The Peninsula Classics Names ‘Best of the Best’ Finalists
The Peninsula Classics has revealed the eight finalists for its 2022 Best of the Best Award, organizers announced.
The accolade recognizes classic cars from a select group of vehicles that have won the highest awards at the previous year’s major concours events. Scheduled for Aug. 13, the event returns for the second year in a row to the Quail Lodge & Golf Club along the California coast.
Included among the group of finalists is a 1932 Duesenberg Model J Sports Torpedo that won the 2022 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Best of Show award. The Duesenberg’s bodywork was completed by French coachbuilder Joseph Figoni. A second Duesenberg Model J selected as a finalist is the 1934 J-531 LaGrande Convertible Coupé, which won Best of Show 2022 at The Amelia. One of the last Duesenbergs produced, this LaGrande Convertible Coupe could top 115 mph and was originally kept by Marjorie Merriweather Post, the founder of General Mills and wealthiest woman of the world, at her Long Island summer home, event officials said.
Another finalist is a 1937 Bugatti 57S Cabriolet, the first of just four known Bugatti Type 57S automobiles bodied by Vanvooren as convertibles, which won Best of Show at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. A 1938 Delage Type D8-120S Cabriolet, the winner of the Concours of Elegance Hampton Court Palace Best of Show award, is also a finalist.
A 1938 Dubonnet Xenia Coupé won Best of Show at Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille, and is a finalist for the Best of the Best award. The Xenia, fitted with a Hispano Suiza H6B engine, is a one-of-one vehicle designed by André Dubonnet, an inventor, racecar driver and World War I fighter pilot.
Two iconic Ferraris are also included on the list. The first, a 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Coupé which was crowned Best of Show at Salon Privé, was one of just five Ferrari 250 GT long-wheelbase chassis cars designed by Zagato. The V12-powered lightweight model has a coach-built body with Zagato’s double-bubble roof. Additionally, a 1966 Ferrari 365 P Berlinetta Speciale “Tre Posti” won Best of Show at the 2022 Cavallino Classic and was one of Sergio Pininfarina’s first designs. The car is unique for its triple seating, organizers said, with the driver in the center and the other two seats on each side and slightly behind.
The final contender is the 1956 Jaguar D-Type Sports Racer, Best of Show winner at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering. The D-Type was designed specifically to win the Le Mans 24-hour race and shared the straight-6 XK engine with its C Type predecessor.
“The vehicles this year exemplify the very best in automotive excellence and design,” said William “Chip” Connor, co-founder of The Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award. “The accuracy of restorations are becoming more precise and exquisite each year, making it difficult to select just one.”
Judges for The Peninsula Classics 2022 Best of the Best Award include Ralph Lauren, Jay Leno, Henry Ford III, Anne Asensio, Chris Bangle, Fabio Filippini, Luc Donckerwolke, Ian Cameron and others.
