Rare Mercedes-Benz Roadster named Pebble Beach best of show

Only the most storied and desirable classic cars get invited to the Pebble Beach Concours, but one of the greatest prizes any single car can win? The coveted Pebble Beach Concours best of show.

Out of over 200 cars from some 18 countries and 30 states on the 2023 showfield, that honor was given to the 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster of Jim Patterson from Louisville, Kentucky.

One of just three 540K Long-Tail Special Roadsters, the Mercedes-Benz was delivered new in 1937 to King Mohammed Zahir Shah of Afghanistan. The car soon ended up in storage in the Afghan Embassy in Paris because of World War II.

The Mercedes-Benz managed to beat out other strong contenders for best in show that included a 1930 Mercedes-Benz 710 SS Special Roadster, a 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Corto Figoni Cabriolet and a 1939 Delahaye 165 Figoni et Falaschi Cabriolet.

In winning the 2023 best of show trophy, the 540K marks the tenth Mercedes-Benz to win the top spot, putting the German carmaker in the lead with the most wins, just ahead of Bugatti.

Photography Credit: Huseyin Erturk/Courtesy Hagerty

The complete list of 2023 winners is as follows:

BEST OF SHOW

1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster
Jim Patterson/The Patterson Collection, Louisville, Kentucky

BEST OF SHOW NOMINEES

1930 Mercedes-Benz 710 SS Special Roadster
Auriga Collection, Germany

1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Corto Figoni Cabriolet
Care of Gregor Fisken, Private Collection, London, United Kingdom

1939 Delahaye 165 Figoni et Falaschi Cabriolet
Peter Mullin Automotive Museum Foundation, Oxnard, California

ELEGANCE AWARDS

Gwenn Graham Most Elegant Convertible
1950 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Saoutchik Cabriolet
Steve & Marilee Hamilton, Washoe Valley, Nevada

J. B. & Dorothy Nethercutt Most Elegant Closed Car
1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante
William E. Connor Family, Hong Kong

Jules Heumann Most Elegant Open Car
1937 Bugatti Type 57S Corsica Open Sports
Lord Anthony Bamford, Rocester, United Kingdom

Strother MacMinn Most Elegant Sports Car
1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Competition Scaglietti Berlinetta
Rob Kauffman/RK Motors, Charlotte, North Carolina

SPECIAL AWARDS

Alec Ulmann Trophy
1936 Hispano-Suiza J-12 Saoutchik Cabriolet
The Keller Collection at the Pyramids, Petaluma, California

Ansel Adams Award
1923 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Pall Mall
Laura & Jack Boyd Smith Jr., Elkhart, Indiana

ArtCenter College of Design Award
1963 Porsche 901 Prototype “Quickblau” Karmann/Reutter Coupe
Alois Ruf, Pfaffenhausen, Germany

Briggs Cunningham Trophy
1954 Edwards America Convertible
Gary & Cathy Edwards, Spring Branch, Texas

Center for Automotive Research at Stanford (CARS) Award for Automotive Innovation
1928 Mercedes-Benz 710 SSK Sport Two Seater
John Houlihan, Ireland

Chairman’s Trophy
1952 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Touring Spider
Matthias Metz, Rosengarten, Germany

Charles A. Chayne Trophy
1968 Lamborghini Miura P400 Bertone Coupé
Raphael Gabay, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Classic Car Club of America Trophy
1930 Cadillac 452 Fleetwood All Weather Phaeton
Hans Emerén, Nadar, Malta

Elegance in Motion Trophy
1947 Delahaye 135 MS Figoni et Falaschi Narval Cabriolet
Dana & Patti Mecum, Geneva Lake, Wisconsin

Enzo Ferrari Trophy
1950 Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta
Clive & Alison Beecham, London, United Kingdom

FIVA Prewar Trophy
1933 Duesenberg SJ Weymann Speedster
The Anne Brockinton Lee/Robert M. Lee Automobile Collection, Sparks, Nevada

