Freshly restored Mercedes scoops top award at Pebble Beach

| 21 Aug 2017

A 1929 Mercedes-Benz S Barker Tourer belonging to US collector Bruce McCaw has won Best of Show at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, beating stiff competition from a 1957 Ferrari 315 S Scaglietti Spyder belonging to McCaw’s brother, John. 

The stunning pre-war tourer emerged from restoration just a week before the show, finished in a rich blue said to be inspired by a dress from the 1850s made from peacock feathers. The Mercedes retained its original Marchal lighting equipment and chrome-plated wheels, as well as a raft of tools housed within unusual torpedo-style running boards. 

“We’ve had the car for several years,” said McCaw. “The question was whether or not to restore it. I always hate to restore something that doesn’t need it. But we finally found enough pictures that we knew the car needed to be restored.”

Concours Chairman Sandra Button said: “This Mercedes-Benz S Barker Tourer is a combination of speed, style and power. Somehow these three elements – along with those fantastic torpedo running boards – become the very definition of elegance.”

In an interesting case of sibling rivalry, Bruce McCaw’s Mercedes went head-to-head with a 1957 Ferrari 315 S Scaglietti Spyder owned by his brother John McCaw, and John’s wife Gwen. The 315 scooped the top gong in the Ferrari Major Race Winners category, edging the 1950 166MM Touring Barchetta of Jack and Kingsley Croul – which was awarded the Enzo Ferrari Trophy – and the 312 T F1 racer of Richard Griot. 

The trio of Best of Show nominees was completed by William Connor’s 1932 Packard 906 Twin Six Dietrich Convertible Victoria, which won the Gwenn Graham Most Elegant Convertible award as well as coming out on top in the Packard class ahead of a 1932 904 Deluxe Eight Dietrich Sport Phaeton and a 1703 Super-8 Darrin Convertible Victoria. 

Full list of award winners

Best of Show

1929 Mercedes-Benz S Barker Tourer
Bruce R. McCaw, Bellevue, Washington
 
Best of Show Nominees

1932 Packard 906 Twin Six Dietrich Convertible Victoria
William E. (Chip) Connor, Reno, Nevada

1957 Ferrari 315 S Scaglietti Spyder
John & Gwen McCaw 

Elegance Awards

Gwenn Graham Most Elegant Convertible

1932 Packard 906 Twin Six Dietrich Convertible Victoria
William E. (Chip) Connor, Reno, Nevada

J.B. & Dorothy Nethercutt Most Elegant Closed Car
1937 Bugatti Type 57S Gangloff Coupé
The Hon. Sir Michael Kadoorie, Hong Kong

Jules Heumann Most Elegant Open Car
1929 Mercedes-Benz S Barker Tourer
Bruce R. McCaw, Bellevue, Washington

Strother MacMinn Most Elegant Sports Car
1955 Ferrari 375 Plus Pinin Farina Cabriolet Speciale
The Golomb Family Trust
 
Special Awards

Alec Ulmann Trophy
1931 Hispano-Suiza J12 Saoutchik Transformable Grande Luxe
Mark & Sonia Richter, Wanaka, New Zealand

Ansel Adams Award
1906 Pope-Toledo Type XII Touring
The Nethercutt Collection – Helen & Jack Nethercutt, Sylmar, California

ArtCenter College of Design Award
1933 Auburn 12-165 Speedster
Lou & Kathy Ficco, Wheat Ridge, Colorado

Briggs Cunningham Trophy
1931 Bentley 8 Litre Vanden Plas Tourer
Axel Schuette Fine Cars GmbH & Co. KG, Oerlinghausen, Germany

Chairman’s Trophy
1904 Holsman Model 3 Runabout
Marta Holsman and Henrietta Holsman, Carpinteria, California

Charles A. Chayne Trophy
1909 De Dion-Bouton BV Type de Course
John S. Adamick, Westlake Village, California

Classic Car Club of America Trophy
1940 Packard 1807 Custom Super Eight Rollson Sport Sedan
Michelle & Martin Cousineau, Beverly Hills, California

Dean Batchelor Trophy
1967 Gyro-X Alex Tremulis Prototype
Lane Motor Museum, Nashville, Tennessee

