For readers who are unfamiliar with the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance, this is an event in which cars entered in the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance are driven on a planned route to demonstrate that they are roadworthy. The itinerary historically involves a 70-mile roundtrip from a starting point near the Pebble Beach Lodge via portions of the 17-Mile Drive to Highway One south to Big Sur. A car that successfully completes the tour is awarded a green ribbon and gains an advantage if it later ties in class competition at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

This free event is conducted in a festive atmosphere, despite the fact that the cars begin lining up as early as 7:00am for the start of the tour that begins at 9:30am. Once again, a first-time visitor may be surprised to find that spectators are free to roam about the cars to view and take pictures of them prior to the start of the tour. While not all of the cars competing in the later Concours d’Elegance participate in the tour, it appears that a large number do so, thereby affording people not attending the event on Sunday the opportunity to enjoy the vehicles as well.

In addition, Concours staff members circulate throughout the area with signs denoting the time remaining to the start of the tour. This helpful reminder informs participants to get ready and gives spectators time to settle into viewing spots in bleachers near the starting line or to find space on the route to appreciatively cheer the tour’s participants as they depart in two groups.

Interestingly, just as in past years the roster of tour participants included several cars that arrived just the day before after motoring 1,500 miles from Bellevue WA. They were participants in the Pebble Beach Motoring Classic, which completed its 20th year as an official event within Monterey Car Week. The cars that these intrepid adventurers drove were a mixed bag of models and years that were identified by a Palm Beach Motoring Classic sign affixed to their vehicles. Since many of them were not entrants in the Concours d’Elegance, the car’s previous arrivals as well as the tour itself were possibly the only opportunities to formally view these vehicles.

We strongly recommend that Monterey Car Week attendees take the opportunity to get up early and arrive early to view the Tour d’Elegance and enjoy the interaction of owners, spectators, and the cars themselves in this wonderfully choreographed event. 

– Andre Swygert, 2026

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