Along for the ride in the Tour d’Elegance

Dec 04, 2023

EDITOR’S NOTE: Thursday’s Tour d’Elegance was roughly a 70-mile drive from Pebble Beach down the coast to Big Sur and back, undertaken by almost 200 of the classic cars entered in Sunday’s Concours d’Elegance. It’s an event aimed to illustrate that these show ponies can still strut their stuff on the local roadways. Reporter/photographer Molly Gibbs rode along to give readers an inside look at this 25-year-old tradition.

PEBBLE BEACH — The scene at the start of the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance is famously chaotic – revving engines, clouds of exhaust, thousands of fans wandering through the lineup of cars – but beyond the gates of the famous community, the experience is much more serene – if a bit surreal.

My day started bright and early Thursday morning as I maneuvered delicately between the throngs of restored cars and starry-eyed automobile lovers. My task was to find my assigned ride among the 200 cars parked narrowly together – a needle in a very expensive haystack.

Finally, nestled in the transport lot was my ride for the morning – an alpine white 1955 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible.

The impressive automobile is owned by Patrick Peronnet and his wife Misty. Patrick – born in France but now residing in Illinois – bought the Eldorado in 2014 and began the restoration process in 2017.

While we waited for the first two groups of cars to take off, Patrick and Misty filled me in on the history of the Eldorado and the hard work that went into restoring it.

After three years, the car’s restoration was completed in 2020. Although Patrick explained that initially he had hoped to complete restoration for his wedding, after the Eldorado kept breaking down and thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, he and Mistry decided to push back their wedding.

The bodywork on the car took six months to complete, while the rims – made of aluminum – took nearly a year.

Finding the original paint color was another challenge. The Eldorado was a bright red when it was acquired by the Peronnets. Misty explained that they were able to track down the original alpine white when a friend found a chip of the unique paint color on the inside of the glove box on another Cadillac. But it took two separate paint jobs to get the color perfect, she added.

The Eldorado was finally completed in April 2020, just in time for Patrick and Misty’s wedding in October.

Patrick was a first-timer to the Tour d’Elegance. He said he has dreamed of participating in the famous Concours d’Elegance since 1982, when he saw the event in a French classic car magazine. He didn’t even have a driver’s license at the time, he remarked.

Patrick said that he has always been interested in cars since he was a child in France. He dreamed of one day owning a “big American convertible” and being able to restore vintage cars.

“It was always a want, but not always possible,” he explained.

But eventually, Patrick’s circumstances changed and he began to work on Citroën cars. His love of automobiles grew from a small hobby to a full-fledged passion. When he met Misty, she asked him what he was interested in.

“Cars” he had told her, but due to his heavy French accent, she had thought he said “cows.”

“I said I love cars – big cars, small cars,” he recalled.

“I remember thinking, how did I meet a guy who loves cows?” she joked.

Suddenly, our idle chit-chat was interrupted by the roar of revving engines as the first group departed.

We were joined by Concours d’Elegance chief class judge Ken Gross and his wife, Trish Serratore. The five of us climbed into the Eldorado – one at a time, since the front seats couldn’t be moved at the same time.

Patrick reassured us that the steering and the brakes worked perfectly well, and Misty explained that when the Eldorado was finally completed, she had nervously insisted he only take her around the block for a test drive.

“I was scared to leave my driveway,” she admitted.

But our over 60-mile tour would be nothing for the gleaming white Eldorado, which had driven the Peronnets from Illinois to Alabama and back.

As we waited for our signal to depart among the cacophony of roaring engines and clouds of exhaust, Patrick brought his hands to his face, overcome by the moment.

He had told me he decided to enter the show after he visited Pebble Beach last year as a tourist. He wasn’t aware anyone could apply and decided to enter just for fun. But he was shocked when he was accepted and admitted that even as we sat idling in the Eldorado, he was still shocked.

“It’s totally overwhelming,” he told me. “It’s like someone saying, ‘one day you’ll walk on the moon.’ As a visitor (to Pebble Beach), sure. But part of it?”

But part of it we were, and Patrick grinned and waved as we cruised gently out of the gates and past the cheering crowd.

But we hadn’t gotten very far before we saw what appeared to be the tour’s first victim – a McLaren F1 GTR racing car parked on the side of the road.

Gross explained that broken-down tour cars weren’t an uncommon sight for the famous event.

“It’s not a lot of miles, but a lot of them are newly restored,” he explained as we passed the unfortunate car.

He added that most problems come when a driver is stuck behind a slow or very old car and their engine begins to overheat. He reassured me that flatbed trucks were ready to pick up any broken-down vehicles and several local mechanics and body shops were on standby for fast maintenance before Sunday’s show.

The start line’s deafening noise quickly gave way to a peaceful quiet as we navigated the winding roads of the Del Monte Forest and turned onto Highway 1. Modern Hondas and Subarus sat parked on the northbound lane as we sped down the closed southbound route.

The Eldorado was quite an eye-catching favorite, with many pedestrian bystanders giving thumbs up or nods as we passed by – and even one bowing fan.

“Go American!” one woman cheered as we cruised by.

“Cadillac! Oh that’s a Cadillac!” another bystander cried.

The five of us waved and smiled, if a little shell-shocked.

“Americans just love cars,” Misty remarked. “It’s part of our culture. We name our cars!”