Elegance in Motion Trophy
1932 Packard 906 Twin Six Dietrich Convertible Victoria
William E. (Chip) Connor, Reno, Nevada

Enzo Ferrari Trophy
1949 Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta
Anne Brockinton Lee / Robert M. Lee Automobile Collection, Reno, Nevada

FIVA Postwar Trophy
1953 Bentley R-Type Continental H.J. Mulliner Sports Saloon
Derek Hood, Maldon, England

FIVA Prewar Trophy
1916 Locomobile Model 38 Collapsible Cabriolet
Mike Guffey, Hartford City, Indiana

The French Cup
1947 Delahaye 135 MS Figoni & Falaschi Cabriolet
Wayne Grafton, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada

Gran Turismo Trophy
1929 Mercedes-Benz S Barker Tourer
Bruce R. McCaw, Bellevue, Washington

Lincoln Trophy
1933 Lincoln KB-260 Brunn Convertible Victoria
Bill & Barbara Parfet, Hickory Corners, Michigan

Lorin Tryon Trophy
Robert T. Devlin

Lucius Beebe Trophy
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Brewster Ascot Tourer
Jay & Christina Moore, Lahaina, Hawaii

Mercedes-Benz Star of Excellence Award
1929 Mercedes-Benz SS Castagna Cabriolet
The Keller Collection at The Pyramids, Petaluma, California

Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy
1936 Rolls-Royce Phantom III H.J. Mulliner Sports Limousine
Mr. & Mrs. Henry Robet, France

The Phil Hill Cup
1907 Renault AI 35/45 HP Vanderbilt Racer
Robert Kauffman, Charlotte, North Carolina

The Revs Program at Stanford Award
1907 Renault AI 35/45 HP Vanderbilt Racer
Robert Kauffman, Charlotte, North Carolina

Tony Hulman Trophy
1915 Packard 2-38 Six Runabout
Allen Strong, Urbana, Illinois

The Vitesse ~ Elegance Trophy
1956 Maserati 300S Fantuzzi Race Car
Henri Chambon, Vence, France

Class Winners

Class A: Antique
1st: 1913 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Barker Torpedo, Charles E. Nearburg, Dallas, Texas
2nd: 1906 Pope-Toledo Type XII Touring, The Nethercutt Collection – Helen & Jack Nethercutt, Sylmar, California
3rd: 1910 Thomas Flyer Model K 6-70 Flyabout, Jim Grundy, Solebury, Pennsylvania

Class C-1: American Classic Open
1st: 1932 Studebaker President Series 91 Convertible Sedan, George & Valerie Vassos, Westfield, Massachusetts
2nd: 1933 Lincoln KB-260 Brunn Convertible Victoria, Bill & Barbara Parfet, Hickory Corners, Michigan
3rd: 1928 Stearns-Knight H 8-90 Phillips Cabriolet, Brent Merrill, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Class C-2: American Classic Closed
1st: 1940 Packard 1807 Custom Super Eight Rollson Sport Sedan, Michelle & Martin Cousineau, Beverly Hills, California
2nd: 1933 Chrysler CL Imperial Custom LeBaron Sedan, Larry & Susan Nannini, Daly City, California
3rd: 1930 Cord L-29 Brougham, Shawn Coady, Loda, Illinois

Class D: Packard
1st: 1932 Packard 906 Twin Six Dietrich Convertible Victoria, William E. (Chip) Connor, Reno, Nevada
2nd: 1932 Packard 904 Deluxe Eight Dietrich Sport Phaeton, Samuel Lehrman, Palm Beach, Florida
3rd: 1939 Packard 1703 Super-8 Darrin Convertible Victoria, Leon Flagg and Curtis Lamon, Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin

Class G: Duesenberg
1st: 1935 Duesenberg SJ Bohman & Schwartz Town Car, Lee & Penny Anderson, Naples, Florida
2nd: 1935 Duesenberg JN Rollston Berline, Rob & Jeannie Hilarides, Visalia, California
3rd: 1931 Duesenberg J Murphy Convertible Coupe, Linda & Paul Gould, Pawling, New York