FIVA Postwar Trophy
1956 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Pinin Farina Coupe
Alex & Judy Albarian, San Clemente, California

The French Cup
1927 Bugatti Type 38/49 Figoni Cabriolet Philadelphia
Luc Slijpen, Maastricht, The Netherlands

Gran Turismo Trophy
1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Figoni Coupé
David & Adele Cohen, West Vancouver, Canada

Lincoln Trophy
1932 Lincoln KB LeBaron Convertible Roadster
Larry Carter, Los Gatos, California

Lorin Tryon Trophy
John Bentley

Lucius Beebe Trophy
1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Brewster Special Permanent New Market
Lehrman Collection, Palm Beach, Florida

Mercedes-Benz Star of Excellence Award
1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster
Jim Patterson/The Patterson Collection, Louisville, Kentucky

Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy
1965 McLaren M1A Race Car
Egon & Birgit Zweimüller, Ennsdorf, Austria

The Phil Hill Cup
1957 Maserati 200SI Fantuzzi Spyder
Jonathan & Wendy Segal, San Diego, California

Tony Hulman Trophy
1988 McLaren MP4/4-2 Formula 1 Race Car
Mouse Motors, Chicago, Illinois

CLASS AWARDS

Class A-1: Antique
1st: 1910 Stearns 30/60 Touring, Stu Laidlaw & Kirk Bewley, Bolivia, North Carolina
2nd: 1912 Simplex 50 HP Quinby 5 Passenger Torpedo Tourer, The Singleton Collection, Newport Beach, California
3rd: 1910 Pope-Hartford Model T Touring, Joe & Janice Conzonire, San Marino, California

Class A-2: Vanderbilt Cup Era Race Cars
1st: 1910 Fiat S61 Grand Prix, William Evans, San Diego, California
2nd: 1911 Fiat S74 Grand Prix, George F. Wingard, Eugene, Oregon
3rd: 1908 Benz 105 HP Prinz Heinrich Two Seat Race Car, Bruce McCaw, Redmond, Washington

Class C-1: American Classic Open
1st: 1929 Cord L-29 Cabriolet, Greg Ornazian, Troy, Michigan
2nd: 1937 Cord 812 Sportsman Convertible Coupe, Dr. Scott & Susy Spiro, Livingston, New Jersey
3rd: 1931 Cadillac 452 Fleetwood Convertible Coupe, Bill & Patti Spurling, Evansville, Indiana

Class C-2: American Classic Closed
1st: 1932 Pierce-Arrow 51 LeBaron Sport Coupe, Ross & Beth Myers, Periomenville, Pennsylvania
2nd: 1934 Cadillac 452D Fleetwood Coupe, Donald Ghareeb, Vestavia Hills, Alabama
3rd: 1931 Packard 840 Custom Eight All Weather Town Landaulet, Mark & Vicki Smucker, Goshen, Indiana

Class D: Packard
1st: 1930 Packard 734 Speedster Phaeton, John D. Groendyke, Enid, Oklahoma
2nd: 1934 Packard 1106 Twelve LeBaron Runabout Speedster, William Lyon Family, Coto de Caza, California
3rd: 1933 Packard 1005 Twelve Convertible Victoria, Chuck Spielman, La Jolla, California

Class E-1: Figoni Centennial 1923-1937
1st: 1937 Talbot-Lago T150 C-SS Figoni et Falaschi Teardrop Coupé, Lee R. Anderson Sr., Naples, Florida
2nd: 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Figoni Coupé, David & Adele Cohen, West Vancouver, Canada
3rd: 1937 Delahaye 135 MS Figoni et Falaschi Special Roadster, Miles Collier Collection at Revs Institute, Naples, Florida

Class E-2: Figoni Centennial 1938 – 1948
1st: 1939 Delahaye 165 Figoni et Falaschi Cabriolet, Peter Mullin Automotive Museum Foundation, Oxnard, California
2nd: 1938 Talbot-Lago T150 C Figoni et Falaschi Coupé, Academy of Art University, San Francisco, California
3rd: 1947 Delahaye 135 MS Figoni et Falaschi Narval Cabriolet, Dana & Patti Mecum, Geneva Lake, Wisconsin

