Want to know which is the most beautiful car in the
world? Concours d’Elegance like the one at Pebble Beach are a good place to
look. And this year’s winner is the classic Alfa you see here.
The 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta was
selected from among 209 cars to win Best of Show this year, along with the
Charles A. Chayne Trophy and the J. B. & Dorothy Nethercutt award for the
Most Elegant Closed Car (which the same car won under previous ownership in
2001). And from the looks of it, the recognition was most richly deserved.
This is the third time that an Alfa has won the top
prize in Monterey, and each time it’s been an 8C 2900B with bodywork by
Carrozzeria Touring: another Berlinetta in 2008, and a Spider in 1988.
That puts the classic Alfa right up there with the
late-’20s Mercedes-Benz 680S (like the Barker Tourer that won last year) and
the early-’30s Daimler Double Six as the most decorated models in Pebble Beach
history. The only model to have won Best of Show more is the Bugatti Type 57,
examples of which have taken the top prize six time.
This Alfa is owned by one David Sydorick, a longtime
entrant from Beverly Hills. “As a Zagato collector, I broke the rules and
bought a Touring-bodied car because this Alfa Romeo is very special,” said
Sydorick. “It is a piece of automotive architecture mounted on a Grand Prix
chassis that has technology that was top of the line for prewar cars. It’s a
wonderful combination. It’s beautiful from top to bottom.”
