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I almost had to go to Pebble Beach this year since the featured marque was Alfa Romeo, with an exhibit of designs by Pininfarina. Plus the Mercedes 300 SL which Stirling Moss drove in the 1955 Mille Miglia was to be on display. I was fortunate enough obtain a guest pass along with a parking pass for the Polo Field, close to the entrance.

According to Octane Magazine, the design of these cars was inspired by the tail fins popular in the United State in the 1950s. These cars were base on the 1900 Alfa's first post war production car.


Group shot of the BAT Cars.	Front view of BAT 5. I understand that at one point this car found its way to a dentist in the US who regularly drove it, although the tails we cut off.

BAT 9

	Rear view of BAT 7

These cars were on display as part of the Pinifarina Exhibit. Many of them shown here are part of the Robert Lee Collection.


Ferrari 250 GT, 1957, formerly owned by Peter Collins. Note the Triumph TR-3 style door cut, made at the request of Collins.	Ferrari 410 Super America Superfast, 1956

Eden ROC, Beach Car (1956). Based upon a Fiat 600 Chassis. This car was displayed adjacent to the Ferrari 250GT and 410 SA Superfast. Of the three, it was one which recieved the most attention.	Inspite of its looks, the car is not amphibious.

Cadillac 452A (1931)	Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B (1938) Touring Spyder.

Probably the most famous vintage race car of 2005 was the Mercedes Benz 300SLR which Stirling Moss, with the aid of navigator Dennis Jenkinson, drove to victory in the 1955 Mille Miglia. Not only was 2005 the 50th anniversary of the race, but Mercedes has announce that after this year, this car would be retired to the factory museum. But even without the historical background, this is a fascinating vehicle, especially considering the period in which it was built. To call this car state of the art may be an understatement.

The motor is a 2982 cc straight 8 with an aluminum alloy crankcase. The motor also features dual overhead desmodromic valves with fuel delivery by direct injection. The car uses a transaxle which gives it a front/ rear weight distribution of 24/58 percent. The front and rear brakes are inboard, drum. To minimize weight the body work is not aluminum, but rather magnesium alloy. The design was based upon the W196 Grand Prix race car. Among the features the 300SLR shared with the W196 was the requirement for the driver legs to straddle the drive shaft.

In spite of three visits to Italy for the Mille Miglia, in which the factory allowed the car to participate, I was never able to see it up close. When I heard this car was appear at the 2005 Pebble Beach event, as part of its final world tour, I had to attend. I'd like to thank fellow Formula Ford driver Scott Bergan for arranging for me get a guest pass so I could see N722 up close. Wherever N722 appears, it is always accompanied by crowds and it was rare to get a photograph of the car with no one around. Any photos here, of just N722 were the results of the much patience in just waiting for the few brief moments no one was near the car.

Apparently the 300SLR has its own Mercedes Benz Transporter, which is a period vehicle. I don't know if its the same one as used in 1955. However it is an interesting vehicle in its own right. With the 300SLR load, they made a highly photogenic duo. Because of the crowds, it was impossible to get a front shot of the transport. But with some patience, I was able to get the following rear view photos. For front view of the duo, see the photos from the 2005 Mille Miglia, posted by Clark Daily, on the International Auto Parts web site.

There were many exhibits on the way to the Pebble Beach Clubhouse entrance. The Blackhawk Museum had a tent setup where some of the cars in there collection were on display. This exhibit along with a several others delayed my arrival at the Clubhouse. Note the vehicles in the background I was afraid of using up my film and camera batteries before making it the lawn.

Almost as valuable as the guest pass I received, was the parking pass for the Polo Field, which on this weekend was the staging area for the transporters which brought the entrants to Pebble Beach. This is where I used up most of my remaining film.

Many of the cars on display at Pebble Beach are part of the larger collections. There owners bring several cars to Monterey area for display at other events such as the Concorso Italiano or at the request of manufactures who wish to display a unique example of one their vehicles in one of the many factory exhibits found around the Monterey area on this weekend. The Polo Fields are very busy the Saturday night before Pebble Beach with last minute preparations being made on the cars before they are moved to the gold course early Sunday Morning.

This Jaguar wasn't an entrant, but was probably driven to the event by a spectator.

It was parked near me in the Polo Grounds parking area.

In wandering around the polo field, I saw a familiar set of number partially visible through through the open door of a transporter. So it was a pleasant supprise to come across Mercedes Benz 300SLR N722 in a transporter. This being one of the most famous race cars in the world (certainly the most famous of 2005), and always surround by interested on lookers, it was rather poignant to see N722 sitting unattended in a common car transporter.