2025 Featured Classes

Invicta Centennial

Although it was not long for this world, crafting cars for just over a decade from 1925 to 1935, Invicta quickly made its mark. At his home in Cobham, England, with the backing of sugar magnate Oliver Lyle, Invicta founder Noel Macklin constructed the earliest models—light but spirited cars with a torquey 2½ Litre Meadows engine. It was Macklin’s sister-in-law, Violette Cordery, who soon proved their worth, winning sprints at Brooklands, setting long-distance records at Monza and Montlhéry, and eventually forging a path around the globe. The marque reached its peak with the low chassis S-type, which debuted at the London Motor Show in 1930, offering a larger 4½ Litre Meadows 6 cylinder engine in a racy, under-slung chassis. Only 77 were produced before the Great Depression took its toll, and the last of the early Invictas were built in 1935. Twice devotees have sought to revive the marque, first in 1946 and more recently in the early 2000s. Although Invicta is less well-known today, knowledgeable enthusiasts do all they can to seek out these rare and very sporting cars.

Chrysler Centennial

Chrysler came into being in 1925 at the behest of Walter P. Chrysler, a roving railroad mechanic whose inquisitiveness and drive eventually led him to the auto industry and up the ladder of success to the ownership of multiple marques. It was technical innovation that first drew fans to Chrysler, but the brand quickly partnered with leading coachbuilders to offer some of the most desired and admired cars of the Classic Era. Two Chryslers built on top-of-the-line Imperial chassis—a 1931 CG LeBaron Dual Cowl Phaeton and a 1932 CH Speedster—have earned top honors at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Chrysler led the way toward streamlined design with the avant-garde Airflow later in the 1930s, it offered a series of delightful Town & Country “woodies” in the 1940s, and in the 1950s it experimented with a striking, sleek and sometimes-finned series of “idea cars,” often created in concert with Italian coachbuilder Ghia. Long one of the “Big Three” automakers in the US, Chrysler is now a part of Stellantis—but it is still building Chryslers.

Virgil Exner Creations

By the age of 26, Virgil Exner, or “Ex” as he was known to most, was chief stylist at Pontiac. At 29 he was chief styling engineer at Studebaker. And just as he was turning 40, in 1949, Virgil Exner was made chief of advanced styling at Chrysler, where he would revolutionize the shape of American cars—first in 1955 with the 100 Million Dollar Look, and again in 1957 with the Forward Look. He was a daring and creative virtuoso, and no one had a better understanding of the magic of automotive fantasy. But beauty, elegance, delicate glamour, and the perfect blending of tones and shades were also hallmarks of his work. Diplomatic, well-spoken, gentlemanly and with an uncanny sense of proportion, Virgil Exner was a true artist in metal, fabric, and glass. No one said it better than Ex himself in 1947: A design is worthless if it cannot be translated into an actual automobile that is structurally sound, economically feasible, and functionally beautiful.

Formula 1: 75th Anniversary

The cars that compete in Formula 1 are said to be the “fastest and most advanced race cars on the planet.” As such, they often embody innovations that are soon replicated throughout the car world.

The Concours hopes to trace the history of Formula 1 from its origins to the present day.

Although it was preceded by decades of Grand Prix racing, Formula 1 dates its start to May 13, 1950, when the first official Formula 1 championship series race took place at the Silverstone Circuit. At that point, auto racing’s longstanding governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), had been in place for nearly five decades, but it determined to set forth “one formula” to govern the construction of all cars that hoped to participate in what was to be the premier racing series for single-seater cars. It was Giuseppe “Nino” Farina, driving for Alfa Romeo, who won that first race, and he ultimately won the first F1 Drivers’ Championship. The current F1 champion is Max Verstappen, driving a Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT.

Moretti Centennial

“Good things come in small packages,” they say—and that is certainly true of Moretti. This Italian jewel packs a lot of technical engineering into a diminutive but very sporting car.

Founded in 1925 and initially focused on building motorcycles and microcars, and then commercial trucks, Moretti pivoted to more conventional cars after World War II. Unlike other “etceterinis”—a term often used to encompass the many small displacement Italian cars created by individuals or more minor firms apart from Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Lancia, and often consisting of an assemblage of parts—Moretti initially built its own engines, transmissions and related items, so there was a real completeness to its finished cars.

It would later partner with Fiat, using their chassis and mechanicals to produce a series of special sporting models and custom cars up until 1989.

Japanese Prototypes & Concepts (a curated class)

In the 1970s and 1980s, Japanese automakers produced some fantastic, futuristic and innovative concept cars, many of which have not been seen outside of Japan—until now. Very few of them are in private hands. The Concours is asking the major Japanese carmakers to open their vaults and bring these rare cars to Pebble Beach.

In the early 1970s, with repeated interruptions in the oil supply chain triggering rising oil prices, the Western world soon recognized the benefits to be found in driving smaller cars. Americans, in particular, previously had a penchant for large domestic models, but suddenly smaller Imports from overseas, particularly Japan, were in great demand. The Japanese, in turn, sought to lead the world in more than the number of cars sold; they sought to make the best cars on the market, across all segments, including the luxury market. So began a period of increased Japanese experimentation in both styling and technology that continues to this day. These efforts to reconceive all that had come before took place both in house and in concert with others, particularly leading coachbuilders. Whether known or not, the resulting concepts and prototypes have had a striking impact on the automotive world.