If you can’t make it to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in mid-August on the Monterey Peninsula, don’t fret. Five hours of livestream coverage of the 70th such celebration of cars will be provided by the Torque Media Group and its co-hosts, former racing champions Tommy Kendall and Justin Bell.
“This is an exciting year for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, with over 40 past Best of Show winners and all of our overall Road Race winners reuniting for our 70th celebration—not to mention a host of special features ranging from early electrics and Pininfarina coachwork, to Porsche 917s and Lamborghini Countach,” concours chairman Sandra Button is quoted in a news release.
“We can’t wait to share this event with enthusiasts around the globe. And we think Justin Bell and the Torque Media team are just the team to do that; they are the best choice to produce our live stream. Their knowledge and experience bring an added level of expertise and entertainment to this broadcast.”
In keeping with Bell and Kendall’s racing careers, Torque Media’s primary history has been with its Torque Show, providing live-streaming interviews, features and action from IMSA sports car races. However, with their Emmy Award-winning executive producer partner Jason Jacobson, the team also provided coverage of the inaugural Audrain Newport concours and motor week in Rhode Island, including production of a 1-hour, 18-minute documentary, Best In Class.
For its new role at the prestigious event in northern California, Torque Media notes that, “In keeping with the constant yet respectful evolution of the Concours, Torque Media has been tasked with bringing more coverage of Pebble Beach Automotive Week in a fresh and engaging way to the global audience, which (given the challenges of the past year) is hungry to experience all that Concours week can bring.”
“We are committed to making this the best year ever for the Concours, streamed live from the heart of the action, with amazing guests and coverage of the incredible cars that will be inspiring and delighting us on the fairway,” added Bell.
“The past year has been rough on everyone, we want to entertain and share this magical day with as many people as possible.”
“To go to Pebble Beach is special,” added Kendall, “but to have the opportunity to help share the experience with the world is truly mind blowing.”
The livestream, presented by WeatherTech, will be webcast by Hagerty Media on pebble.hagerty.com beginning at noon (Pacific) on August 15 and will run through the Best of Show award announcement around 5 p.m.
“It is certainly a year of change and exciting new directions,” Torque Media noted in its announcement, a statement not only about its invitation to share the concours via livestream but also as an indication of the ongoing evolution of the concours itself.
During an interview with the ClassicCars.com Journal, Jacobson offered an example:“They like our style,” he said of Button and her team. “They’re making an effort,” an effort to make the event more appealing to a younger audience.
Just an example: “They tell us, ‘you’re going too old (with your background music)’.”
“It’s going to be a great show,” Jacobson promised. “We have great talent, great storytellers. It will be unlike what most people have seen (of Pebble Beach) in the past.”