Class H: Rolls-Royce Prewar
1st: 1936 Rolls-Royce Phantom III H.J. Mulliner Sports Limousine, Mr. & Mrs. Henry Robet, France
2nd: 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Brewster Ascot Tourer, Jay & Christina Moore, Lahaina, Hawaii
3rd: 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Inskip Convertible Roadster, Stephen Brauer, St. Louis, Missouri

Class I: Mercedes-Benz Prewar
1st: 1929 Mercedes-Benz S Barker Tourer, Bruce R. McCaw, Bellevue, Washington
2nd: 1929 Mercedes-Benz SS Castagna Cabriolet, The Keller Collection at The Pyramids, Petaluma, California
3rd: 1934 Mercedes-Benz 380K Cabriolet A, Yi Hong Chen, Beijing, China

Class J-1: European Classic Early
1st: 1931 Hispano-Suiza J12 Saoutchik Transformable Grande Luxe, Mark & Sonia Richter, Wanaka, New Zealand
2nd: 1931 Bentley Speed Six Vanden Plas Open Four Seater Sports, Ivor Dunbar, London, England
3rd: 1930 Delage D8C Chapron Cabriolet, Ray & Bonnie Kinney, Dallas, Texas

Class J-2: European Classic Mid
1st: 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Gangloff Coupé, The Hon. Sir Michael Kadoorie, Hong Kong
2nd: 1934 Delage D8 S Fernandez et Darrin Cabriolet, John Rich Jr., Frackville, Pennsylvania
3rd: 1934 SS Cars SS1 Fixed Head Coupé, Carl & Marcia Baxter, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania

Class J-3: European Classic Late
1st: 1939 Bugatti Type 57C Voll & Ruhrbeck Cabriolet, Jim Patterson / The Patterson Collection, Louisville, Kentucky
2nd: 1938 Lagonda V12 Rapide Drophead Coupé, Ron Rezek, Ashland, Oregon
3rd: 1938 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300B Graber Mille Miglia Cabriolet, Dr. Matthias Metz, Rosengarten, Germany

Class J-4: European Classic Sport
1st: 1930 Bentley 4½ Litre SC Vanden Plas Le Mans Sports, Private Collection
2nd: 1935 Lagonda M45 Rapide Tourer, Richard D. Lisman, Southampton, New York
3rd: 1930 OM Tipo 665 SS MM Works Race Car, Michael Haentjes, Hamburg, Germany

Class K-1: Isotta Fraschini
1st: 1927 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A Fleetwood Roadster, Joseph & Margie Cassini III, West Orange, New Jersey
2nd: 1928 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A SS LeBaron Cabriolet, Peter T. Boyle, Covington, Ohio
3rd: 1931 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8B Viggo Jensen Cabriolet, The Keller Collection at The Pyramids, Petaluma, California

Class K-2: Isotta Fraschini Castagna Coachwork Open
1st: 1930 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A SS Castagna Cabriolet, Karol Pavlu, Bratislava, Slovakia
2nd: 1932 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A SS Castagna Commodore, Blake & Lauren Atwell, Buda, Texas
3rd: 1928 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A Castagna Commodore, The Stephens Family, San Francisco, California

Class K-3: Isotta Fraschini Castagna Coachwork Closed
1st: 1929 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A Castagna Limousine, Morton Bullock, Ruxton, Maryland
2nd: 1929 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A Castagna Imperial Cabriolet, Paul & Joyce Toberty, Newport Coast, California
3rd: 1928 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A Castagna Imperial Landaulet, The Nethercutt Collection – Helen & Jack Nethercutt, Sylmar, California

Class L-1: Prewar Preservation
1st: 1931 Bentley 8 Litre Vanden Plas Tourer, Axel Schuette Fine Cars GmbH & Co. KG, Oerlinghausen, Germany
2nd: 1916 Locomobile Model 38 Collapsible Cabriolet, Mike Guffey, Hartford City, Indiana
3rd: 1930 Bentley Speed Six Gurney Nutting Sports Saloon, Gregor Fisken, London, England

