• by Karl Greenberg , August 15, 2008

If the big North American auto shows in L.A., Detroit and New York cater to the masses, where do the luxury carmakers go to show new vehicles to a particularly affluent crowd? This week, it would be Monterey, Calif., site of the yearly Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

Each August, on the peninsula once known for "Cannery Row" and the hardscrabble life of itinerant workers and the commercial fisheries John Steinbeck wrote about, luxury automotive brands converge at Pebble Beach, the realm of golfing, the Pacific Coast Highway, fine wine, and Clint Eastwood to tie their brands to the multi-day series of events culminating in the traditional Sunday Concours.

The Concours, a car show-cum-competition, has collectors from around the world fastidiously depositing 175 collector cars upon the eighteenth fairway at Pebble Beach, where judges grade them by historical accuracy and aesthetic appeal.

The event is also a staging area for automakers from Cadillac to Bentley to show off special editions and new models.

Nancy Hubbell, Lexus prestige communications manager, says Lexus has an exclusive arrangement with the Pebble Beach Resorts to offer a "Pebble Beach Collection" of limited-edition series of cars. The company is using the event, which occurs through Sunday, to unveil a Pebble Beach Collection version of the SC 430 coupe, LS hybrid, and RX and ES cars.

But the show will also be a critical event for another sponsor, Korean automaker Hyundai, which is launching its first true luxury vehicle this year--Genesis, which it will display at the show, per a spokesperson. He says Hyundai will be showing a pre-production version of the 2010 Genesis Coupe (due out the first quarter of '09), as well as all-new V6 and V8 Genesis sedans. "In fact, Genesis sedans will be used to provide transportation to attendees from the parking area to the front of the main lodge," he says.

The Concours lists some 70 corporate sponsors including Rolex, Maserati, Ford, Dodge, Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz. Toyota's luxury division is also co-sponsoring a fashion show with Vogue magazine on Friday, where it will also use the show to unveil the LF-A concept roadster.

Hubbell says the event gets global coverage in auto buff books, fashion books, and prestige lifestyle magazines. "It is absolutely the premiere concours event in the world," says Hubbell. "It draws people internationally." Over the years, the event has expanded to several days of races, drives, auto displays and lifestyle events. "When people say they are going to Pebble Beach, they may not be going to the actual Concours, because there are so many affiliated events," she says. "It has really evolved into a destination."