The Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance 2012 was held Thursday, August 16th, starting and ending at the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center in Pebble Beach, California. The 15th annual scenic 60-mile trip around the Monterey Peninsula, held in association with the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, is open to vehicles that are participating in the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours on Sunday, August 19th. This year saw over 150 historic automobiles take off from Pebble Beach for a tour of the region’s scenic driving routes.
Begun in 1998 to showcase the elegance of the automobile in motion, the Tour also underscores the early history of the place that is Pebble Beach. Decades before golf links were laid out along the edge of the Pacific Ocean, this area was known for its scenic drive, winding for miles through pine and cypress forest, dancing alongside dramatic cliffs and leading, ultimately, to a beautiful crescent-shaped bay.
Three separate starts grouped the cars together as they set off across the start line, past the Pebble Beach Lodge and on to the famous 17-Mile Drive. The Tour then continued through the region’s valleys, hills, forests and dramatic cliff sides, touching on California Highway 1 in the direction of Big Sur until participants hit their turn-around destination at the Ripplewood Resort. Tour participants enjoyed a gourmet lunch in Carmel-by-the-Sea, plus a champagne celebration at the finish and commemorative gifts.
As mentioned, the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance is open to all entrants in the 2012 edition of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It is important to note that the Tour and the Concours are directly linked. If two vehicles tie in class competition at the Concours, the vehicle that successfully completed the Tour gets the nod.
Similar to our coverage of the 2010 Tour d’Elegance and 2011 Tour d’Elegance, Tim Scott also documented the 2012 Pebble Beach Tour. He offers the following images that show the wonderful and diverse selection of cars entered in the Concours, plus the breathtaking views of the Monterey Peninsula and Pacific Coast seen on the Tour. To see more from Tim, visit fluidimages.co.uk.
Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance 2012 – Photo Gallery (click image for larger picture and descriptions)
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[Source: Pebble Beach Concours; photo credit: Tim Scott / Fluid Images]
Outstanding coverage of Thursday’s Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance, Tim. On a personal side, it also let me see Roger Willbanks driving the ex-John Edgar #98 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider, along with Roger’s mechanic. It’s been a thrill to know that the car my father owned, and that our driver and great friend Carroll Shelby drove to so many wins with it back in the mid-1950s, is so well cared for today and in fact will be on the lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours on Sunday. Roger is a perfect owner for the old 410 and has become a good friend in recent years. This is rolling history at its best, and thank you for capturing the Prancing Horse “on the hoof” once again For anyone who wishes to see more on this 410 Sport, please visit my new website at http://www.edgarmotorsport.com – All the best, Will
Will – my pleasure, the 410 looked terrific. It’s clearly in great hands.