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These unrestored 'Survivors' were the best cars at Pebble Beach

We pick our five favourites from the Preservation Class at the 2019 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

Alex Reid
Sep 19, 2019  •  September 23, 2019  •  3 minute read  •  Join the conversation
A 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spyder Veloce race car from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
A 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spyder Veloce race car from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid

The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is, obviously, rife with unbelievable cars perfectly restored back to their original specification, exactly as they would have left the factory. In some cases, the vehicles look even better than they did when they rolled off the line all those years ago.

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But what about those vehicles that haven’t been so lucky to have been restored? Or put another, what about those cars lucky enough to have managed to survive all these years without needing a restoration?

And what is a Survivor anyway?

Like many concours, Pebble Beach has its own “preservation class” made up entirely of “Survivors,” or cars that remain largely as they came from the factory or when first assembled.

This means that save for maybe such paint touch-ups here and there or a new set of tires, these cars have never been restored, instead wearing their minor nicks, scratches and imperfections with a pride that comes with still being on the road decades after they should’ve been torn apart and rebuilt, or just junked.

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Restorers crowd around survivor cars, too, because they can use them as a template when attempting to bring a car back to factory-original specifications.

Anyway, these were the stars of the pre- and post-war the preservation class of the 2019 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage

  1. A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  2. A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  3. A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  4. A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  5. A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  6. A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  7. A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  8. A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  9. A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  10. A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid

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Part of a very prestigious lineage of Aston Martin ownership, this DB5 has remained in the same family since it was specially ordered new in 1965. Following a tradition set by the original owner, the car was ordered specially in Black with a jade green interior and green wheels. It also features matching fitted luggage.

The only real blemish on the entire car is a spot on the passenger side of the roof where the paint was buffed a little too hard and a small mark was left. This special car actually won best in its class, which came as almost no surprise to us due to its incredible condition.

1953 Allied Swallow Hal Thompson Coupe

  1. A 1953 Allied Swallow Hal Thompson Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1953 Allied Swallow Hal Thompson Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  2. A 1953 Allied Swallow Hal Thompson Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1953 Allied Swallow Hal Thompson Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  3. A 1953 Allied Swallow Hal Thompson Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1953 Allied Swallow Hal Thompson Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  4. A 1953 Allied Swallow Hal Thompson Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1953 Allied Swallow Hal Thompson Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  5. A 1953 Allied Swallow Hal Thompson Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1953 Allied Swallow Hal Thompson Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  6. A 1953 Allied Swallow Hal Thompson Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1953 Allied Swallow Hal Thompson Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  7. A 1953 Allied Swallow Hal Thompson Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1953 Allied Swallow Hal Thompson Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  8. A 1953 Allied Swallow Hal Thompson Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1953 Allied Swallow Hal Thompson Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid

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Kind of an oddball, the Allied Swallow was a replica of the Cisitalia 202, of which only 107 were made. The copy was even rarer than the original: only 25 examples were made of the Swallow, which features a fibreglass body.

This car remained in the same owner’s hands for 57 years, but not for lack of trying. The car was advertised in the July 1957 edition of Road & Track but wasn’t purchased until 2014, when the seller responded to that very same decades-old listing.

I implore you to find a car with a more unique steering wheel than this one. Way before race cars had steering wheels cut in a half-moon shape, this car had it, and in clear plastic, no less.

1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spyder Veloce race car

  1. A 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spyder Veloce race car from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spyder Veloce race car from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  2. A 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spyder Veloce race car from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spyder Veloce race car from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  3. A 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spyder Veloce race car from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spyder Veloce race car from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  4. A 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spyder Veloce race car from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spyder Veloce race car from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid

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If you’re going to race cars, you’re going to crash cars — unless you raced this Alfa Romeo Giulietta, that is. This vehicle is in immaculate condition considering its purpose, exemplified by the plaque under the tachometer which reads “Relax but hurry.”

Also on the dashboard is all the stickers from where the car raced in the late ’50s and early ’60s. The car also shows only 25,000 hard-earned wheel-to-wheel miles.

1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Brewster Riviera Town Car

  1. A 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Brewster Riviera Town Car from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Brewster Riviera Town Car from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  2. A 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Brewster Riviera Town Car from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Brewster Riviera Town Car from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  3. A 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Brewster Riviera Town Car from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Brewster Riviera Town Car from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  4. A 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Brewster Riviera Town Car from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Brewster Riviera Town Car from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  5. A 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Brewster Riviera Town Car from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Brewster Riviera Town Car from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid

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The enclosed rear section of the vehicle is where the owner would sit, to be chauffeured around by the driver, who barely even gets a tarp over their head to protect from the sun. A light browning on the wire wheels and a few panels with flaking paint are all that appear to plaque this pomp and circumstance.

A piece of glass that would have been tossed in the bin – if it were fitted to any other car on the lawn – here represents a beautiful and psychedelic token of the passing of time.

1953 Alfa Romeo 1900 CS Touring Coupe

  1. A 1953 Alfa Romeo 1900 CS Touring Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1953 Alfa Romeo 1900 CS Touring Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  2. A 1953 Alfa Romeo 1900 CS Touring Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1953 Alfa Romeo 1900 CS Touring Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  3. A 1953 Alfa Romeo 1900 CS Touring Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1953 Alfa Romeo 1900 CS Touring Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid
  4. A 1953 Alfa Romeo 1900 CS Touring Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours
    A 1953 Alfa Romeo 1900 CS Touring Coupe from the Preservation class at the 2019 Pebble Beach concours Photo by Alex Reid

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There’s something about seeing the ‘Superleggera’ badge juxtaposed against the cracking paint that makes us feel warm and fuzzy, knowing that even the mighty can experience a few setbacks.

However, cracked paint isn’t a setback in this class — quite the opposite in fact. It’s a marker of history and character that deserves to be celebrated.

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