Pebble Beach: Clark Gable’s Duesenberg, queen of the Concours
The extremely rare 1935 SSJ Special Speedster won Best of Show at the 75th edition. Ferrari took centre stage amongst the finalists and special award winners. A total of 218 cars from 14 countries took part, whilst the charity fundraising total exceeded 50 million dollars.
A 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster, formerly owned by Clark Gable, is the star of Pebble Beach. This extremely rare American sports car won Best in Show at the 75th edition of the Concours d’Elegance, the highlight of Monterey Car Week and now one of the world’s leading events dedicated to classic car collecting. A total of 218 cars were on display on the fairway of the 18th hole, 185 of which came from 30 US states and 33 from 14 other countries.
The winning car, presented by the collector Harry Yeaggy from Cincinnati, represents one of the finest examples of American motoring from the 1930s. Only two examples of the SSJ – a short-wheelbase, supercharged version of the Duesenberg – were ever built: one for Gable and the other for Gary Cooper. Recently restored to its original specification, with black lacquer bodywork and a light tan leather interior, it retains its spectacular proportions, dominated by the extremely long bonnet and the steeply raked windscreen.
For Yeaggy, this is the second Best of Show at Pebble Beach, following the one won in 2007 with the Duesenberg SJ Speedster ‘Mormon Meteor’. This success also brings the American brand’s total number of overall victories in the history of the Concours to eight.
However, the final selection also confirms the significance of European motoring culture. Competing for the title against the Duesenberg were the 1938 Delahaye 165 Cabriolet Figoni et Falaschi and two Ferraris: the 1955 375 MM Berlinetta Pinin Farina and the 1954 375 America Cabriolet Vignale. Maranello picked up further major honours: the Enzo Ferrari Trophy went to the 1956 500 Testa Rossa Scaglietti Spyder, the Gran Turismo Trophy to the 1961 250 GT Sperimentale Pininfarina Coupé and the Pininfarina Trophy to the 1958 250 GT Series I Cabriolet.
Among the awards for elegance, those presented to the 1937 Talbot-Lago T150 C-SS Teardrop Coupé, the 1937 Bentley 4¼ Litre Sports Tourer and the 1953 Fiat 8V Ghia Supersonic stand out. The ArtCenter College of Design Award, meanwhile, went to the 1974 Lancia Stratos HF Stradale, whilst the Chairman’s Trophy was awarded to the 1949 Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta.
