Fritz Burkard drives Type 57 Atalante 3,000+ Miles from the Atlantic to the Pacific to compete at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA — Pebble Beach Concours Chairman Sandra Button was on hand Sunday to greet entrant Fritz Burkard as he pulled up to The Lodge at Pebble Beach in his Bugatti Type 57 Atalante after completing a journey of 3,000+ miles spanning the whole of the US from Newport, Rhode Island, to Pebble Beach, California.

In just a week, Burkard and his Bugatti Type 57 will be competing in the prestigious 2025 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. His preservation Bugatti Type 59 was named Best of Show in 2024.

“Looks like you caught a few bugs,” Sandra quipped, after greeting Burkard with a hug. The car also evidenced the need for a few small repairs: a bottle cap was wedged between the radiator louvres, holding them open because a small spring had failed, and a mechanic had done battle with an oil leak. But, on the whole, the car did very well.

“It made it!” said Burkard, with a smile of relief, when asked to describe the car’s performance. “When the journey began, the car was fresh from restoration, so the first two to three days we had a few teething pains—but nothing that couldn’t be fixed.”

Why take this journey?

“Why not?” Burkard first asked. “I had the opportunity and the support to do it.” But then a more serious side emerged, and he noted the journey’s importance for the car: “You have to drive your cars, otherwise they die. . . . A static car museum is like a cemetery to me.”

Burkard’s biggest challenge along the journey? His struggle with the coffee machine in his hotel room in Nebraska or Wyoming, when he was in dire need of caffeine before getting back on the road.

His happiest moment? Spotting the turnoff from Highway 101 to the Monterey Peninsula—and then seeing the Pacific.

Burkard offered his thanks to his mechanic Simon Jau, his restorer Scott Sargent, and a crew from the Audrain Automobile Museum who supported him along the way.

Come Thursday, August 14, the Bugatti will be back on the road participating in the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance, tracing portions of 17-Mile Drive and Highway 1 down the coast to Big Sur and back. Then on Concours Sunday, August 17, it will pull onto the 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links to compete for the top prize in the world of collector cars—Best of Show at the Pebble Beach Concours.

Will success come to Burkard twice in a row?

The 2025 Pebble Beach Concours is celebrating the centennials of Chrysler, Invicta, Moretti and the Rolls-Royce Phantom; then 75th anniversary of Formula 1; and the 60th anniversary of the Shelby Cobra 427. It will also showcase the creations of Virgil Exner, Land Rover Special Expedition Vehicles, and BMW Art Cars.

For tickets or information, go to pebblebeachconcours.net.

About Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance: First conducted in 1950, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® (www.pebblebeachconcours.net) has grown to be the world’s premier celebration of the automobile. Only the most beautiful and historic cars are invited to appear on the famed 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links®, and connoisseurs of art and style gather to admire these masterpieces. Charitable donations raised by Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® now total over $41 million. Related events include Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance® presented by Rolex, Pebble Beach RetroAuto™, Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum™ presented by Alliant Private Client, and Pebble Beach® Auctions presented by Gooding Christie's. Pebble Beach®, Pebble Beach Golf Links®, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance®, Pebble Beach RetroAuto™, Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum™, and Pebble Beach® Automotive Week are trademarks, service marks and trade dress of Pebble Beach Company. All rights reserved. For more information, please call 831-622-1700 or visit pebblebeachconcours.net.

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