Class L-2: Postwar Preservation
1st: 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, Lukas Hüni, Zurich, Switzerland
2nd: 1954 Jaguar XK120 Open Two Seater, Kim McCullough, Pompton Plains, New Jersey
3rd: 1960 Abarth 1000 Record Pininfarina Prototype, Simone Bertolero, Moncalieri, Italy

Class M-1: Ferrari Grand Touring
1st: 1951 Ferrari 212 Export Vignale Cabriolet, Peter S. Kalikow, New York
2nd: 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Scaglietti Berlinetta, Bob Cohen, Beverly Hills, California
3rd: 1968 Ferrari 275 GTS/4 Scaglietti NART Spyder, Chris & Ann Cox, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Class M-2: Ferrari Competition
1st: 1958 Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti Spyder, Andreas Mohringer, Salzburg, Austria
2nd: 1951 Ferrari 212 Export Touring Barchetta, Thomas Peck, Irvine, California
3rd: 1967 Ferrari 412 P Competizione, Harry Yeaggy, Cincinnati, Ohio

Class M-3: Ferrari Major Race Winners
1st: 1957 Ferrari 315 S Scaglietti Spyder, John & Gwen McCaw
2nd: 1950 Ferrari 166 MM Touring Berlinetta, Jack & Kingsley Croul, Corona del Mar, California
3rd: 1975 Ferrari 312 T F1 Race Car, Richard Griot, Tacoma, Washington

Class M-4: Ferrari One-off Speciales
1st: 1957 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Pinin Farina Coupe, Lee & Joan Herrington (for the Herrington Corp. Collection), Bow, New Hampshire
2nd: 1955 Ferrari 375 Plus Pinin Farina Cabriolet Speciale, The Golomb Family Trust
3rd: 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Boano Cabriolet, Anne Brockinton Lee / Robert M. Lee Automobile Collection, Reno, Nevada

Class O-1: Postwar Open
1st: 1952 Porsche 356 Reutter Cabriolet, Robert Ingram / The Ingram Collection, Durham, North Carolina
2nd: 1965 AC Cobra 427 Roadster, Mr. and Mrs. William H. Swanson, Boston, Massachusetts
3rd: 1951 Cisitalia 202 SC Vignale Cabriolet, Leo & Lisa Schigiel, Miami Beach, Florida

Class O-2: Postwar Closed
1st: 1955 Alfa Romeo 1900 CSS Boano Coupé Speciale, Tony Shooshani, Long Beach, California
2nd: 1954 Jaguar XK120 SE Pinin Farina Coupé, Classic Motor Cars Ltd., Bridgnorth, England
3rd: 1953 Siata 208CS Coupé, Tim & Janet Walker

Class O-3: Postwar Racing
1st: 1952 Siata 208CS Corsa Bertone Spider, Raffi Najjarian, Brisbane, California
2nd: 1954 Alfa Romeo 1900 CSS Zagato Coupé, Jack & Kingsley Croul, Corona del Mar, California
3rd: 1955 Alfa Romeo 1900 CSS Zagato Coupé, David & Jody Smith, Medina, Washington

Class O-4: Postwar Grand Touring
1st: 1947 Delahaye 135 MS Figoni & Falaschi Cabriolet, Wayne Grafton, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
2nd: 1948 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8C Monterosa Boneschi Cabriolet, Collezione Lopresto, Milan, Italy
3rd: 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SC Coupe, Vin & Erica Di Bona, Los Angeles, California

Class R: American Dream Cars of the 1960s
1st: 1965 Pontiac Vivant Herb Adams Roadster, Mark & Newie Brinker, Houston, Texas
2nd: 1966 Bosley Mark II Interstate Coupe, Stephen & Kim Bruno, Boca Raton, Florida
3rd: 1969 Farago CF 428 Carrozzeria Coggiola Coupe, Frank Campanale, Orchard Lake, Michigan

Class V: Open Wheel Race Cars
1st: 1907 Renault AI 35/45 HP Vanderbilt Racer, Robert Kauffman, Charlotte, North Carolina
2nd: 1908 Mors Grand Prix Race Car, Collier Collection at The Revs Institute, Naples, Florida
3rd: 1909 Isotta Fraschini FENC Tipo A Factory Touring, Harold Peters and Juanita Doerksen