Class G: Duesenberg
1st: 1929 Duesenberg J Murphy Dual Cowl Phaeton, Rob & Jeannie Hilarides, Visalia, California
2nd: 1936 Duesenberg SJN Rollston Convertible Coupe, The Nethercutt Collection/Helen & Jack Nethercutt, Sylmar, California
3rd: 1929 Duesenberg J Murphy Convertible Sedan, Thomas Maoli, Mendham, New Jersey

Class H: Rolls-Royce Prewar
1st: 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Barker Torpedo Sports, Bradley Greene, San Carlos, California
2nd: 1923 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Pall Mall, Laura & Jack Boyd Smith Jr., Elkhart, Indiana
3rd: 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Vanden Plas Torpedo, John & Mary Campbell, Woodinville, Washington

Class I-1: Mercedes-Benz S
1st: 1928 Mercedes-Benz 680 S Gläser Sports Tourer, John Bentley, Harrogate, United Kingdom
2nd: 1928 Mercedes-Benz 680 S Murphy Speedster, John Rich, Gilberton, Pennsylvania
3rd: 1929 Mercedes-Benz 680 S Gangloff Tourer, Robert Kudela, Chropynĕ, Czech Republic

Class I-2: Mercedes-Benz SS & SSK
1st: 1930 Mercedes-Benz 710 SS Special Roadster, Auriga Collection, Germany
2nd: 1929 Mercedes-Benz 710 SSK Barker Roadster, Miles Collier Collection at Revs Institute, Naples, Florida
3rd: 1928 Mercedes-Benz 710 SSK Sport Two Seater, John Houlihan, Ireland

Class J-1: European Classic Sport
1st: 1932 Talbot AV105 Fox and Nicholl Vanden Plas Tourer, Richard Lisman, New York, New York
2nd: 1937 BMW 326 Erdmann & Rossi Cabriolet, Karra L. Canum, San Jose, California
3rd: 1937 Talbot BI 105 Darracq Airline Saloon, Charlie Elliott, Chelmsford, United Kingdom

Class J-2: European Classic Touring
1st: 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster, Jim Patterson/The Patterson Collection, Louisville, Kentucky
2nd: 1936 Hispano-Suiza J-12 Saoutchik Cabriolet, The Keller Collection at the Pyramids, Petaluma, California
3rd: 1938 Horch 855 Special Roadster, PS-Speicher Einbeck, Einbeck, Germany

Class K: Bugatti Type 57
1st: 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante, The Pearl Collection/Fritz Burkard, Switzerland
2nd: 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Vanvooren Cabriolet, Bill Pope, Scottsdale, Arizona
3rd: 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante, William E. Connor Family, Hong Kong

Class L-1: Prewar Preservation
1st: 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Corto Figoni Cabriolet, Care of Gregor Fisken, Private Collection, London, United Kingdom
2nd: 1924 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Barker Tourer, Theodore Reimel, Wayne, Pennsylvania
3rd: 1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Brewster Tourer, David & Dawn Gooding/Ahrens, Santa Monica, California

Class L-2: Postwar Preservation
1st: 1962 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, Ann M. Fagan, Briarcliff Manor, New York
2nd: 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Cabriolet, The Anne Brockinton Lee/Robert M. Lee Automobile Collection, Sparks, Nevada
3rd: 1967 Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster, Peter Klutt, Halton Hills, Canada

Class M-1: Ferrari Grand Touring
1st: 1953 Ferrari 212 Inter Vignale Coupe, Kim & Stephen Bruno, Boca Raton, Florida
2nd: 1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Pininfarina Coupe Aerodinamico, Kevin Cogan/Cogan Collection, Louisville, Kentucky
3rd: 1966 Ferrari 330 GTC Pininfarina Coupe Speciale, Lee & Joan Herrington/The Herrington Collection, Bow, New Hampshire

