Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 2023

American Dream Cars of the 1950s was a class that celebrated one-off and very limited production cars conceived and built by some remarkable individuals whose stories are often as interesting as their cars. This wasn't about big corporations with their big buck concept cars being unveiled in hotel ballrooms or the World Fair. No, these were cars that people designed and built in their own garage or in a local restoration shop. Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Don Lacer and the 1951 Manta Ray entering the show. Inspired by the General Motors LeSabre Motorama car and fighter jets of the era, the car remained largely original. Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Built by Glen Hire and Vernon Antoine of North American Aviation, the Manta Ray was featured on the July 1953 cover of Motor Trend magazine. Powered by a Studebaker V8 (and not a turbine engine), it is a one-off creation! It took home third in class. Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Tom Chandler's 1953 Maverick Sportster of Elkader, Iowa. With its Jaguar-esque fadeaway fenders and wide, flat boattail, the Maverick is not your typical sports car. Designer and entrepreneur H. Sterling Gladwin called his car the “Land-based Pegasus.” The car is over sixteen feet long but so well-proportioned it still has that sports car feel. When Chandler bought the car, it was in terrible shape, and it took the retired school teacher seven years in his home garage to restore it. Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

The Petersen Museum brought the 1959 Scimitar Convertible Coupe. At first glance, the black and silver convertible looks like it might be an Edsel, but there’s nothing Ford about this car. Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

A famed industrial designer penned the original illustration for the 1959 Scimitar, and Reutter Coach Works of Stuttgart, Germany, built its ALL ALUMINUM body on a Chrysler New Yorker chassis. Olin Aluminum Company commissioned the car to showcase the advantages of alloy bodies. It was launched at the 1959 Geneva International Auto Show. Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

The 1955 Debonnaire Convertible definitely stood out as one of the most colorful cars in the American Dream Cars of the 1950s class. Owned by Paul Sable and Jim Thorpe (from Pennsylvania), it was originally designed by Phillip Egan, who was on the early design team for the famous Tucker. Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

The car was built on a 1949 Ford chassis, powered by a Lincoln Continental V8, with Independent front suspension. Only six of these convertibles were believed to have been built by Val deOlloqui, president of Replac, a major fiberglass company. Again, they wanted to show how fiberglass could be used to build car bodies. Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Out of all the cars, the 1953 Kurtis Sorrel SR-100 Roadster screamed modern-day hot rod! Owned by Mark and Newie Brinker (from Houston, Texas), the sleek, low, and lean convertible featured an aluminum body by California Metal Shaping and master craftsman Bob Sorrel. Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

The SR-100 was unveiled at the 1953 Petersen Motorama. Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

A few of these were made with fiberglass bodies, but this one is aluminum. Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

The car is done in an amazing Brandywine metallic, features Halibrand racing wheels, and an interior that would fit right into a modern-day street rod. The car took first place in class. Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

The car is built on a 1953 Kurtis Indy Car chassis and is powered by a 302 straight six with a Howard 12 port head and six carbs! Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

The Briggs Cunningham Trophy, (donated in 1978 by Briggs Cunningham himself, is awarded to the most exciting open car present), and second place in class, went to the 1954 Edwards America Convertible owned by Gary and Cathy Edwards (of Houston, Texas). The car was designed by race car engineer Norman Timbs and built by Sterling Edwards. The car features a Henry J chassis, an Oldsmobile Rocket V8, and a fiberglass body. This is No. 1 of five cars produced. (The current owners are unrelated to Sterling Edwards. Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

The 1947 Kurtis-Omohundro Comet featured an aluminum body by Comet Industries. The car is built on a Mercury chassis, has a Cadillac V8, and an automatic transmission. The car debuted on a full-page spread in the February 1949 issue of Road & Track magazine. It then appeared in the December 1949 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine as the “New Breed of Sports Cars.” Britain’s Autocar magazine featured the car as well. Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Lost for over fifty years, it was found by the Undiscovered Classics team and subsequently restored. Today, it's owned by Wayne and Amy Gould of Tucson, Arizona. Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Mark and Newie Brinker from Houston, Texas, own the 1952 Fageol Pataray Roadster. The one-off roadster was on the cover of Mechanic Illustrated. It was adapted from the radical Fageoul Coupe and had a modified 300HP Fageol bus engine. Ray's parents built off-shore racing boats so this car kind of combines the off-shore boat with the ‘50s jet plane look. It might also explain why it has a fiberglass body. Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Ray Fageol sits in the car he built over 70 years ago! Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

The 1958 MacMinn Le Mans Coupe owned by Dennis and Karen Kazmerowski, John Fudge and Shannon Fudge, Califon, New Jersey. Famed designer, beloved ArtCenter College of Design instructor, and long-time Pebble Beach Concours Chief Honorary Judge Strother MacMinn penned the sleek 1958 Le Mans Coupe, and his friend John Bond, the engineer/editor of Road & Track, was the engineer. Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Mac wanted to create a car that could compete at Le Mans and still be streetable. The Corvette V8-powered car starred on the cover of Road & Track in August 1960 and was featured in Mac's book "Sports Cars of the Future." Writing in Sports Car Guide magazine, Robert Cumberford called it "The most exciting sports car design constructed in the USA in years" — and people still mistake it for new today. Just five were built." Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Roy R. Sorenson.

Featured Events - Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

The 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance was held on August 20, 2023, in Pebble Beach, California. This prestigious event is a part of the broader Monterey Car Week and is renowned for showcasing some of the world's most exclusive and historically significant automobiles. The 2023 event marked the 72nd year of this tradition, highlighting its longstanding significance in the automotive world.

American Dream Cars of the 1950s Class

American Dream Cars of the 1950s was a class that celebrated one-off and very limited production cars conceived and built by some remarkable individuals whose stories are often as interesting as their cars. This wasn't about big corporations with their big buck concept cars being unveiled in hotel ballrooms or the World Fair. No, these were cars that people designed and built in their own garage or in a local restoration shop.

Best of Show Winner

The top prize went to a 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster, presented by Jim Patterson of the Patterson Collection. This car, once owned by the Shah of Afghanistan, is one of only three similar cars surviving globally. This victory marked Mercedes-Benz's lead over Bugatti for the most Best of Show wins at Pebble Beach, now standing at 10.