I asked if the Eldorado had a name. Patrick replied that the French do not name their cars, but Misty said she calls the car Betty.

“She just seems like a Betty,” she said.

The cloudy morning gave way to brief sunny skies as we passed construction workers on Highway 1 and made our way to Big Sur. The landscape changed again as we drove through the fog-covered forest and along the windy coast.

Gross, Serratore and I clutched our coats and tried to contain our hair in the whipping wind. My contacts fused to my eyes. Patrick repeatedly asked if we were warm enough and despite our insisting, pulled over halfway into our drive – returning with blankets for all of us. I gratefully accepted.

The drama continued as we drove along the coastline, occasionally spotting a fellow Tour d’Elegance car sitting on the shoulder of the road.

Our excitement grew shortly after we passed the Bixby Bridge, when we saw other Tour vehicles heading north.

Patrick cried out with excitement, shouting out various names of the vehicles that passed us.

Finally, we slowed to a stop as we reached the turnaround point at the Ripplewood Resort. Gross explained that any car that made it to the resort had successfully completed the tour, even if they broke down on the return journey. He added that Concours staff were stationed along the route to make sure every vehicle that reached the resort had completed the full journey, since the tour served as a tiebreaker for the Concours judging.

“We made it!” Misty remarked, and high-fived Patrick. They both affectionately patted the dashboard of Betty, the Eldorado.

Despite our being the final vehicle in the last group, we passed a few stragglers as we returned to Pebble Beach. Gross clarified that there isn’t any official time limit on the tour, and most participants try their hardest to complete the route, no matter the time.

Suddenly we were back at the Pebble Beach gates after the two-hour journey. As we idled behind puttering engines we sat in reflective silence, windswept and flushed.

“The best traffic jam I’ve ever been in,” Patrick remarked.

It was a sentiment that was hard to argue with. Where else can you see a 1955 Cadillac cruise among 1948 Porsches, vintage McLarens, Vanderbilt Cup Era race cars and one-of-a-kind Dusenbergs?

I sat inside the purring Cadillac, humming with my own excitement as I took in the sight, already eagerly awaiting next year’s Tour d’Elegance.

The 70-mile Tour d’Elegance begins in Pebble Beach, traces the 17-Mile Drive and continues on Highway One to Big Sur (Molly Gibbs - Monterey Herald).

Patrick bought the Eldorado in 2014 and began the restoration process in 2017. Work was completed on the vehicle in spring of 2020 (Molly Gibbs - Monterey Herald).

The alpine white 1955 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible owned by Patrick Peronnet and his wife Misty Peronnet (Molly Gibbs - Monterey Herald).

This year’s tour featured several Mercedes, Porsche, vintage McLarens and Dusenbergs (Molly Gibbs - Monterey Herald).

The scene at the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance is famously chaotic, with revving engines, clouds of exhaust and thousands of fans wandering through the lineup of cars (Molly Gibbs - Monterey Herald).

Patrick decided to enter the Concours d’Elegance after he visited Pebble Beach last year as a tourist. He wasn’t aware anyone could apply and decided to enter just for fun. But he was shocked when he was accepted, and admitted that even as we sat idling in the Eldorado, he was still shocked (Molly Gibbs - Monterey Herald).

Around 200 cars participated in the Tour d’Elegance Thursday morning. While optional for all Concours d’Elegance competitors, the tour serves as a tiebreaker for the Concours. If two cars are tied in their class, the car that successfully completes the tour will get the nod (Molly Gibbs - Monterey Herald).

This year’s tour featured several Mercedes, Porsche, vintage McLarens and Dusenbergs (Molly Gibbs - Monterey Herald).

Not every car successfully completed Thursday’s tour and we passed several on the side of the road. Flatbed trucks were ready to pick up any broken-down vehicles, and local mechanics and body shops were on standby for fast maintenance before Sunday’s event (Molly Gibbs - Monterey Herald).

Automobile fans lined up alongside the 60+ mile route to watch the cars participating in the tour drive by (Molly Gibbs - Monterey Herald).

At some point in the Tour d’Elegance, drivers will pass their fellow participants along their route. This point marks many participants’ favorite part of the tour (Molly Gibbs - Monterey Herald).

The Eldorado was quite an eye-catching favorite, with many pedestrian bystanders giving thumbs up or nods as we passed by – and even one bowing fan (Molly Gibbs - Monterey Herald).

Patrick pulled over halfway into our drive to stop and get his chilly passengers blankets (Molly Gibbs - Monterey Herald).

The 70-mile Tour d’Elegance begins in Pebble Beach, traces the 17-Mile Drive and continues on Highway One to Big Sur. This year’s route also navigated construction zones (Molly Gibbs - Monterey Herald).

The turnaround point at the Ripplewood Resort marked the completion of the tour. Even if a car broke down on the return journey, any car that made it to the resort successfully completed the Tour d’Elegance (Molly Gibbs - Monterey Herald).

The 70-mile Tour d’Elegance begins in Pebble Beach, traces the 17-Mile Drive and continues on Highway One to Big Sur, crossing the famous Bixby Bridge (Molly Gibbs - Monterey Herald).

“It’s totally overwhelming,” Patrick said of participating in the Tour d’Elegance. “It’s like someone saying, ‘one day you’ll walk on the moon.’ As a visitor (to Pebble Beach), sure. But part of it?” (Molly Gibbs - Monterey Herald)

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