The 75th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance: Sandra Button’s Grand Finale

The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is the world’s most prestigious car show.

Sandra Button, the dynamic Chairman of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, takes her final bow at the historic 75th edition of the world’s most prestigious celebration of the automobile: the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It is the crown jewel of Concours d’Elegance events. 

According to Button, “The 75th Concours is perhaps the most important year.” She continued, “I hope our exhibitors, our judges, our supporters, and all enthusiasts feel the excitement and continuity of what we have created together.”

For decades, Button has steered the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance with passion, vision, and an unerring dedication, transforming the iconic event into a global automotive summit, charity powerhouse, and cultural touchstone in motorsport and classic car history.

The Pebble Beach Concours began in 1950 as a last-minute social accompaniment to the Pebble Beach Road Races. As Button has often noted, “The Pebble Beach Concours owes everything to that race.” The first race was won by a young Phil Hill, later America’s first Formula One World Champion, while Sterling Edwards, the race’s visionary founder, took home Best of Show at the inaugural Concours.

In 1956, a fatal accident ended racing on the forest roads and moved the competition inland to Laguna Seca, where it is held today as the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.

This year the Monterey Peninsula hosts the grand showcase where Button’s influence is visible across the Pebble Beach fairways, lawns, and luxury marque displays, cementing her legacy in collector car history.

Passion Behind the Wheel

Born in Seattle, Washington, Sandra Button’s love for automobiles started early. Button’s first car was a baby-blue 1965 Ford Mustang, gifted by her father, Robert Pruin, a Boeing engineer. From there, she purchased a Datsun 2000 Fairlady, which she drove daily while commuting across the state. Her mother, horticulturist Jeanette Pruin, instilled meticulous attention to detail, a trait that later defined Button’s leadership of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

A degree in Business and Hospitality Administration from Washington State University prepared Button for organizing high-profile events. In the early 1980s, she moved 1,000 miles south to Pebble Beach to work in the golf club’s Special Events department, handling everything from dog shows to prize-giving ceremonies.

Steering Pebble Beach to Global Prominence

By 1991, Sandra Button became the first Executive Director of the Pebble Beach Concours, recognizing her organizational skills and deep automotive knowledge. During this time, the Pebble Beach Company was under Japanese ownership and faced financial uncertainty, with declining attendance and limited international exposure. Revenues were modest, so modest the event risked losing its global prominence due to the financial constraint at the time.

Under Button’s leadership, the Concours experienced a dramatic transformation. Attendance grew from approximately 8,000 attendees in the early 1990s to 47,000 attendees for the week in 2025 with 20,000 attendees accounting for the day of show. Revenue increased steadily through ticket sales, sponsorships, and affiliated events, while charitable contributions exceeded $45 million.

International exposure expanded as collectors and celebrities from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Australia participated, solidifying Pebble Beach as the world’s premier collector car showcase.

The Pebble Beach Concours today is no longer a single Sunday event. Under Button’s leadership, it has expanded into a week-long cultural platform:

• Pebble Beach Motoring Classic – A 1,500-mile rally through the Pacific Northwest, culminating on the Concours field. It is the ultimate road trip for enthusiasts with Concours-worthy automobiles.

• Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance – A competitive drive along the Monterey Peninsula—often decisive in judging.

• Classic Car Forum & Car Conversations – Held Thursday through Saturday during Monterey Car Week, bringing together automotive leaders and legends for high-level discussion.

• Concept Lawn & Global Debuts – The Concours now hosts world premieres and major design statements from automotive manufacturers.

Button introduced the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance presented by Rolex, Pebble Beach RetroAuto, and the Pebble Beach Motoring Classic, emphasizing that historic cars should be driven as well as displayed. This is a strong philosophy of Sandra Button, one that has facilitated the program’s expansion to include events that focus on just that: actually driving historic cars versus simply viewing them. Button additionally diversified the selection of vehicles, welcoming electric cars, postwar GTs, and hot rods onto the famed fairway of the Concours. Button further extended eligibility into the 1990s and beyond and integrated younger Selection Committee members and judges.

This approach has ensured the Concours remains relevant while honoring its storied past. From pre-war classics to modern GTs to the display of 20 Ferrari 250 GTOs during the 2011 50th anniversary of the Ferrari 250 GTO, Button curates each year hosting 220 of the most extraordinary vehicles with an eye for history, rarity, and spectacle. This draws celebrity guests  such as Jay Leno, Patrick Dempsey, Jerry Seinfeld, and Chris Evans, alongside collectors like John Bentley, 2023’s Lorin Tryon Trophy recipient.

Driving Pebble Beach Forward: Partnerships and Sponsorship

Button’s leadership in cultivating sponsor relationships has been instrumental to the success of Pebble Beach corporate partnerships. One of the defining facets of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance’s global stature is its roster of long-term partnerships and luxury sponsors. From Rolex to Lexus, Infiniti to Mercedes-Benz, and auction powerhouse Gooding Christie’s, these collaborations have generated measurable financial returns and increased global visibility for both the Concours and its partners.

Button created experiential marketing opportunities, exclusive collector events, and co-branded promotions that continue to enhance visibility for both the Concours and its partners. She studies new and emerging events worldwide to understand their unique contributions and works with concours and car events globally, such as the Velocity Invitational and the Oberoi Concours d’Elegance, lending her expertise while adapting to changes in collector car culture. Sandra is also a member of the Royal Automobile Club, the Classic Car Club of America, the Motor Press Guild, and the Society of Automotive Historians.

This commitment and dedication to the craft, coupled with strategic partnerships contributed to the event’s international prominence and position as the pinnacle of automotive shows.

Rolex, one of the Concours’ most enduring partners, has supported the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and Monterey Car Week celebrations for over 25 years. The Swiss luxury watchmaker first partnered with the Concours in the late 1990s and now extends its sponsorship across multiple events, including the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance presented by Rolex.

