Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2013: The Americans

We have brought you antiques, sports cars, race cars and a couple of Lincolns from Pebble Beach, but today we bring you the Americans. It's incredible to think that in the beginning of the 20th century, there were over 1500 auto manufacturers in the U.S.This 1936 Auburn 852 Supercharged Speedster is one curvy art deco beauty ...... and has one long hood to house that supercharged straight 8.They even had a tool kit and manual on hand.This 1909 Simplex 90 HP Holbrook Double Roadster is one of three 90 HP Simplexes to survive. This was the earliest Simplex at the show.This 1937 Cord 812 SC Cabriolet has some very interesting features, like hidden headlights and a supercharged V8.This 1913 Simplex 75 HP Speedster is one... of one. The original owner, who lived in Hawaii, later moved to Pebble Beach, where the car stayed in her family until 1976.

This 1912 Simplex 50 HP Quinby 5 Passenger Toy Tonneau has only been sold only once, to the original owner.  It has been in the same family ever since.An interesting note about Simplex automobiles - they were the last American manufacturer to use chain drives instead of the now used drive shaft.This 1933 Cadillac 452C Fleetwood Convertible was originally built for Montgomery Ward of Chicago.This 1928 Auburn 88 Speedster has some great features, but ...... my favorite has to be the stunning boattail.This 1932 Packard 900 Light Eight Coupe Roadster is beautiful with great styling, including the front grille and ...... the extra trunk, complete with matching luggage set.This 1930 Pierce-Arrow B Club Sedan with bright orange wheels was quite intriguing. Pierce-Arrows were the car of choice for American Presidents - from Taft in 1909, until 1935.

This 1929 Duesenberg J LeBaron Phaeton, when sold in 1929, could have easily cost over $20,000 with its custom coach work. As a comparison, a regular family car in 1929 cost around $500. Clearly, the Duesenberg was the car of the elite in America.This 1921 Duesenberg A Bender Coupe is one of the first cars built by the company. Duesenberg was the innovator of many developments in the auto manufacturing industry, one of which was the installation of hydraulic brakes on a car. They were also the first American car manufacturer to race and win in Europe.The early American car manufacturers brought many firsts to the automotive industry, including styling that was sought after by some of the most influential people in the United States. Stay tuned for a jump across the pond as we take a look at their European brethren.