If you seek beauty, brothers and sisters, look no further than Italy. For centuries the Italians and their Roman ancestors have been acknowledged as the source of many things beautiful. In olden days it was art and architecture that captivated; today it is interior design and automobiles. Which may help explain why this magnificent 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta took "Best of Show" at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Admittedly a fan of Italian cars, I would rank it on my list of the world's most beautiful automobiles.

The 8C 2900B was Alfa Romeo's most prestigious grand touring car of the 1930s. Only 33 examples were built, most bodied by Carrozzeria Touring. This car is unique; one of six privately-commissioned Berlinettas, it was used in several advertisements by Alfa. It's been owned for the last four years by Jon Shirley of Medina, Washington, former president and chief operating officer of Microsoft, who said, "this car has an intriguing history... it won the first race at Watkins Glen in 1948, and though the car's been driven quite a bit, it's never been wrecked. I've always been an Alfa fan, so winning at Pebble Beach doesn't get much better. I can't wait to take it back on the road."

Nigel Matthews, who was a judge at the Concours, informs me that the car was a Vancouver car for years; in fact I'd seen it at the Steamworks Concours. The recent restoration was done in Vancouver by RX Autoworks which also restored the sister car, the ex-Mille Miglia winner, now owned by Miles Collier.

[Photo © 2008 Pebble Beach]