The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is a unique gateway into a market of collectors, executives, automotive enthusiasts, and luxury consumers aligning brand identity with excellence, craftsmanship, and heritage.

Under Button’s stewardship, luxury automakers such as Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Infiniti, Lincoln, and others have contributed significant gifts, vehicles, and experiences to the event’s annual charity drawing and auctions, directly supporting local nonprofits. For example, in 2024, Lexus, Ford Motor Company, Infiniti, and Mercedes-Benz strengthened the charity drawing with generous contributions, helping to raise over $3.1 million in annual donations for the Pebble Beach Company Foundation. In 2025, the event broke its own records by distributing $4 million to charities, pushing its lifetime charitable contributions to over $45 million, with an aim to exceed $50 million by this year’s 75th edition.

Button further expanded the official auction house of the Concours. Since 2004, Gooding Christie’s has served as the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, reflecting a powerful commercial partnership that influences the global collector car market. Gooding’s auctions, held during Monterey Car Week, regularly achieve some of the highest sales results worldwide selling rare and historically significant cars.

Guarding Tradition While Accelerating Change

Dawn Patrol: From “Don Patrol” to Global Ritual

Regarding historically significant cars, few traditions better illustrate Button’s stewardship of history than Dawn Patrol.

In the early 1990s, a small group gathered before sunrise to greet entrants on the morning of the Concours. Coffee was poured. Predictions were whispered. It began as an informal greeting by Don Williams and has become a defining ritual of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. 

Today, it is officially known as Dawn Patrol presented by Hagerty. Thousands of spectators now gather before sunrise as engines fire up and entrants roll onto the 18th fairway.

Since sponsorship by Hagerty, the event has grown dramatically. Limited-edition hats have become coveted memorabilia, and gates now open as early as 5:30 a.m. to accommodate crowds that sometimes arrive in the middle of the night. For some attendees, it is almost a rite of passage and has developed into its own prominent spectacle in the automotive community, adding to the sheer joy of the Concours.

Under Button’s guidance, what was once an informal, friendly gathering became a formal overture to the Concours day by blending accessibility, heritage, and spectacle.

Recognition from the Global Automotive Community

In 2024 at the annual Wheels and Heels Gala, America’s Automotive Trust presented Sandra Button with the Nicola Bulgari Award, honoring her contributions to preserving automotive heritage and promoting awareness of its importance.

The Nicola Bulgari Award is conferred annually on an individual who has made major contributions to the preservation of America’s automotive heritage and promoted awareness of its importance to today’s automotive culture.

America’s Automotive Trust cited her creation of the Selection Committee, expansion of global participation, and steadfast belief that historic cars should be driven as foundational to the Concours’ success. The Trust noted that Button’s leadership shaped the character of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance by broadening classes, expanding international representation, and reinforcing related experiences such as the Motoring Classic and Tour d’Elegance.

Recognition from America’s Automotive Trust affirms Button’s standing as one of the most influential figures in the automotive industry. Concours leadership materials describe Button as often cited among the most influential people in the collector car community, noting that under her tenure, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance has consistently ranked as the top concours of its kind worldwide and has expanded significantly in scope and global reach. In 2024, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance was named Motoring Event of the Year at the International Historic Motoring Awards  in London.

The 75th Anniversary: Returning to Racing Roots

Each year, Button carefully curates the featured marques and special classes, ensuring a dynamic, immersive experience spanning pre-war classics, postwar designs, and preservation gems.

The 2026 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance celebration of its 75th Anniversary will explicitly honor the Concours’ racing origins. A curated class of early 1950s sports racers and Pebble Beach Road Race greats will be displayed, pairing iconic manufacturers with one-off specials.

The event will also feature the American debut of the legendary Sunbeam 1000 HP—the first car to exceed 200 mph—freshly restored by the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, England. Its presence is symbolic because innovation, daring, and engineering audacity are values central to both racing and the Concours.

Looking to the Future: Evolution and Innovation

Following the 75th celebration, Button transitions to Brand Ambassador and Strategic Advisor. Vince Finaldi who was appointed Concours President in January 2025  will become Chairman on October 1, 2026.

“It has been a great honor to lead this event in recent decades, but it is time for the next generation of car lovers to come to the fore,” Button expressed. “Vince is a car guy through and through, and I know he has both a passion and a heart for this event.” Finaldi is a lifelong enthusiast and respected attorney.

Finaldi added, “Sandra has done a masterful job at anticipating and supporting important changes to keep the Concours at the forefront of motoring events while honoring its storied past.”

Button’s Legacy Carved in Pebble Beach History

Button leaves behind a Concours that consistently ranks as the world’s premier automotive competition. She expanded Pebble Beach Automotive Events program offerings across an entire week, increased global participation, modernized judging and selection processes, elevated charitable giving, and preserved heritage while embracing innovation.

The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance transformation from a regional exhibition facing uncertainty to the most prestigious concours in the world under Sandra Button defines an era in automotive history.

“This is the year to be here, to witness history, and to celebrate a lifetime of dedication to the automobile,” Sandra declared.

The 75th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance stands as both celebration and culmination of an extraordinary era. Sandra Button’s Pebble Beach Concours marks a personal milestone and a global automotive moment. 

After four decades of leadership, Sandra Button has transformed the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance into a global automotive spectacle attracting collectors, enthusiasts, celebrities, and corporate partners from around the world. And on August 16, 2026, that community looks forward to celebrating Button’s monumental legacy and final adieu at the most important concours; and, you can join them.

This moment will be a moment to witness in person. This is the year to be at Pebble Beach for the Concours d’Elegance. This August, come to Pebble Beach and be a part of history.