“Would you like to join us on the Tour this year?” The tour my friend Brian Murphy was referring to, is the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance and my answer to his question was a resounding YES!
Every year, on the Thursday before the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Sunday, some of the most spectacular automobiles on the planet assemble near the Polo Grounds in Pebble Beach, to begin the tour. These cars will later be on the lawn for the concours, and participation in the tour can help a car gain advantage when judged, proving to the judges that a car is not only beautiful and authentic, but mechanically sound as well.
As explained on the official Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance web site:
“The Tour affirms one important fact: automobiles are not merely objects of beauty, they are designed to transport people from one place to another.
Faced with criticism that concours beauties were too seldom driven, Concours Co-Chairmen Lorin Tryon and Jules “J.” Heumann (at the urging of local car guy Craig Davis), decided in 1998 to ask Concours entries to prove themselves. They invited them to participate in a tour of the area — part driving test, part social outing — just a few days prior to the Concours.
As incentive, they stipulated that cars that participated in the Tour would have the advantage if they tied in Concours class competition. Also on offer was a new Elegance in Motion trophy.”
Seventy cars, about a third of the entrants, participated in that first Tour back in 1998 and it was deemed a great success. Today, about 80 percent of Concours competitors take part in the tour.
On concours Sunday, all the cars that participated in the tour could be identified by the green ribbons they were awarded and are proudly displayed.
The early morning coastal fog was pierced by headlights of all shapes and sizes of cars from the turn of the century through the 1970s. Giant touring car lamps, thinly shaped Woodlites, French yellow lights and many other interesting shapes and sizes of automotive illumination were represented. In total, about 150 cars lined up, three abreast to start the tour.
Hundreds of spectators were gathered the see and hear the great cars up close. I have run into friends from all around the world every year that have come, just as the cars have, to enjoy the event. Coffee and doughnuts are provided and conversations can be overheard in a dozen languages from around the globe. The language is universal: cars.
The tour route varies from year to year, but always includes a run down the scenic Big Sur coastline. This year the cars headed north for a short time on the famous 17-Mile Drive, then passed by the Lodge at Pebble Beach before heading south down the coast. The tour is approximately 70 miles in all.
My ride for this year’s Tour d’Elegance is a magnificent 1938 Packard 1608 Twelve owned by Don Williams of the Blackhawk Collection. Don Williams is a legend in the collector car world and has presented a car at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance astoundingly for over 50 consecutive years. Don and his son Brian Murphy are among the most respected people in the hobby and the list of rare and significant automobiles they bring to the Pebble Beach each year is amazing. The Packard they selected for this year’s tour is no exception.
The Packard Twelve
Packard automobiles from the 1930’s were among the most elegant designs the company ever created, but this particular car is even more elegant than most. This Packard wears a special one-off body crafted by the great French coachbuilder Kellner and is known as the Kellner Torpedo Cabriolet. This One-of-A-Kind Packard was custom built using the rear body section off a 1930 Renault Reinstella Torpedo Scaphandrier. The original owner is believed to be George “Geordie” Hormel II, heir to the meat-packing Hormel Foods Corporation and owner of the historic Wrigley Mansion in Phoenix, Arizona.
The car features a black leather trimmed open chauffeur’s driving compartment in the classic town car style. The passenger area has an unusual three-piece second windscreen that sweeps backward at an angle on the sides atop a polished metal cowl. The interior is fitted opulently with elaborate woodwork and elegant brocade upholstery. The design is spectacular, elegant and unique.
When Packard introduced its second-generation V-12 in 1932, it was called the “Twin Six” like its 1916-19 counterpart, but for 1933, the model’s name was changed to a more modern and impressive sounding “Twelve.” The prestigious top-of-the-line Twelve Series in 1938 was no longer on the longest chassis, but on a slightly lengthened version of the one used for the Super Eight. Only 566 V-12 Packards were built for 1938, making all body types a rarity.
