Chief Judge
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Ed Gilbertson
Ed Gilbertson has been the Chief Judge for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance since 1999. Prior to that, he served as our Ferrari Chief Class Judge for fifteen years. He has been actively involved in concours judging for almost 30 years and is a noted authority on judging procedures and preservation issues.
Mr. Gilbertson is also Chief Judge of the Palm Beach Cavallino Classic and the Legend of the Motorcycle International Concours; Honorary Chief Judge of the 60th Anniversary of Ferrari in Maranello, Italy; and Chief Judge Emeritus of the Ferrari Club of America. He was Chief Judge for the famed FF40 show in Brussels, and he has served as a judge at numerous other shows, including the Louis Vuitton shows in London and Paris. He is the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of the International Advisory Council for Preservation of the Ferrari Automobile and is a Contributing Editor for Prancing Horse and Cavallino magazines. He also co-authored a book on the Ferrari Spyder California.
Mr. Gilbertson is a member of the Ferrari Club of America, Ferrari Owners Club, Classic Car Club of America, Austin-Healey Club of America, Early Ford V-8 Club, BSA Owners Club, Harley Owners Group, and the American Motorcyclist Association. He is also an honorary member of The Candy Store.
A graduate engineer with a master’s degree in finance, Mr. Gilbertson is a retired telecommunications and investment management executive. Sherry, his wife of 36 years, shares his passion for cars and motorcycles.
Chief Honorary Judge
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Glenn Mounger
Glenn Mounger retired in 2005 from his position as Co-Chairman of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, but he continues to participate and officiate at this and other automotive events around the world.
Throughout much of the 1980s and 1990s, Mr. Mounger served among our faithful Class Judges. He joined the Concours’ Executive Committee in the spring of 1999 and stepped into the role of Chairman that fall.
Glenn also has served as a regional director of the Classic Car Club of America, which he joined in 1978, and he is an ongoing member of that and many other car clubs. Mr. Mounger is a trustee of the Classic Car Club of America Museum, a member of the steering committee of the Lemay Museum, a member of the National Automobile Museum, and an advisor to the Art Center College of Design/Car Classic.
A highly regarded expert on American Classics, particularly Duesenbergs, Mr. Mounger is a fan of everything from Brass Era vehicles to Hot Rods. He is also passionate about the importance of using—driving!—and preserving cars.
Mr. Mounger previously co-owned Pacific Trail Sportswear and served as Chairman and CEO of MAGIC, the world’s largest international sportswear trade show.
2008 Honorary Judges
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Christopher Bangle
Munich, Germany
Christopher Bangle is the Group Design Director of the BMW Group in Munich. After graduating with honors from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, in 1981, Mr. Bangle accepted a position from General Motors, working with Opel. In 1985 he joined the Fiat Group, where he eventually became Head of Exterior Design and then Director of Fiat Centro Stile/Design. Since joining BMW in 1992, Mr. Bangle has been responsible for models like the Z3, the M-Coupe, the Z8, the MINI, and the new 7-Series, and he oversees all BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce design. -
Stephen F. Brauer
St. Louis, MO
Stephen Brauer is Chairman and CEO of Hunter Engineering Company, which designs, manufactures, and sells computer-based automotive service equipment to automobile manufacturers and dealers worldwide.
In June 2001 President George W. Bush appointed Mr. Brauer as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium, where he served until September 2003. He is a past member of the Smithsonian National Board and is active in numerous charitable and civic organizations.
Mr. Brauer is a longtime collector of American classic cars, particularly Springfield Rolls-Royce and postwar coachbuilt Rolls-Royce and Bentley. -
Ian Callum
Coventry, England
Ian Callum, now Jaguar Director of Design, spent the first 12 years of his career working in Ford Design studios, where he contributed to the creation of the Escort RS Cosworth and the Ghia Via Concept. Later, as Chief Designer of TWR Design, he was responsible for the Aston Martin DB7 and Vanquish, and he contributed to the design of the Ford Puma, Volvo C70 and Nissan R390 Le Mans.
