1954 Ferrari 375 MM is 2014 Pebble Beach Best of Show

 

 

The 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will feature the following marques and special classes:

• Maserati Centennial
• Ruxton
• Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa
• Fernandez et Darrin Coachwork
• Early Steam Cars
• Rolls-Royce Phantom Postwar
• Streamlined Tatra
• 1914 French Grand Prix
• Eastern European Motorcycles

Entry applications were due by January 24, and our entry selection process is nearly complete. If you are interested in requesting an entry application for our 2015 event, please wait until this fall and then send a brief one- or two-sentence description of your vehicle to entries@pebblebeachconcours.net.

2014 Pebble Beach

Best of Show

1954 Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti Coupe

Jon Shirley, Medina, Washington

 

Best of Show Nominees

1934 Hispano-Suiza J12 Fernandez et Darrin Coupé de Ville

Robert M & Anne Brockinton Lee, Reno, Nevada

1934 Packard Twelve Dietrich Convertible Victoria

Frank & Milli Ricciardelli, Sarasota, Florida

1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Vanvooren Sports Cabriolet

Lord Bamford, Gloucestershire, England

1954 Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti Coupe

Jon Shirley, Medina, Washington

 

 

 Postwar Car Takes Top Award at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
for the First Time in Nearly 50 Years

1954 Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti Coupe Named “Best of Show”

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (August 17, 2014) — Excited cheers echoed across the 18
th
fairway of
Pebble Beach Golf Links Sunday when a 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti Coupe was named
Best of Show at the 64
th
annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The car, owned by Jon
Shirley of Medina, Washington, was the first postwar car to take the top award at the prestigious
event in nearly five decades. It was also the first Ferrari to win.

 

“This is a road-going Ferrari, and it has had quite the famous life having been designed by Sergio
Scaglietti for Roberto Rossellini,” said Chairman Sandra Button. “Its design was also trendsetting.

So it is fitting that this is our first postwar winner in many years.”

The last postwar car to be named Best of Show was a 1964 Maserati Mistral Coupé,

which topped contenders back in 1968.

When asked about the significance of the win by his postwar car, Shirley said, “I just hope it
means that some more will have the chance to do the same thing. There are some wonderful
coachbuilt postwar cars, and I think the owners should bring them here and try for the Best. I’ve
won Best of Show before but this was really a special thrill to do it with this car.” Shirley, the
former president of Microsoft, previously won in 2008 with a 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B
Touring Berlinetta.

The 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance showcased 216 cars and motorcycles, 35 of which
came from outside of the United States. It also raised $1,677,445 for charity, bringing total
charitable donations from the Concours to more than $19 million over time.

The event marked the centennial of Maserati and included first-time features of Ruxtons, the first
American passenger cars with front-wheel drive, and Streamlined Tatras, technological wonders
built in Czechoslovakia. A jaw-dropping display of 20 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossas was placed at
one end of the show field, and cars exhibiting the curvaceous coachwork of Fernandez et Darrin
posed at the edge of Carmel Bay. There were also special classes for Postwar Rolls-Royce
Phantoms and Eastern European Motorcycles, and a display honoring cars that participated in the
1914 French Grand Prix.

The judging process at the Pebble Beach Concours is two-fold: Class Judges focus primarily on
originality and authenticity, while Honorary Judges direct their attention to design, styling and
elegance. To be eligible to win Best of Show—the event’s top award—a car must first win its
class.

Shirley acquired his winning Ferrari back in 1995, and after a full restoration, he first showed the
car at the Pebble Beach Concours in 1998. It won its class on that occasion, but did not go
further. After being used on numerous tours and rallies, the car was recently restored once more,
with a focus on originality, incorporating new research. For example, leather seats were returned
to their original vinyl. The final result on Sunday was dramatically different, with the car
garnering Best of Show.

“The styling is very special, but I love the engine, I love to drive the car,” said Shirley. “It’s a
very powerful car. It’s a racecar underneath; it’s four and one-half liters. And it’s a great deal of
fun.”

Other nominees for Best of Show included a 1934 Hispano-Suiza J12 Fernandez et Darrin Coupé
de Ville owned by Robert M and Anne Brockinton Lee of Reno, Nevada; a 1934 Packard
Twelve Dietrich Convertible Victoria owned by Frank and Milli Ricciardelli of Sarasota,
Florida; and a 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Vanvooren Sports Cabriolet owned by Lord
Bamford of Gloucestershire, England.