PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – When Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance organizers announced last year that Alfa Romeo would be a featured marque at their 2005 show, they hoped to attract a sizable assortment of vehicles from the 95-year history of the Italian automaker. Their expectations have been greatly exceeded.
The Sunday, Aug. 21 Concours will feature “the most significant display of classic Alfa Romeos ever assembled–anywhere,” says Concours Co-Chairman Glenn Mounger. “Among the 62 Alfa Romeos coming to Pebble Beach, there’ll be seven cars from the Alfa Romeo Museum (outside Milan, Italy) as well as three of the ultra-imaginative BAT (Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica) concept cars from the ‘50s.”
Overall, 27 of the 62 Alfa Romeos participating at the Concours are being shipped from foreign countries, including the BAT 5, BAT 7 and BAT 9, which now reside in London, England.
“The first BAT (5) was built in 1953, when most other carmakers had never even imagined tailfins and long before there was a Batmobile on television,” says Mounger. “The BAT 7, built in 1954, was even more radical in design with huge curved tailfins. And the final BAT – the BAT 9 – was built in 1955 with reduced wings and a design that was closer to a production sports car.
“We’re looking forward to an historic reunion of these incredible cars. The last time they appeared together anywhere in the U.S. was the 1989 Pebble Beach Concours.”
There will be a total of 228 vintage vehicles participating at the 2005 Concours, lining the fairway of the 18th hole at the Pebble Beach Golf Links® from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
First conducted in 1950, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is an international gathering for “a celebration of the automobile” at The Lodge at Pebble Beach™ on the Monterey Peninsula. The Concours combines a scenic location along the Pacific Ocean with the opportunity to view rarely seen examples of automotive style, performance and history. The 55th annual affair also includes the Thursday, Aug. 18 Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance around the Monterey Peninsula for Concours entries, and the Sunday evening Pebble Beach Auction conducted by Gooding & Company that showcases classic, vintage and antique cars. For 2005, the Pebble Beach Motoring Classic debuts, a nine-day program giving current and former Concours participants the opportunity to drive their historic collectables from Seattle to Pebble Beach. RetroAuto, Pebble Beach’s new 13,000 square-foot shopping display celebrating the automotive lifestyle, will also debut. Proceeds from the Aug. 21, 2005 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance support a number of local, national and international charities.