This massive machine rides on a 139.375-inch wheelbase with independent coil-spring front suspension and a semi-floating live rear axle with parallel semi-elliptic leaf springs. Stopping is assured by vacuum-boosted Bendix hydraulic drum brakes all around. The wide white-sidewall tires measure 8.25-16 and are mounted on 16-inch steel disc wheels with bright trim rings and red hexagonal cloisonné center wheel covers. Steering is provided by a Packard worm and roller steering gear. The engine powering the Packard Twelve is a 67-degree 473.3 CI L-head V-12 producing an impressive 175 HP at 3,200 RPM. Power is transferred to the rear axle by a 3-speed synchromesh transmission with a floor shift.
During the 1950’s, this very special Packard was purchased by J.B Nethercutt, who made a fortune in women’s beauty products as the co-founder of Merle Norman Cosmetics, and used much of that wealth to assemble one of the world’s finest automobile collections. In 1961, this custom Packard was purchased by William F. Harrah, one of the pioneers of car collecting and casino mogul who had over 1,500 cars in his massive collection in Sparks, Nevada. The car remained in Harrah’s collection for the next 24 years before being sold during the Harrah Automobile Collection Sale in 1985, to Tom Monaghan the founder of Domino’s Pizza who maintained a world-class automobile collection that included the 1931 Bugatti Royale Type 41 Berline de Voyage. The car remained in the Domino’s Classic Car Collection until 1989, before joining the Blackhawk Collection where it was treated to a no-expense-spared restoration by Lon Krueger of Scottsdale, Arizona.
On the Tour
I was fortunate enough to ride “shotgun” in the front passenger seat. As the fog retreated back to the sea, the sun smiled upon us as we started to roll past the dozens of international photographers and hundreds of spectators who waved and cheered us on as the parade of fabulous rolling sculptures made its way onto the 17-mile drive to begin the tour.
The big Packard was exceptionally silky smooth and quiet. The big V-12 was barely audible as we made our way through all the twists and turns on our route. The natural beauty of the area was matched by only by the beauty of the caravan of man-made art on four wheels that accompanied us on the road in front and behind us. The classic cars wove their way through the 17-Mile Drive passing small clusters of local spectators and photographers strategically located to capture the best shots on the route. Soon we passed by the The Lodge at Pebble Beach before merging southbound onto Highway 1 seamlessly thanks to California Highway Patrol stopping traffic for us. Very nice.
Big Sur is an amazing place anytime, however, gliding through it cradled in the opulence that is the 1938 Packard Twelve Torpedo Cabriolet by Keller is sublime. My view was breathtaking: not only the scenery, but the car itself. At the end of the long, polished hood that covers the silently running twelve-cylinder engine is an exquisite art deco goddess, sculped out of crystal by Lalique, guiding our way. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday…
We drove south down Big Sur for about 25 miles before we were directed to turn around and head back. As we drove north, we could see the cars that started later than us driving south. It was really a thrill to see all these great cars out on the open road. As we were cruising along at our leisurely pace, a Ferrari 275 GTB whipped by us like a slingshot. What a sound! Crossing the famous Bixby Bridge was fantastic. More exceptional views and more spectacular cars all the way back to Pebble Beach, where we brought the big Packard to a rest at the parking lot full of shinny big-rig car carriers. The parking lot is another awesome car show all to itself. Cars are everywhere – being worked on, cleaned, loaded and so on. I love talking with all the car owners and caretakers and learning more about some of the greatest cars ever produced.
After the tour, a great lunch was served for everyone, with more conversation with car owners and collection curators. After a tour of the Concours Village and a look at the automobila at Retroauto, I made my way over to take a peek at the cars that were going to be offered at auction by Gooding & Company. There is never a shortage of great cars and cool things to see during this time at Pebble Beach.
The magnificent Packard performed flawlessly during the tour, a testament to the quality of its design and engineering, as well as the quality of its restoration and careful maintenance by the Blackhawk Collection. It was a day I will never forget.
