Pimp My Ride Old School from Pebble Beach Conours d'Elegance

For some, the holiest of automotive weeks is “Speed Week” on the Bonneville Salt Flats. For others, it is the Pebble Beach Conours d’Elegance. Automotive passion is not defined in dollars (or Euros, or Lakh, et al.). It’s not about how much we spend, but how pleasing the end result is.

This was on our friend Lisa Smith’s mind as she returned to the Monterey Peninsula. The things we have in common are what empowers us to get the most from our differences.

Every year automotive enthusiasts descend on the Monterey Peninsula of coastal California to take in the best of vintage and new automotive finery. From car shows to gatherings, tours, racing, auctions, memorabilia shows, manufacturer exhibits, concept cars, test drives and new introductions, there is something to capture the attention of every gearhead and automotive enthusiast on the planet.

Ferrari Unveiled -The brand new Ferrari F12 Berlinetta

People from all over the world convene during Pebble Beach Car Week to speak one language: car. Old cars, new cars concept cars all represent.

In case you thought customs or modifieds are new or current, here is a little history lesson: way back before Lowriders, Exotics, or Hot Rods, cars were gushing in their owner’s personalization. Before any such idea as the SEMA Show, there was bespoke or “customized” automobiles which make today’s rides look like kid stuff.

The Maharana of Udaipur, Arvind Singh Mewar with his 1924 Rolls-Royce — Cars of Kings – The Maharana and his ride, 1924 Rolls-Royce 20 HP Barker Tourer.

One of the features from the 62nd annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance was the Cars of the Maharajas. Bling-a-ding-ding, these babies reeked of customization. The Maharajas/Maharanas, or “great kings,” ruled states large and small throughout India and South Asia until the middle of the twentieth century, often surveying their lands from highly customized Rolls-Royce, Daimler, Duesenberg, and other luxurious automobiles. Kinda cool to see what they did back in the day before technology – these men invented Pimp My Ride.

Customization:

8 note horn playable from the back seat
Spits steam from the mouth of swan head to clear the road ahead
In-roof venting or air conditioning before air conditioning
Oh, and it poops from a device which squirts out a little white goo from the back end

1910 Brooke Swan Car wheel brush — Swan car wheel brush: Gotta keep the boots clean.

Yuvraj Saheb Mandhatasinh Jadeja of Rajkot and his wife with the Rolls Royce Phantom II Star of India. — Yuvraj Saheb Mandhatasinh Jadeja of Rajkot and his wife with the Rolls Royce Phantom II Star of India in a custom shade of Saffron over polished aluminum.

Today we have West Coast Customs, Chip Foose, and others. In the old days, the custom guys were called Coach Builders. Names such as Saoutchik, de Villars, Zagato, Pinin Farina, Figoni & Falaschi, and many others were the big name automotive artists in their day. One ordered a car by make and chassis then selected the coach builder.

F-06 1939 Delage D8- 120 S Saoutchick Cabriolet doors — In a special class devoted to Saoutchik Coachwork the unusual parallel opening door system on this 1939 Delage garnered lots of attention.

A new class to grace the famed Concours d ’Elegance lawn this year was American Sport Customs. All American, all one-of-a-kind totally pimped out sleds.

U-06-4 1948 Norman Timbs Emil Diet Roadster — Norman Timbs… “Where is the engine?”

Having viewed the rear-end open earlier in the day it was funny to listen to people after it was closed, they were stumped. The engine sits behind driver. Just might be the best looking car with a Buick Straight 8 in existence. For what one might consider meager in today’s dollars, Norman Timbs & Emil Diedt completed this streamlined aluminum bodied roadster in 1948 for a total cost of $10,000.

For over fifty years the world’s best collector cars have perched upon the famed 18th fairway of the Pebble Beach Golf Links to judge and be judged in what has become the most important automotive celebration. Of course, there is plenty of envy bandied around as this being just a billionaire’s tailgate party, but for someone who’s actually had a goal and worked towards it, you will appreciate this more as a celebration of achievement for a job well done. Anyone who has sunk money into their four wheeled object of desire, modified the engine, or invested crazy money in wheels knows it isn’t about how much, but how pleasing the end result is.

Lisa M. Smith is an interior designer and car lover. She can be found on DécorGirl.net, blogging about design during the week and some sort of automotive splendor every Saturday. If you fancy the finer things in life – even if only from a digital distance – you definitely want to stop by her site. If you didn’t click any of the links in this story, you’ve only heard half of it!

PS: This is the 400th post on Gearbox Magazine. Thank you for making it possible!