Class M-2: Ferrari Competition
1st: 1957 Ferrari 500 TRC Scaglietti Barchetta, Andrew Pisker, Principality of Monaco
2nd: 1952 Ferrari 225S Vignale Coupe, Arnold Meier, Zollikon, Switzerland
3rd: 1957 Ferrari 250 GT Scaglietti Berlinetta, Stu Carpenter, Needham, Massachusetts

Class N: Pegaso
1st: 1952 Pegaso Z-102 Tibidabo Touring Spyder, Daniel Sielecki, Punta del este, Uruguay
2nd: 1954 Pegaso Z-102 Touring Coupe, Robert Bishop, Palm Beach, Florida
3rd: 1953 Pegaso Z-102 Touring Coupe, Nicholas & Shelley Schorsch, Newport, Rhode Island

Class O-1: Postwar Sports Racing
1st: 1965 Ford GT40 Mk I, William H. & Cheryl K. Swanson, Pebble Beach, California
2nd: 1957 Maserati 200SI Fantuzzi Spyder, Jonathan & Wendy Segal, San Diego, California
3rd: 1955 Jaguar D-type, Bill Rooklidge, Laguna Beach, California

Class O-2: Postwar Touring
1st: 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Bertone Coupé, Alberto Gutierrez, Albuquerque, New Mexico
2nd: 1959 Maserati 3500 GT Bertone Coupé, Jim Utaski, Skillman, New Jersey
3rd: 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, Dr. C.R. Bonebrake & Hon. Rebecca Crotty, Topeka, Kansas

Class O-3: Postwar Luxury
1st: 1955 Imperial Convertible, David & Teresa Disiere, Southlake, Texas
2nd: 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Cabriolet, McPherson College, McPherson, Kansas
3rd: 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Cabriolet, Craig Kappel & Meg McCarthy, Chatham, Massachusetts

Class O-4: Postwar British Luxury
1st: 1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I “Honeymoon Express” Freestone & Webb Drophead Coupé, The Anne Brockinton Lee/Robert M. Lee Automobile Collection, Sparks, Nevada
2nd: 1956 Bentley S1 Continental Park Ward Drophead Coupé, David Wilkie, Sydney, Australia
3rd: 1952 Bentley R-Type Continental H.J. Mulliner Fastback Saloon, Charles L. Marshall II, Dayton, Ohio

Class P: Lamborghini 60th Anniversary
1st: 1968 Lamborghini Miura P400 Bertone Coupé, Raphael Gabay, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2nd: 1971 Lamborghini Espada Series 2 Bertone Coupé, Steve Girard, Pewaukee, Wisconsin
3rd: 1994 Lamborghini Diablo SE30 Coupé, Robert Cleary, Elmira, New York

Class R: McLaren 60th Anniversary
1st: 1967 McLaren M6A Can-Am Race Car, Richard Griot, Tacoma, Washington
2nd: 1988 McLaren MP4/4-2 Formula 1 Race Car, Mouse Motors, Chicago, Illinois
3rd: 1995 McLaren F1 Coupe, Chris & Ann Cox, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Class S: Porsche 75th Anniversary
1st: 1963 Porsche 901 Prototype “Quickblau” Karmann/Reutter Coupe, Alois Ruf, Pfaffenhausen, Germany
2nd: 1972 Porsche 916 Karmann Coupe, Todd Blue/LAPIS, Malibu, California
3rd: 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS Touring Coupe, Private Collector, Memphis, Tennessee

Class V: American Dream Cars of the 1950s
1st: 1953 Kurtis Sorrell SR-100 Roadster, Mark & Newie Brinker, Houston, Texas
2nd: 1954 Edwards America Convertible, Gary & Cathy Edwards, Spring Branch, Texas
3rd: 1952 Fageol Pataray Roadster, Mark & Newie Brinker, Houston, Texas

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