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Perfect Is As Perfect Does

Patrick C. Paternie

August 2, 2002

In a perfect world, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance probably wouldn’t look much different than it does already: meticulously prepared examples of automotive history and design arranged in arrow-straight rows along the verdant 18th fairway of the Pebble Beach Golf Links, a spectacle of man-made beauty displayed in one of nature’s most picturesque settings. Despite ticket prices that have escalated to $100 to keep attendance to a manageable number, the irresistible splendor of the mechanical and natural surroundings draws a throng of picnic basket–toting spectators that engulfs the fairway by late Sunday morning.  

Although this spectacle appears to have emerged mystically out of the early Sunday morning coastline fog, the event is actually the product of meticulous long-range planning, hard work on the part of an all-volunteer crew, and over a half-century of commitment and enthusiasm.  

The font of much of this enthusiasm, Concours Chairman Glenn Mounger, traces his own auto mania back to the age of 14, when he purchased a 1947 Ford Woody station wagon for $15 with idealistic plans for restoring it. The project ended up—literally and figuratively—as kindling, when he sold the vehicle as firewood. Yet the experience of ownership ignited his passion for owning a classic car—a passion that still burns four decades later. Before joining the concours’ executive committee, a few years ago Mounger experienced the conspicuous honor of having his own: a 1929 Duesenberg J Murphy Convertible Sedan, which won best in its class in 1993.

Mounger regards his role as concours chairman as a full-time volunteer position. The job requires him not only to stay plugged into the classic car scene, but also to travel extensively to car shows and events around the world as an ambassador charged with maintaining the international presence of the Pebble Beach Concours. “It’s not exactly torture for a car nut like me,” he admits, “but it [the travel] does average about one week a month.”