Mr. Callum joined Jaguar in 1999 but continued to manage Aston Martin Design, developing the DB9 as well as heading the Jaguar Design team, creating the R-Coupe, RD-6, and most recently the C-XF concept. The new XK is the first production Jaguar designed entirely under Mr. Callum’s directorship. -
Wayne K. Cherry
Bloomfield Hills, MO
Wayne K. Cherry, a graduate of Art Center College of Design, joined General Motors in 1962 and spent 26 years in Europe, where he became responsible for designing all GM European vehicles. In 1992, he became Vice President of GM Design. Mr. Cherry was instrumental in acquiring Hummer, developing the H2, and the Chevy SSR. He was personally responsible for the new Cadillac design direction, and for helping to re-establish General Motors as a design leader with numerous concept vehicles from the Evoq to the Cadillac Sixteen. Mr. Cherry retired after 42 years with GM. -
Miles C. Collier
Naples, FL
Miles Collier is a respected connoisseur of automobiles and a keen student of their history. He is especially interested in automobiles as historic documents of their period. Consequently, he has developed a series of symposia on “Connoisseurship and the Collectible Automobile.” Targeted toward serious collectors, curators, museum directors and restorers, these programs offer in-depth and rigorous study of the major questions pertaining to automobile collecting. Mr. Collier is also a successful practicing artist and an active philanthropist in higher education. -
Keith E. Crain
Detroit, MI
Keith Crain is chairman of Crain Communications Inc, a privately held company that publishes over 30 business, trade and consumer publications and employs approximately 1,000 people in 18 offices internationally. His responsibilities include serving as publisher and editor-in-chief of several publications including Automotive News. Additionally, he is editorial director of Automotive News Europe, as well as AutoWeek, the only weekly automotive enthusiast magazine published in the United States. In 2002, Crain launched Automobilwoche (meaning Automobile Week), a German-language newspaper covering the entire new-vehicle industry, from suppliers to automakers to franchised dealers. -
Luca De Meo
Torino, Italy
Luca De Meo serves as CEO of Alfa Romeo and Abarth and as Chief Marketing Officer of the Fiat Group. He first joined the Fiat Group back in 2002, serving initially as Director of Lancia Marketing and then ss Vice President of the Lancia Business Unit. In November 2004, he was appointed head of the Fiat Brand, and for a period of time in 2007 he served as CEO of Fiat Automobiles.
Mr. De Meo’s professional career began in 1992 with Renault, where he served first as a district manager in Italy, then held various marketing roles in Paris, eventually being appointed as product manager for the Clio model. In 1998 he moved to Toyota Europe to take responsibility for the launch of the Yaris model first and then the Lexus Brand. He eventually became General Manager of Product Planning. -
Jackie L. Frady
Reno, NV
Jackie L. Frady is Executive Director of the National Automobile Museum (The Harrah Collection) in Reno, Nevada. The museum opened in 1989 and exhibits more than 200 automobiles, the majority of which are from the famous collector William F. Harrah.
Jackie Frady is a member of the Board of Directors and Past President of the National Association of Automobile Museums, and she chairs the association’s scholarship and marketing programs. She also serves on the Advisory Board of the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame and is Past President of the Nevada Museums Association, among other professional affiliations. -
Tom Gale
Bay Harbor, MI
Tom Gale graduated from Michigan State University with bachelor, master, and MBA degrees and joined Chrysler in 1967. He became Vice President of Design in 1985 and served in a series of executive management positions, including International Operations, Product Strategy, and General Manager of Platform Operations. In 1998, he was appointed to be a Member of the Board of Management of DaimlerChrysler AG. He retired at the end of 2000.
