Classic Isotta Fraschini wins Pebble Beach Concours

The 65th annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance returned to the classics Sunday with its best of show winner, a spectacular 1924 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A cabriolet that stood apart from among more than 200 of the world’s greatest vintage cars.

For seasoned concours veterans, the victory by the Italian classic convertible was a return to normal after a stunning victory last year by a coachbuilt 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti, the first Ferrari to win Pebble and the first post-war car to do so since 1968, and it had been since 1954 before that.

There was much hand wringing in the aftermath that things would never be the same after the Ferrari was crowned, but the win by the Isotta showed that tradition endures, only richer and more inclusive.

The Isotta Fraschini, owned by Jim Patterson of Louisville, Kentucky, was rebodied in 1933 by Carrosserie Worblaufen as a long-wheelbase sport cabriolet and was presented at the 1932 Geneva Auto Show. It reportedly has been in the possession of only four owners since new.

The car was restored recently by RM Restorations, and it marks the sixth win at Pebble by an RM car,  tying the Nethercutt Collection’s record of six best-of-show winners.

This is the second Pebble Beach Concours victory for Patterson, the head of the Patterson Collection of Louisville. In 2010, his 1933 Delage D8S roadster was awarded best of show.

Patterson noted in remarks after the award ceremony Sunday that his Delage was an all-white car while the Isotta Fraschini is black.

Complete list of 2015 Pebble Beach Concours winners

Best of Show

1924 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A F. Ramseier & Cie Worblaufen Cabriolet Jim Patterson/The Patterson Collection, Louisville, Kentucky

Best of Show Nominees

1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Kellner Torpedo Phaeton
Doug Magee Jr., Wolfeboro, New Hampshire

1937 Delahaye 145 Franay Cabriolet
Sam & Emily Mann, Englewood, New Jersey

1953 Abarth 1100 Sport Ghia Coupé
Grant Kinzel, Calgary Alberta, Canada

Most Elegant Awards

J.B. & Dorothy Nethercutt Most Elegant Closed Car
1932 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Figoni & Falaschi Pillarless Berline Don Williams, Danville, California

Gwenn Graham Most Elegant Convertible
1937 Delahaye 145 Franay Cabriolet
Sam & Emily Mann, Englewood, New Jersey

Most Elegant Open Car
1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Kellner Torpedo Phaeton
Doug Magee Jr., Wolfeboro, New Hampshire

Strother MacMinn Most Elegant Sports Car

1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta
Jon Shirley, Medina, Washington

Special Awards

Alec Ulmann Trophy
1929 Hispano-Suiza H6B Hibbard & Darrin Cabriolet de VIlle
H. Hulsbergen, Freienbach, Switzerland

Ansel Adams Award
1923 Mercer Series 6 Sporting
Kirk M. Pumphrey, San Jose, California

Art Center College of Design Award
1955 Maserati A6G 2000 Zagato Coupé
Jack Croul, Corona Del Mar, California

Briggs Cunningham Trophy
1953 Cunningham C-5R Roadster
The Revs Institute for Automotive Research, Inc., Naples, Florida

Chairmans Trophy
1926 Renault 45MC Manessius Cabriolet de Ville
George F. Wingard, Eugene, Oregon

Charles A. Chayne Trophy
1902 Panhard et Levassor Type B1 Saloon
Merle & Peter Mullin, Oxnard, California

Classic Car Club of America Trophy
1931 duPont Model H Merrimac Sport Phaeton
Richard Riegel, Bedford Hills, New York

Dean Batchelor Trophy
1951 Mercury 1CM Bob Hirohata Custom Coupe
Jim and Sue McNiel, Orange, California

Elegance in Motion Trophy
1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Touring Spider
The Keller Collection at the Pyramids, Petaluma, California

Enzo Ferrari Trophy
1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Scaglietti Berlinetta Competizione
Big Fork Holdings, LLC., Menlo Park, California

FIVA Prewar Trophy
1921 Stutz K Bearcat
Wayne Carini, Portland, Connecticut

FIVA Postwar Trophy
1956 Jaguar D-type Roadster
Roger Hoffmann, Point Reyes Station, California

French Cup
1939 Bugatti Type 57C Vanvooren Cabriolet
Margie & Robert E. Petersen Collection, Los Angeles, California

Gran Turismo Trophy
1952 Cunningham C-4R Competition Roadster
The Simeone Automotive Foundation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Lincoln Trophy
1933 Lincoln KB Dietrich Five Passenger Convertible Sedan
John P. Shibles, Sea Grit, New Jersey

Lorin Tryon Trophy 
General William Lyon, Newport Beach, California

Lucius Beebe Trophy
1952 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV Hooper Sedanca de Ville
Ion Tiriac, Monaco

Mercedes-Benz Star of Excellence Award
1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Roadster
Miyabi Collection, Honolulu, Hawaii

Mille Miglia Pre-War Trophy
1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Touring Coupé
David B. Smith, Medina, Washington

Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy
1931 Invicta LS Carbodies Coupé
Richard & Susanne Stephens, Woodside, California

The Phil Hill Cup
1952 Ferrari 340 Mexico Vignale Spyder
Les Wexner, New Albany, Ohio

The Revs Program at Stanford Award
1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Kellner Torpedo Phaeton
Doug Magee Jr., Wolfeboro, New Hampshire

Road & Track Trophy
1965 Ford Shelby Mustang GT350
John Atzbach, Redmond, Washington

The Tony Hulman Trophy
1948 Talbot-Lago T26C Grand Prix Racer
Denis Bigioni, Pickering, Ontario

The Vitesse – Elegance Trophy
1946 Delahaye 135 MS Pourtout Coupé Aérodynamique
Neal & Susan Ryan, Smithtown, New York

First place class winners

Class A-1: Antique:   1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Kellner Torpedo Phaeton, Doug Magee Jr., Wolfeboro, New Hampshire

Class A-2: Pope:  1912 Pope-Hartford 27  Pony Tonneau, Kirk and Ross Bewley, Sacramento, California

Class B: Vintage:   1920 Stutz Series H Bearcat, Stanley & Merle Bauer, Beverly Hills

Class C-1: American Classic Open:   1931 Chrysler CG Imperial LeBaron Dual Cowl Phaeton, Aaron & Valerie Weiss, San Marino, California

Class C-2: American Classic Open Packard:  1934 Packard 1107 Twelve  Convertible Victoria, Laura & Jack B. Smith Jr., Elkhart, Indiana

Class C-3: American Classic Closed:   1930 Stutz MB Weymann Monte Carlo, Joseph Cassini III & Margie Cassini, West Orange, New Jersey

Class D: duPont :  1931 duPont Model H Merrimac Sport Phaeton, Richard Riegel, Bedford Hills, New York

Class G: Duesenberg:   1934 Duesenberg J Walker-LaGrande Convertible Coupe, Harry Yeaggy, Cincinnati, Ohio

Class H-1: Rolls-Royce Prewar:  1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Brewster Special Permanent Newmarket, Orin & Stephanie Smith, Vero Beach, Florida

Class H-2: Rolls-Royce and Bentley Postwar:  1952 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV Hooper Sedanca de Ville, Ion Tiriac, Monaco

Class I: Mercedes-Benz:   1928 Mercedes-Benz 680S  Tourer, The Keller Collection at The Pyramids, Petaluma, California

Class J-1: European Classic Early: 1924 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A F. Ramseier & Cie Worblaufern Cabriolet, Jim Patterson/The Patterson Collection, Louisville, Kentucky

Class J-2: European Classic Late: 1937 Delahaye 145 Franay Cabriolet, Sam & Emily Mann, Englewood, New Jersey

Class K-1: British Prewar Sports Cars Early:  1927 Bentley 3 Litre Vanden Plas Sports Tourer, Private Collection

Class K-2: British Prewar Sports Cars Late:  1937 Jaguar SS 100  Roadster, Jaime & Cecilia Muldoon, Guadalajara, Mexico

Class L-1: Prewar Preservation:  1906 Pierce Great Arrow 40-45  7 Passenger Touring, Leonard-Steven Schuster, New York, New York

Class L-2: Postwar Preservation:   1956 Jaguar D-type  Roadster, Roger Hoffmann, Point Reyes Station, California

Class M-1: Ferrari Grand Touring:   1957 Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Cabriolet Series I, Peter S. Kalikow, New York, New York

Class M-2: Ferrari Competition:   1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Scaglietti Berlinetta Competizione, Big Fork Holdings, LLC., Menlo Park, California

Class M-3: Ferraris in the Pebble Beach Road Races: 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Pinin Farina Spyder Series I, Thomas R. Peck, Irvine, California

Class M-4: Ferrari Preservation:  1964 Ferrari 250 GTL Scaglietti Berlinetta Lusso, Private Collection

Class N: Designs by Carrozzeria Touring:   1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500  Touring Coupé, David B. Smith, Medina, Washington

Class O-1: Postwar Early: 1953 Abarth 1100 Sport Ghia Coupé, Grant Kinzel, Calgary Alberta, Canada

Class O-2: Postwar Late”   1954 Fiat 8V Supersonic Ghia Coupe, Marc Behaegel, Gent, Belgium

Class O-3: Postwar Racing:  1965 Shelby Cobra  Daytona Coupe, Kazuo Maruyama, Tokyo, Japan

Class P: Postwar Cunninghams:  1951 Cunningham C-2  Roadster, T. G. Mittler, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Class R: Mercury Customs: 1951 Mercury 1CM Bob Hirohata Custom Coupe, Jim and Sue McNiel, Orange, California

Class S: Shelby GT350 50th Anniversary:   1965 Ford Shelby Mustang GT350, John Atzbach, Redmond, Washington