(Note: some photos are below. More and larger photos are at: photos : Pebble)

Sunday was at Pebble Beach. The sheer breadth of the cars was compelling and the overall quality impeccable. Lancias were in pride of place, with  a variety of limited production models.  While the specific selection may have raised questions, the overall impact was solid. An early s.1 open Lambda, the Astura phaeton and an Aurelia woody wagon were highlights, as was the Liege-Rome-Liege winning B20 - all shipped from Italy, thank you very much. The B20 was run for the judges - nice to hear. Gary Byrd’s Lambda Airship also showed well, contrasting with the original Stratos prototype in a most bright orange. Also there were an unrestored Appia Zagato, an Aprilia special, a black B24 spider, and a 1907 Alpha and 1915 Theta. 

Not to be overlooked were the two 1950’s Nardi Blue Rays and the original D24. The Blue Rays were great to see but hard to grasp as Lancias. Perhaps its just a bias towards production models.

The preservation class has given the event some additional character and mystery - after all, how do you judge preservation? Steve Katzman had his B24 Spider there, next to a 1950’s  unrestored Ferrari and a huge time warp Horch that needed everything. Porsche’s car  #1 was almost overlooked. 

The General Motors Motorama exhibit, with some of their “jetscape” cars of the 1950’s was a real treat. Also of note were the 20 liter + cars, often with aviation motors, a Maserati 1937 6C Monoposto, Delahayes, and Alfas.

Also shown below are photos from Friday at Concorso (on a runway - like a giant used car lot!) and Saturday races at Laguna Seca. Lancias are scarce at the races, but there was a Lambda motor in a Ford chassis, and Toly Arutunoff had his Flaminia Sport (from 1960!) with a vintage promotional poster. There were also other Bugattis and Alfas to see.

The weekend atmosphere was festive, the light soft, and the cars glowed. A surprisingly lovely time.