Throughout his career Mr. Gale has always been involved with design. He was responsible for the creation of over 50 concept and show vehicles and a multitude of production designs like the Viper, the Prowler, Ram trucks, minivans and new generation passenger cars. -
Ralph Gilles
Auburn Hills, MI
Most six-year-olds play with friends and toys. At six, RalphV. Gilles, now Chrysler Group Vice President—Jeep/Truck, got both a toy and a career when his father gave him a Formula One model car. Gilles, who has helped design the 2003 Dodge Viper, the 2002 Jeep Liberty interior, and the jaw-dropping 2005 Chrysler 300 and the Dodge Magnum, learned early on that the automobile is a passion and career that few can duplicate. -
Phil Hill
Santa Monica
Phil Hill was the first American Formula One World Drivers Champion; he earned that title in 1961 while driving for Ferrari. Mr. Hill won the grueling 24 hours of Le Mans three times, the 12 hours of Sebring three times, the Argentine 1000 km two times, the Nürburgring 1000 km twice, the Grand Prix of Italy twice, and the Belgian Grand Prix.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Hill won the main event at the Pebble Beach Road Races on three separate occasions—at the first race in 1950, then again in 1953 and 1955. He also took Best of Show honors at the Pebble Beach Concours in 1955 and 1977. For years, he was a partner in the renowned restoration firm of Hill & Vaughn.
Mr. Hill has served as a judge at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on 40 separate occasions—more often than any other individual. -
Wahei Hirai
Aichi, Japan
Wahei Hirai is the Managing Officer of Design at Toyota Motor Corporation. He oversees the global design network responsible for both the Toyota and Lexus brands, as well as the Scion marque.
A graduate of Chiba University in Japan. Mr. Hirai has served at Toyota’s US design office, Calty Design Research, in California, and as President of Toyota Europe Design Development, in Nice, France, before assuming his current role in 2004.
He is credited as the driving force behind L-finesse and Vibrant Clarity, the design philosophies of Lexus and Toyota. His commitment to L-finesse has created a new design direction for the Lexus brand, one that has further elevated its position in the premium market. -
Leo Levine
Stamford, Connecticut
A nationally known automotive historian, Leo Levine began his racing career while working as a newspaperman in Europe in the 1950s, driving for Porsche, BMW and NSU in Europe and South America before confining his efforts to the typewriter at the end of 1960. He was the syndicated auto writer for The New York Herald Tribune, he wrote the Ford Motor Company racing history, Ford: The Dust and the Glory, and he has been a contributing editor for a number of magazines. He was the general manager of public relations for Mercedes-Benz of North America from 1969 to 1988, the period of that marque’s greatest growth on this continent. -
Jochen Mass
Principality of Monaco
Jochen Mass is a racing great, with numerous successes to his credit. As a Formula One racer from 1973 to 1982, he drove for Surtees, McLaren, ATS, and Arrows, among others. Before and after his Formula One career, he scored many wins in sports cars, most often driving Porsche or Mercedes-Benz sports prototypes. With Hans-Joachim Stuck, he won the 24 Hours of Spa in 1972, and he went on to win the World Sportscar Championship that year. In 1987, with Bobby Rahal, he won the 12 Hours of Sebring, and in 1989, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He was involved in IROC, the International Race of Champions competition, from 1985 through 1987, and in IMSA, the International Motor Sports Association, from 1984 through 1987. -
Denise McCluggage
Santa Fe, NM
Denise McCluggage has been driving cars since she could pedal. She has raced cars from Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, and others, winning trophies on three continents in both races and rallies.
She is an award-winning syndicated journalist and author, a columnist for AutoWeek, and the only journalist in the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan. -
Sir Stirling Moss
London, England
Sir Stirling Moss was British Champion for ten years, taking part in over 500 races, hill climbs, rallies and record attempts. He still holds the 1,500 cc record at over 240 mph. He won over 200 international Formula 1, 2, 3 and Sports Car Races, including the Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio, and the Tourist Trophy seven times. He was Knighted in The Queen’s New Year’s Honours in 2000. -
Shiro Nakamura
Tokyo, Japan
Shiro Nakamura is Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, Design and Brand Management, for Nissan Motor Company, Ltd. As such, he is responsible for overseeing the creation of distinctive and innovative designs, including the Nissan 350Z, Titan and Murano, as well as the Infiniti M and FX45, managing global design strategies and developing mid- and long-term design concepts and innovative ideas. He is also responsible for the brand management of the company. Additionally, Mr. Nakamura has assumed the position of President of Nissan Design America and Nissan Design Europe.
