From low-key beginnings, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance has become the most prestigious car show in the world. It has been quite a journey.

This year, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance celebrates its 75th edition. What began as a minor road race has grown beyond all imagination. Today it welcomes more than 100,000 visitors to a 16-day festival of the best in automotive history, engineering and design. 

During those two weeks the Monterey Peninsula becomes the center of the automotive world, attracting collectors, manufacturers, media and enthusiasts. For a brief but heady period, you’re more likely to see a priceless Packard than a humble Prius. 

How did that happen? The answer is culture. Nobody in 1950 sat down with a master plan to create the world’s premier automotive gathering. Back in the Fifties, old cars were just that: loved by their owners but changing hands for dollars, not rolling works of art with million-dollar price tags. 

Seventy-five years ago, the Concours d’Elegance itself was almost an afterthought, something to do between races. In that first-ever Concours, just thirty cars were exhibited. Compare that to 2025, when 229 vehicles took to the 18th fairway, including 55 international entries. 

When people who care passionately about their pastime get together, culture takes over. Word of mouth spreads the message. Growing interest in classic cars feeds an ecosystem of restorers, keeping precious skills alive and providing careers for the next generation. Prestige manufacturers and high-end lifestyle brands join the culture, fueling further growth.

The past quarter century has witnessed dramatic evolution in the world of classic automobiles, with pinnacle models today valued as highly as Renoirs or Van Goghs. Having joined the team in 1986 and steered the Concours d’Elegance since 2002, retiring Concours Chairman Sandra Button has seen that evolution first hand. How does she sum up the enduring appeal of Pebble Beach, and what might the future hold? 

“The Pebble Beach Concours is so much more than a gathering of remarkable cars; it is a community of people with a passion for technology and beauty, and the joy of sharing these things with others—not to mention the excitement of good stiff competition. As the automotive world evolves, I know that our community will embrace new chapters of change while remaining true to the shared love of cars that has made the Concours what it is today.”

The next 75 years will be shaped by the same force that built the first: automotive culture. The difference is the audience is getting bigger, younger, and harder to reach through conventional channels. As automotive evolves through electrification, autonomy, new definitions of what a collector car can be, Pebble Beach will evolve with it. It always has. The cars may change, but the passion, community and culture that surround them remain as powerful as ever. 

For the right brand, Pebble Beach is not a car show. It is one of the most concentrated gatherings of affluent, engaged, brand-loyal consumers anywhere in the world. These are not passive attendees. They are enthusiasts, collectors, executives, and tastemakers who pay close attention to the brands that show up alongside them. 

The opportunity for brands is not simply visibility, but cultural proximity. A chance to be part of something people genuinely care about, in a setting that rewards authenticity and sees right through anything that feels transactional. The brands that have understood this have built lasting equity at Pebble Beach. 

With 75 years of momentum behind it and a new generation of automotive passion on the horizon, the window to establish that presence is only getting more competitive.

For more than 25 years, we have been working with some of the most recognized names in the automotive and luxury industries, to help them activate meaningfully in this space.

From Bugatti to Oris and from Wheels Up to Bonhams we know what it takes to show up in a way that resonates.

See you on the fairway!