Revving up for the 75th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

In his Jaguar XK120, Phil Hill races to a win in the first Pebble Beach Cup, the premier event of the first Pebble Beach Road Races, held on November 4, 1950. (Photo: Julian P. Graham / Pebble Beach Company Lagorio Archives)

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA (November 5, 2025)­­­­— Amidst its 75th celebration the 2026 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will pay tribute to its historic roots in racing. 

The first Pebble Beach Road Race took place on this very date in November 1950, and the first Pebble Beach Concours was held in tandem with it. Concours cars were shown and judged in a nearby field, then they paraded down the start-finish straight of the race course.

“In truth, the Pebble Beach Concours owes everything to that race,” said Concours Chairman Sandra Button. “The race was clearly the main event, drawing crowds from far and wide. The concours was secondary—a last-minute addition to serve as a social gathering and add a bit of style.”

Auto races weren’t entirely new to the area; Hotel Del Monte, a precursor to The Lodge at Pebble Beach, had hosted some of the earliest races on the West Coast from 1903 through 1907. But those races took place on a horse track, while the 1950 course was laid out on the scenic roads of Del Monte Forest in keeping with a newfound love for road racing that was spreading from Europe across the US.

The Pebble Beach Road Race was the brainchild of Sterling Edwards, who hoped to come out on top with his new Edwards R-26 Special Sport Roadster. Instead, the first Pebble Beach Cup went to a young Phil Hill in a Jaguar XK120. Hill went on to become America’s first World Drivers’ Champion and the first person to complete the triple crown of endurance racing, winning at Le Mans, Sebring and Daytona. Edwards took home a different award—Best of Show at the first Pebble Beach Concours.

Hill often cited Pebble Beach as the start of his road racing career, noting it was certainly “the most important” race on the West Coast. A multitude of top racers and constructors took part in races held at the resort in the 1950s, including Carroll Shelby, Ken Miles, Richie Ginther, Bill Pollack, and Phil Remington, along with celebrities such as Jackie Cooper.

Ultimately, the tree-lined winding roads proved to be too tight for the increasing speeds. After a tragic fatal accident in 1956, a purpose-built course was carved out of a nearby dry lake—“Laguna Seca”—and racing continues there to this day.

The early combination of races and concours later inspired the pairing of the Monterey Historic Automobile Races, now the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, with the concours beginning in 1974. And the ongoing success of both events have inspired a multitude of motorsports events around the world.

The 75th celebration of the Pebble Beach Concours will feature a gathering of Pebble Beach Road Racing greats that showcase the evolution of sporting cars in the early 1950s. Curated by Concours Selection Committee member Ken Gross and Del Monte Trophy Race Group steward Rob Manson, the grouping will pair top models from manufacturers with some of the most iconic one-off specials.

The Concours will take place at The Lodge at Pebble Beach on August 16, 2026. The event will also include a very special gathering that pays tribute to iconic groups of cars that were first brought together at the Pebble Beach Concours. More details and features will be announced in the coming days and weeks, and ticket sales will open later this month.

The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is also partnering with the Pebble Beach Concours to showcase Pebble Beach Road Race cars at Laguna Seca. And a comprehensive history of the Pebble Beach Road Races will be published later this year.