Le Mans Centennial Kick Off at 2022 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance  

1950–2022: AN UNMATCHED TRADITION OF AUTOMOTIVE EXCELLENCE

2022 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance to Kick off Global Centennial Celebrations of the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Le Mans Drivers Forum and Press Conference to Precede Concours Competition

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (August 16, 2022)—As the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s foremost endurance race, enters its centennial year, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the world’s foremost contest of automotive elegance, prepares to celebrate it. In addition to welcoming a distinguished lineup of Le Mans racing greats to its competition field this coming Sunday, the Concours will also host a Friday forum with several winning drivers and a Saturday press conference with a very special reveal.

“From its start, the Pebble Beach Concours has been tied to racing and to Le Mans; we have often shared and celebrated the same cars and car people,” said Concours Chairman Sandra Button. “So when the Le Mans organizers, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, invited us to help kick off its centennial year with a special celebration here, we were quick to say yes.”

The list of shared participants is a list of the luminaries of motorsport. Soon after Phil Hill made his mark at Pebble Beach, winning three of its road races, he went on to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times. His cars also won Best of Show at the Pebble Beach Concours twice, and he was, for decades, its longest-serving judge. Similarly, Carroll Shelby raced to victory on both circuits, judged often at the Concours, and even debuted some of his most notable cars at the latter event. The short list of shared participants also includes Briggs Cunningham, Sir Stirling Moss, Paul Frère, Dan Gurney, Hurley Haywood and Derek Bell, among others. The actual list is much longer.

At the forthcoming Pebble Beach Concours, Le Mans racing greats Jacky Ickx, Tom Kristensen, Jochen Mass, Henri Pescarolo, and Lyn St. James will be among the Honorary Judges—and enthusiasts are invited to hear and meet them at 9 am this Friday, August 19, at a Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum presented by AIG and Alliant Private Client. The Forum, located at Concours Village near The Lodge at Pebble Beach, is free, but advanced registration is required.

The public is also invited to attend a press conference at 8 am this Saturday, August 20, at the Concours Awards Ramp at The Lodge at Pebble Beach, where Le Mans organizers are planning a very special reveal.

“The 24 Hours of Le Mans will be one hundred years old next year,” noted Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest. “To mark the occasion, we have decided to celebrate the endurance discipline around the world, during the year up to this milestone. We announced a few weeks ago that the Centenary festivities would begin in Pebble Beach, and I am delighted to be here to reveal the unique trophy created for this occasion.” There will be other surprises as well.

On Sunday, August 21, the Concours competition field will be lined with a wide range of Le Mans cars, from the two-time winning 1929 Bentley Speed Six known as “Old Number 1” to more recent competitors such as the 2016 Ford GT Multimatic Coupe and the 2020 Glickenhaus 007 LMH Le Mans Hypercar.

“We wanted to showcase 24 great cars to celebrate the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but our final number exceeds that,” said Button. “We just couldn’t say no to some of the world’s greatest endurance racers. These cars and this race merit the highest of accolades.

Contact: Kandace Hawkinson
(831) 622-1700; media@pebblebeachconcours.net