The original Alfa Romeo!

The collection of Alfa Romeos that the Australian G1 will join in Pebble Beach has exceeded even the best hopes of the organizers, but an Italian marque may not seem to be the obvious choice for a major event held in the USA

"The 95-year history of the Alfa Romeo race cars and street cars is remarkable, and the vehicles are of utmost importance in the collector car world," says Pebble Beach Concours Co-Chairman Glenn Mounger. "We've chosen to celebrate everything from the full array of pre-World War II classes to significant postwar custom coachwork, and there are already several very significant Alfa Romeos that have been restored and prepared for Pebble Beach 2005."

The Alfa Romeo G1 will line up with a remarkable collection of Alfa Romeo cars, including the famous Alfa Romeo 'Bat' cars, the ultra-imaginative winged BATs (Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica) of the '50s, and an array of vehicles that routinely bring world record prices at auction around the world. Overall, 27 of the 62 Alfa Romeos participating at the Concours are being shipped from foreign countries, including the BAT 5, BAT 7 and BAT 9, which now reside in London.

"The first BAT (5) was built in 1953, when most other carmakers had never even imagined tailfins and long before there was a Batmobile on television," says Glenn Mounger. "The BAT 7, built in 1954, was even more radical in design with huge curved tailfins. And the final BAT - the BAT 9 - was built in 1955 with reduced wings and a design that was closer to a production sports car. We're looking forward to an historic reunion of these incredible cars. The last time they appeared together anywhere in the U.S. was the 1989 Pebble Beach Concours."

There will be a total of 228 vintage vehicles participating at the 2005 Concours, lining the fairway of the 18th hole at the Pebble Beach Golf Links® from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

First conducted in 1950, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is an international gathering for "a celebration of the automobile" at The Lodge at Pebble Beach™ on the Monterey Peninsula. The Concours combines a scenic location along the Pacific Ocean with the opportunity to view rarely seen examples of automotive style, performance and history. The 55th annual affair also includes the Thursday, Aug. 18 Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance around the Monterey Peninsula for Concours entries, and the Sunday evening Pebble Beach Auction conducted by Gooding & Company that showcases classic, vintage and antique cars.

For 2005, the Pebble Beach Motoring Classic debuts, a nine-day program giving current and former Concours participants the opportunity to drive their historic collectables from Seattle to Pebble Beach. RetroAuto, Pebble Beach's new 13,000 square-foot shopping display celebrating the automotive lifestyle, will also debut. Proceeds from the Aug. 21, 2005 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance support a number of local, national and international charities.

Alfa was founded in 1910 as A.L.F.A. (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica di Automobili), produced three models during the next five years and was then purchased by Nicola Romeo in 1915. Automobile production ceased during World War I, so the first Alfa Romeo, the Alfa Romeo G1, didn't debut until in 1920. Some successful Formula 1 race cars and production cars were produced during the decade, followed by the 1931 release of the 8C 2300, a 2.3-liter supercharged eight-cylinder engine from famed engineer Vittorio Jano. Versions of this car, which featured two four-cylinder engines, won the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1931 - 1935. The displacement increased to 2.9 liters by 1935 and the 8C 2900A produced a first, second and third showing at the 1936 Mille Miglia.

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