For the first time in the 73 year history of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Best of Show was awarded to a preservation car. At face value, this statement may not seem like much, but this presents a dramatic departure in the collector car community's way of thinking about "perfect" car examples. Historically the cars that win the Best in Show award are absolute perfection. Everything on the car has been restored, often to a level that is nicer than the way they were when they left the factory. Judging is hyper-scrutinizing with every little potential discrepancy being considered; down to the number of hand stitches on a door card, the proper use of something like Frearson screw over a Phillips, and even confirming that the clock on the dashboard is set to the correct time.
This year that all changed. The car that won, a 1934 Bugatti Type 59, had not been restored. It was not perfect, the paint was old and scuffed, the wood on the dash and leather on the seats were worn, and it was nowhere close to showroom condition. Instead it was a wonderfully preserved version of a fantastically rare and historically relevant car. This was not a car that was found abandoned in a barn as a shell of its former self and then brought back to life. This is a car that has been in constant and loving use for its 90 year history, being well maintained throughout its life as a running / driving piece of machinery first.
The selection of this Type 59 for one of the collector car's most coveted titles has been nothing short of controversial. It's worth noting that the preservation class has been a part of Pebble Beach since 2001, even then, many do not view it as a legitimate class for the Best in Show award.
A note from famed car collector, Dr Fred Simeone:
"Having seen my dad's pensent for restoration in the 100 point era of the collector car hobby, an era which unfortunately still predominates, I soon developed latent observations that restoration in many cases was a form of degradation. And that original finishes, trim, and preservation of cars in an as found condition certainly supervened over glorious perfection. And replacement
in the name of restoration. Because we are dealing with objects that are defined by their past, that past cannot be erased to satisfy competitive imperatives. The preservation criteria that govern other major historical collecting must apply to noteworthy automobiles if we are to earn respect as connoisseurs, rather than hobbyists. These cars are real, they exude authenticity because they're nearly exactly the way they were built the way they ran and the way they'll remain forever. Like the Hippocratic Oath one should do no harm to historically accurate artifacts, we should reward the owner for preservation not perfection. Cosmetic perfection sometimes destroys originality in the process. While cosmetic perfection is very difficult to achieve, historic Perfection is even more elusive and therefore more desirable."
Dr. Simeone passed away a couple of years ago, but he would have surely been ecstatic to see the Type 59 win this years.
The Best in Show win has forced a re-evaluation of the concepts behind preservation vs restoration. Are these automotive treasures better when they're returned to pristine, factory condition, or is there something even more special about preserving the marks of time? There is much to consider here as a car is only original once, the evolution and preservation of an object allows us a better lens into history, not only of that single artifact, but also in relationship to over restoration. Over restoration has the potential to erase part of the car's original history and without well preserved examples it becomes harder to truly measure the authenticity of original examples, in time the restorations become more generic and cookie cutter.
Learning about this groundbreaking win, I could not help to recognize the parallels that exist in the ideas of restoration vs. preservation in golf courses. Especially the potential for over restoration leading to less and less authentic historical courses.
It does see too often too little credit is given to the well preserved courses, because typically the were too poor to "screw it up", and too much credit is given to the astronomically expensive, modernly playable, restorations who's cosmetic perfection is easy to recognize, often by compromising the historic perfection of that course.