1971 Best of Show Winner
October 7, 2020
1927 Mercedes-Benz S Three Door Tourer shown by Owen Owens
A prewar Mercedes-Benz was among the few prewar cars shown at the first Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, in 1950, and the marque was often represented on the competition field in ensuing years — but it didn’t garner the top prize until this 1927 Mercedes-Benz S Tourer, shown by Owen Owens, was named Best of Show at Pebble Beach in 1971.
J. B. Nethercutt came close to scoring a consecutive three-peat of wins, but his 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Brewster Marlborough Town Car had to settle for recognition as winner of the Reserve Trophy and the Lucius Beebe Award.
Just two years later, a 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet Coupe, shown by media magnate Otis Chandler, would score another win for the marque. And over time, Mercedes-Benz would be recognized with a total of eight Best of Show trophies, making it second only to Bugatti among the winningest marques at Pebble Beach.
