A Well-Rounded Pebble; PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE.(News)

Byline: MARK VAUGHN

Jon and Mary Shirley are our kind of Pebble winners. Before work got under way on the year-and-a-half restoration of their 1938 Alfa 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta, they drove itall over. That included the 8C Tour in Jackson, Wyo., and the 2006 Mille Miglia in Italy. Now that the car has won Best of Show at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, they're going to take it out and drive it again, in another 8C tour.

"It's a great car to drive, Jon Shirley said.

You don't often hear that sort of talk from Pebble winners.

While they're not referred to as second and third place, judges also honor the other top Best of Show contenders at the concours. This year's finalists were a 1935 Hispano-Suiza K6 Brandone Cabriolet and a 1934 Packard 1108 LeBaron Sport Phaeton, both with strong Best of Show lines and proportions.

This year, as sometimes happens at Pebble, the supporting cast nearly overshadowed the Best of Show.

"The breadth of cars we had this year is probably wider than we've ever had before, said concours chairman Sandra Kasky Button.