Motorcycles to debut at Pebble Beach

From the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

PEBBLE BEACH, CA – The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the annual showcase for the most elegant automobiles on the planet, is inviting motorcycles to appear on its show field for the first time.

On Sunday, Aug. 16, amid the classic Bentleys, Bugattis and Ferraris, a select group of motorcycles, including Vincents, Brough Superiors, Nortons, BSAs, Velocettes, Triumphs and Ariels, will debut on the 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links. This year’s class of motorcycles will focus on British bikes built through 1959, and collectors with unique and storied examples are invited to request an entry application (contact Sean Jacobs at sjacobs@pebblebeachconcours.net). Future motorcycle classes are also likely to focus on bikes from specific countries or regions.

“International interest in collecting classic motorcycles is on the rise, and we want to celebrate them and do all we can to support their preservation and restoration,” said Sandra Kasky Button, Chairman of the Pebble Beach Concours. “These motorcycles will both complement and contrast the automobiles on our field. In a very real way, they expand on the history of the car; many early automakers started by making two- and three-wheelers — and some still do!”

Included among the British motorcycles heading to the 18th fairway will be two legendary Vincent HRD V-Twins — the famed 1947 works racing machine known affectionately as “Gunga Din” and a 1948 bike built for US sportsman John Edgar and often nicknamed the “Bathing Suit Bike” due to the scant attire of its primary rider, Roland “Rollie” Free.

The Edgar bike, now owned by Herb Harris of Austin, TX, has had just two legal owners throughout its history. The works racer Gunga Din was not so lucky. After Vincent concluded production in 1955, its assets were sold, and Gunga Din eventually made its way to the United States. At one point in the late 1960s an owner began to dismantle the bike and sell off parts, but then enthusiast Keith Hazelton of Chicago stepped in to buy what remained of it and set about regathering its components.

“Keith saved this bike,” said the current owner Paul Pflugfelder of Concord, MA, who is now completing its restoration. “Keith gathered the parts and began to piece it back together. I’m just the current keeper.”

First conducted in 1950, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance has grown to be the world’s premier celebration of the automobile. Only the most beautiful and rare cars are invited to appear on the famed 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links, and connoisseurs of art and style flock to see these masterpieces. Charitable donations raised by the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance now total over $12 million.