Veyron - nicely plated

Eye candy maximus at the Pebble Beach Concours was the Veyron display. As every enthusiast knows, the Bugatti Veyron is a legend in it's own time:

$1M (U.S.) ++ price tag;
1K+ HP;
250+ MPH top speed;
12 cylinders, 4 turbos, all-wheel drive; air brake, modal performance settings.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But in case you are concerned that your next Bugatti purchase will have you looking like every other owner driving up and down the streets of America, the thoughtful folks at Bugatti have brought you all a special edition - the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Pur Sang (http://www.motorauthority.com/news/supercars/bugatti-veyron-pur-sang-pure-blooded-exclusivity/) and were kind enough to bring one to the show. At more than $2.4M (U.S.), this brushed aluminum beauty will have most owners intimidated when taking it out for a cruise on our highway's, byway's and drive-through's. So Bugatti has apparently included a motorized spinning platter so that you can just ogle your Veyron from infinite angles in the safe confines of your garage.

Those Bugatti folks think of just about everything.

Every vantage point is a perfect one when your car does the spinning:


Another fine view...


An extra million (U.S.) buys a very subtle logo:


But why limit yourself to just one? Buy one of the standard models as well, for those Costco runs, or as your airport car when you need to leave your basic transportation at overnight- or long-term parking.

For those 253 MPH runs to Costco and Ikea:


Verde

No mas! No mas!

If you've ever attended one of those Sunday brunch gatherings at an upper crust hotel, you know the drill. Stand up from your chair and before taking your first plateful, a quick lap around the banquet tables. In short order your eyes and brain are supersaturated with the view - food of every description. Infinite scale and infinite choice. Starving when you arrived, the feeling of overfilled sets in before your first plate is cleaned. Leaving sooner than you ever thought you would, the sense of guilt for not tasting one of everything lingers for days.

I had that same feeling at the recent Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance (http://www.pebblebeachconcours.net/) . Perhaps the most elegant and encompassing annual auto event in the U.S., neither my calendar nor my wallet permitted me to attend the final day and auction, so a few of my buddies and I headed down there the Friday of Concours week.

I'll offer up a few retrospective entries but first choice has to be the Italian Concourso held at the Monterey Airport. Set to be all Italian all the time, it included breeds and brands from many nations. But the centerpiece, the banquet table so to speak, was Ferrari. Dozens. No, hundreds. F-cars as far as the naked eye could see. All colors, all years, all styles, all models. Lane after lane, row after row, some brand new, some rare classics. It took at least two hours to take a full lap of the setting.

It was both spectacular and overfilling. Never in my life did I think I'd be over-satiated with F-cars. On average, Ferrari builds the most beautiful and exciting automobiles in the world – and have done so for many many years. But frankly, I could go another few weeks without seeing even one. Who knew that even supercars are better in smaller doses?

To wit:

That messy Ferrari buildup:


OK, no matter how full, you have to sample the caviar:


They've always had the touch:


Always:


One of my favorites. Absolutely timeless...


A snoutful of V12 from a 599:


My wife's fav. The Dino:


A Superamerica. More carbon fibre than an F22:


A passing phase. But still beautiful:


Verde