del Monte Handicap and climbed to 3rd in the premier Pebble Beach Cup race before crashing. In 1952, a Ferrari 212 Export Touring Barchetta driven by Arnold Stubbs placed second in the premier race. Ferrari was still in its infancy, but it was already serving notice that quick and nimble cars could compete against the powerhouses of the day. Thereafter, Ferraris won every Pebble Beach Road Race, ultimately recording four top finishes in the seven events, with drivers such as Carroll Shelby and Phil Hill, who went on to win the World Championship for the marque in 1961.
The Concours hosted its first full class of Ferraris in 1973. The following year, Ferraris filled two classes and a new trophy was awarded to the best Ferrari shown here. Ferrari has been an ongoing focus since that time. Recent years have witnessed the first class of preservation Ferraris as well as great gatherings of Ferrari 250 GTOs and Testa Rossas. The first postwar car to win the show’s top award since the late 1960s was Jon Shirley’s 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti Coupe, in 2014.
For more information on the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, or to purchase tickets for the 2017 Concours, please visit www.pebblebeachconcours.net.
