Pebble Beach 2023: Mercedes-Benz on the Lawn.

Pebble Beach 2023
Mercedes-Benz on the Field

There were no fewer than 31 Mercedes on the field during the August 20, 2023 gathering of automotive excellence and rarity that is the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Aside from prior event host Derek Hill – son of the sole US World Driving Champion Phil Hill – being capably replaced by racing driver, broadcaster and motoring journalist Amanda Stretton, the event’s casual elegance and breathtaking display remained unchanged. And to many, the event is still unrivaled.

My fascination with Pebble is a largely a result of the car selection committee’s uncanny ability to curate classes featuring models at risk of fading from our memories. Broadly speaking, in the realm of Mercedes-Benz, it’s the prewar cars that are at risk of  drifting into obscurity. Pebble’s brain trust simply will not let that happen.

I suspect I could have spent more than a few hours fully absorbing the intricate beauty and diversity of the lineup.

1928 Mercedes-Benz 680 S Glaser Sports Tourer. A close coupled 4 passenger open touring model.

Prewar Supercars Celebration

Most of us are generally aware of the 500k/540k models of the middle to late ’30s but less well known are the exotic 680/710 supercharged models constructed from 1927 to 1933. Only 289 were constructed and each was a bespoke car that carried unique coachwork from carrossiers around the globe including Barker, Gangloff, Saoutchik, Glaser and the Walter M. Murphy Company in Pasadena, California.

Castagna, Erdmann & Rossi and Cadogan also supplied coachwork to this group of discerning clients. The ‘S’ designation confirms each carried what became known as the “elephant” supercharger which allowed the massive six cylinders to achieve close to 200 hp. A pedestrian output today, but a stunning output in the latter ’20s.

The 1929 Mercedes 710 SSK Murphy Speedster arriving on the lawn. The chassis was clothed in Pasadena, CA by the Murphy Body Company.

Unique Designs All

There were no less than 21 glorious examples on the field on that Sunday in S/SS/SSK configurations. Each was a masterpiece of exclusive prewar high performance touring that spanned the globe; Zeppo Marx prowled Southern California roads in his Murphy bodied 680S and Lord Howe toured with and raced his rakish Barker bodied 680S in England while peering over an acre of glistening aluminum that formed the hood. And each was a celebration of the prewar pinnacle of mechanical engineering and automotive design.

Each 680/710 on display invited a closer look to absorb all the unusual details and I suspect I could have spent more than a few hours fully absorbing the intricate beauty of the lineup. Complementing the 680/710 classes were perhaps the lowest mileage 300SL roadster extant and examples of the two and four door open 300B and 300S models. It was a year to remember for any Mercedes-Benz enthusiast on the lawn.

The judges arriving to size up the menacing 1928 Mercedes 680S Saoutchik Torpedo Roadster. This car was best of show in 2012.