For us the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is the culmination of a long week on the Monterey Peninsula but for the owners and restorers it represents the finale of often years of hard labour. This was certainly the case with the Mercedes-Benz 700 SS Barker Tourer that was picked for the coveted 'Best of Show' award yesterday afternoon. Built for talented gentleman racer Lord Howe on a show-car chassis, the car was clothed by Barker with a unique design. In addition to Howe's familiar striking blue colour, it also boasted many polished aluminium surfaces and torpedo-shaped running boards. The car did not look nearly as spectacular when it was shown at Pebble Beach in 2012 as it had been painted a monotone white. It then took many years of research and hard work to return the car to its original glory and finished. The work certainly paid off as the car not only won Best of Show but also received a further three special awards, including the Polyphony Trophy, which means it will appear in a future version of the popular Gran Turismo game.
As a warm-up to our coverage from this year's Monterey car week, we have taken a detailed look at the deserved winner. Also included are several shots from the car five years ago to get a real impression of the level of work carried out by Babinsky Automotive Restoration. A full report and gallery from Pebble Beach and the other events will follow in the coming days and weeks.

Enjoy the links:

1929 Mercedes-Benz 700 SS Barker Tourer - Images, Specifications and Information