Our Concept Lawn Turns 35!
July 30, 2024
Pictured above: 1955 Alfa Romeo 1900 C Bertone on the first Concept Lawn in 1989.
The Pebble Beach Concours was initially a competition of new cars, much like the concours that preceded it in Paris and throughout Europe. But we shifted our focus to collector cars in the mid-1950s, other concours followed suit, and the nature of a concours was soon redefined as a competition for collector cars.
Our Concept Lawn, instituted in 1989, has brought us full circle in many ways.
The Pebble Beach Concours competition was generally held on the lawn of The Lodge at Pebble Beach until 1985, when a spectacular display of Bugatti Royales demanded special placement—and it was showcased on the practice putting green situated at the Lodge’s front door. A special GM Design Display consisting largely of Corvettes followed in 1987.
Our Concept Lawn formally got underway with a display of historic Dream Cars showcased on the putting green in 1989. It was so popular that we hosted similar displays in 1990 and 1992, featuring everything from early icons such as the Buick Y-Job, the Phantom Corsair, and the Raymond Loewy Lincoln Continental to exciting mid-century creations such as Ghia’s Streamline X “Gilda,” GM Firebirds I, II and III, and the Oldsmobile F-88, to 1960s fan favorites such as the Dodge Dart Daroo II and Peter Brock’s Triumph TR250K.
Today our Concept Lawn continues to host many concepts and new car debuts—and some of the cars previously showcased on the Concept Lawn are making their way onto our main competition field.
In 1993, we leapt forward to showcase modern dreams—cars ranging from Chrysler’s Lamborghini Portofino and Thunderbolt concepts to Ford’s Ghia-bodied Zig and Zag and Focus, and the Plymouth Prowler concept.
We look forward to showcasing the latest automotive creations and the dreams of tomorrow on our Concept Lawn for decades to come.