Page 82 - BFM F/W 2024

Passion on Wheels
At Monterey Car Week, Rolex presides over the world’s most important gathering of high-end automobiles
By Jeremy Freed
ON AN AFTERNOON IN MID-AUGUST, UNDER THE CLEAR BLUE skies of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, a historic upset was in the making. When a 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports was crowned Best of Show at the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the torpedo-shaped open-top race car once owned by the King of Belgium became the first “preservation car” to win the prestigious award in the event’s 70-plus year history. Preservation cars, which are distinguished from “restoration” cars by their original components and patina – including chipped paint and well-worn upholstery – have competed in the event since 2001. The Bugatti’s win, however, marks a shift in the culture of vintage car collecting and opens the door for a wider array of historic models to vie for the top honours in future. In addition to
the considerable bragging rights that come with the win, Swiss car collector Fritz Burkard was also awarded another prize: a specially engraved Rolex Perpetual 1908 watch. “What is most beautiful about this moment is that, for the first time, someone from Switzerland has won the Concours,” he said. “To win a Swiss watch makes it extra special — the Rolex 1908 is exquisite.”
The event marked the climax of Monterey Car Week, an annual celebration that includes the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and The Quail, A Mo- torsports Gathering. Rolex has been a top-line supporter of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance since 1997, making the Concours one of several top-tier motorsports events, including Formula One, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the Goodwood Revival, on the watchmaker’s roster.
“The great thing about Monterey Car Week is that it offers everything you could ever want,” says Rolex Testimonee and 2009 FIA Formula One Drivers’ World Champion Jenson Button. “It’s rare that you can be in one place for a week and do something completely different each day, which is what I love about these events. We are also in a wonderful part of the world — California really embraces car culture.”
With the breathtaking coastal scenery of Monterey as a backdrop and hundreds of rare, antique, and classic cars to admire, Monterey Car Week is one of the world’s most prestigious automotive gatherings. At the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, more than 200 cars from 16 countries were on
display, including rarities like a 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Saoutchik Fastback Coupé, a 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero Bertone Coupe, and a 1954 Land Rover Series 1 used by Queen Elizabeth II at her Balmoral estate. Among the week’s most-anticipated events was the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance, a convoy of more than 150 historic vehicles that made its way along the Pacific Coast, proving the cars’ roadworthiness while using the iconic scenery of Big Sur and the Bixby Bridge to create the ultimate photo-op.
At The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, a crowd of more than 5,000 spectators gathered on the manicured lawns of The Quail Lodge & Golf Club to celebrate the past, present, and future of innovative automotive design. This year, alongside tributes to World Rally Cars, the Porsche 911 Turbo, and boutique hypercar maker Koenigsegg Automotive, a perfectly preserved 1937 Delahaye Type 145 12-Cylinder Competition was honoured as the Rolex Best of Show winner. After being welcomed into the 2024 Rolex Circle of Champions, the Delahaye’s owners were awarded a specially engraved Oyster Perpetual Datejust to mark the occasion.
While some owners at the Concours were busy buffing their vehicles to a mirror sheen, others were putting rubber to the road at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Established in 1974 as the Monterey Historic Automobile Races and marking its 50th anniversary this year, the event drew more than 400 meticulously restored historic sports cars to the famed WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for four days of fast-paced competition. Following in the footsteps of Rolex motorsport Testimonees Sir Jackie Stewart, Tom Kristensen, and Mark Webber, Jenson Button took to the track to compete in a 1952 Jaguar C-Type once owned by famed Argentine driver Juan Manuel Fangio. “I love this event; it’s electric,” Button says. “It was extra special to drive my C-Type here, at an event so closely linked to Rolex, and to race alongside so many different works of art.”
You don’t have to be behind the wheel, however, to get a thrill out of Monterey Car Week. From the rare gems of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance to the sleek sheet metal on display at The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, it’s a car lover’s dream made real, and one of many ways Rolex maintains a close connection to the highest level of motorsports.
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