Pebble Beach meets Pasadena: the San Marino Motor Classic
The seventh annual San Marino Motor Classic — Southern California’s answer to the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance — will be held Sunday.
The all-day event will feature an estimated 350 vintage, classic and exotic automobiles, many owned by the biggest names in the local car world.
Peter and Merle Mullin will be showing a 1939 Delage, driven by Gene Kelly in the film "An American in Paris." Bruce Meyer will bring a 1965 Ford GT350. David Lee will have a selection of his Ferrari collection. Custom builder Gary Wales will show up with his hot rod fire truck, La Bestioni.
Jack and Helen Nethercutt will present at least one vehicle from their massive collection. Representatives from Forest Lawn will even be showing a restored 1964 hearse.
The non-profit event, which last year raised $300,000 for local charities, is expected to attract about 7,000 visitors to the Lacy Park grounds.
The car show is managed by a group led by San Marino car collector and real estate developer Aaron Weiss, who will show several vehicles from his own collection as part of the classic car field.
Weiss said the event will include nine gourmet food trucks, a VIP reception tent and a Saturday night gala featuring a musical performance by the USC Trojan marching band.
Entrants pay $100 per vehicle to enter the show, and the odds of winning a prize are “pretty good,” Weiss said.
“People like to win, especially the men,” he explained. “The male ego needs to go home with hardware.”
Prizes will be given in 45 classes, including:
- Four divisions of Ferraris
- Four classes of Porsches
- Three divisions of “American Big Block Muscle Cars”
- One division for “American Pick Up Trucks through 1973”
- One special class called “American Postwar Orphan Marques,” to include Edsel, Kaiser, Muntz, Nash, Rambler, Willys, Hudson and Studebaker cars built before 1974
Last year’s winners included:
- “Best In Show - Prewar”1930 Rolls-Royce Town CarJack & Helen Nethercutt
- “Best In Show - Postwar”1956 Mercedes Benz 300Sc CoupeVin & Erika DiBona
The Saturday night gala begins at 6 p.m. The gates open Sunday morning at 9 a.m. and close at 3 p.m. The awards ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m.
Tickets for the events can be purchased here. The Saturday gala costs $250; Sunday’s show is $30 at the door or $25 in advance. Children under the age of 12 get in free.
