Highlights of the Concept Lawn at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
Though the older sheet metal gets all the attention Sunday at Pebble Beach during the Concours d’Elegance, fans of the future are also treated to some eye candy.
Organizers for years have hosted automakers large and small on the putting green outside Pebble Beach Lodge. Here are some of the highlights from this year’s Concept Lawn.
BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé: This concept made its North American debut Sunday at Pebble. It was originally shown at the 2013 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in May in Cernobbio, Italy — possibly the only other classic car show in the world that rivals the stature of Pebble Beach.
PHOTOS: Highlights of the Concept Lawn at Pebble Beach
The body on the V-12 Coupe was designed by famed Italian firm Pininfarina. Though there are rumors BMW is considering building a full-size coupe — something that would compete with the likes of the Mercedes S-Class coupe due out soon — the automaker said it has not made a decision on whether this car will reach production.
FULL COVERAGE: Pebble Beach car week
Mercedes-Benz Concept GLA: This design study is a strong indication of what the production GLA will look like when it debuts in another month at the Frankfurt (Germany) Auto Show in September. The compact SUV will go on sale in fall 2014 for U.S. buyers.
It will ride on the same front-wheel-drive platform as the all-new CLA sedan hitting showrooms soon. An all-wheel-drive GLA will also be available, and all models will be powered by a direct-injected turbocharged, 2.0-liter engine making 208 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque.
Aston Martin DB-9 Zagato Centennial: With Aston Martin celebrating its 100-year anniversary, the automaker has had a large presence at this year’s Monterey car events. This including bringing the Zagato Centennial to the Concept Lawn.
This car is essentially a DB9 convertible (Volante to Aston enthusiasts) that’s been rebodied by Zagato, an Italian coach builder. Once it has finished its promotional duties, this Zagato will end up in the hands of Aston collector Peter Reid.
Icona Vulcano: The wild Vulcano concept is actually a hybrid, according to the company. It made its world debut at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show in April. A 6.0-liter V-12 engine making 790 horsepower is paired with an electric motor that makes another 160 horsepower. It has a six-speed automated manual transmission and comes in rear-wheel drive.
Lincoln MKC: Lincoln will be bringing a new crossover SUV to market in the near future dubbed the MKC, based on the Ford Escape platform. When the MKC comes to market, it will enter a segment that is rapidly expanding and very profitable for the automakers already in the game (think Audi with its Q5 or Lexus with its RX). Powertrain details haven’t been announced, but it’s likely the vehicle will come with some form of Ford Motor Company’s EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine and possibly a six-cylinder variant.
Laraki Epitome Concept: Perhaps the most wild concept on Sunday’s lawn was this aggressively styled monster. Built on the chassis of a sixth-generation Corvette, it uses a twin-turbocharged 7.0-liter V-8 to make at least 1,100 horsepower, and features a carbon-fiber body. Fewer than 10 copies are currently planned.
Touring Superleggera Alfa Romeo Disco Volante: This retro-infused concept is a rebodied version of the Alfa Romeo 8C sports car. It was build by yet another Italian coach builder, this one by the name of Touring Superleggera. The car has a 4.7-liter V-8 making 450 horsepower, and its styling is modeled after the 1952 Alfa Romeo C52. It will be built in limited numbers on a per-order basis, the company has said.
Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis: This concept car has been making the auto show rounds for months. It’s said to tease the styling of Hyundai’s next Genesis, its mid-level luxury rear-wheel-drive sedan, due out in the near future. The concept has a Southern California connection, having been designed in Hyundai’s Irvine studio.
Lamborghini Veneno and 350 GTV: Calling it “bookends of innovation,” Lamborghini brought its oldest known vehicle and one its newest to show side by side on the concept lawn. The Veneno is the wild $3.9-million supercar that the automaker debuted at the Geneva Motor Show. Based on the Aventador, Lamborghini built only three of these models, all of which have been sold.
Parked next to the Veneno was the 350 GTV that Lamborghini brought to the 1963 Turin Auto Show. Though this prototype never reached production, it was the predecessor to the 350 GT, Lamborghini’s first production car. As the story goes, the intended engine wouldn’t fit inside this show car, so company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini filled the engine bay with bricks to keep the prototype sitting at the proper height.
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