The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is the annual automotive event held on the Pebble Beach Golf Links in California. It also has supporting events like The Quail Motorsports Gathering, Pebble Beach Auction, Monterey Motorsports Reunion and the Concours d'Elegance all of which culminate into the Monterey Car Week. Meanwhile, the major carmakers take this opportunity to showcase their regal concepts at the Concept Lawn. Here are the top five concepts from this year’s 2018 Pebble Beach which we think you should not miss –
Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrow
For the uninitiated, the 'Silver Arrow' was the name given to Mercedes-Benz’s race cars back in 1934. And till date, Mercedes-AMG calls their F1 cars by the same name. Which means, the EQ Silver Arrow Concept is Mercedes’ take on how their F1 car will look like in the future under the new electric EQ brand. The one-seater concept also pays homage to the record-breaking W125 race car from 1937. The electric drive of EQ Silver Arrow has a 750bhp output from an 80kWh battery and a range of 400 kilometres.
Infiniti Project 10
Following the Project 9 from last year, Infiniti showcased the Project 10 as another open-top, single-seater, roadster concept. According to Infiniti, the Project 10 “represents a physical manifestation of Infiniti's creative and ambitious plans for electrified performance”. As the carmaker plans to go electric from 2021, the new concept is the Japanese carmaker’s way of showcasing their electrification plans.
Audi PB18 Concept
The Audi PB18 Concept is easily the most unique car at Pebble Beach this year. It is an electric estate/hatchback, with shifting driver’s seat and zero autonomous technology. Yes, the driver seats shift on either side of the car depending on which country you are driving in, and on the race track, you can simply stick it in the middle like the McLaren F1. It also has push-rod suspension, adjustable rear spoiler and diffusers. Since it’s just a design study, we can expect the R8 successor to take cues from the PB18.
Byton M-Byte
Byton arrived at the Pebble Beach demonstrating the potentials of electric, autonomous and connected mobility from the land of Zhongguo. The Chinese electric carmaker showcased the M-Byte Concept SUV, the production version of which will launch in China late next year with a US and Europe debut by 2020.
Pininfarina PF0
Pininfarina never actually showcased the PF0 to the public at Monterey. However, a select few aficionados got an exclusive preview of Pininfarina’s first product as a carmaker in the concept guise. For the rest of us, we’ll be able to see the PF0 Concept at the Geneva stage next year, of which 90 per cent will be carried over in the production car, confirms the Italian car design firm and coachbuilder. It will have almost 2000 horsepower from its electric motors with a sub-two second 0-100 time.