Prior to joining Nissan in 1999, he held various senior-level positions with Isuzu Motors, including Chief Designer at Isuzu Europe studio and Vice President of Product Planning at Isuzu America. In 1985, Mr. Nakamura was dispatched to join General Motors where he worked at the Design Studio in Michigan.
He holds a Bachelor of Art in industrial Design from the Musashino Art University in Tokyo, Japan, and a Bachelor of Science with distinction in transportation design from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. -
Dr.-Ing. Franz-Josef Paefgen
Crewe, England
Dr.-Ing. Franz-Josef Paefgen is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bentley Motors. He also heads Group Research and the motor sport activities within the Volkswagen Group. He holds general power of attorney for Volkswagen AG. Additionally, he is President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.
After earning a doctorate in mechanical engineering, Dr. Paefgen worked for the Ford Motor Company. In 1980 he moved to Audi AG, where he held various senior management positions over the ensuing two decades. He became a member of its Board of Management in 1995 and he was elected Chairman of the Board in 1998. -
Donald E. Petersen
Bloomfield Hills, MI
Donald Petersen is now retired after more than 40 years of service to Ford Motor Company. He was the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Ford prior to his retirement. Mr. Petersen joined Ford in 1949 and was elected to the Board of Directors in 1977. He became President and Chief Operating Officer in 1980. He has also served on the boards of Boeing, Dow Jones, and Hewlett-Packard. Mr. Petersen is the recipient of numerous awards, including the first American Achievement Award (1986) and Chief Executive of the Year (1989). -
Peter Pfeiffer
Sindelfingen, Germany
Peter Pfeiffer was appointed Senior Vice President of Design for DaimlerChrysler AG in July 2000.
After five years with Ford Werke AG he joined Daimler-Benz as a designer in 1968, rising through key management posts to become Head of Passenger Car and Commercial Vehicle Design in 1995.
Honoring his active commitment to the training of younger generations, he was appointed Professor h.c. of the University of Art and Design, Budapest, in 2004. -
Christian Philippsen
Principality of Monaco
Christian Philippsen is an internationally renowned automobile specialist. He is Chief Judge of the Louis Vuitton Classic Awards, a consultant with Pininfarina and Renault, and the publisher of Automobile Year, the well established automotive reference book.
An automobile enthusiast since birth, he started his career by assisting Jacques Swaters, the Belgian Ferrari importer of Ecurie Francorchamps fame, and was a longtime consultant and auctioneer with Christie's. -
Tom Purves
England
Tom Purves is the Chief Executive Officer of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited. Mr Purves started his career at Rolls-Royce Ltd., Car Division as an apprentice engineer before progressing to various management positions. In 1985 he joined BMW (Great Britain) as Sales Director and became Managing Director in 1989. He joined the Rover board in 1996 before becoming Chairman & CEO of BMW (US) Holding Corp. and President of BMW of North America LLC in 1999. He assumed his current position on July 1, 2008. -
Ian Robertson
Munich, Germany
Ian Robertson started his career in the automotive industry in 1979 with the Rover Group. By 1994, he had risen to the position of Managing Director of Land Rover Vehicles.
In 1999 he took the helm of BMW South Africa until he joined Rolls-Royce Motor Cars as Chairman and CEO in February 2005.
In March 2008 he became the first Englishman appointed to the Board of BMW AG, where he is responsible for sales and marketing. -
Jack Telnack
Stuart, FL
Jack Telnack was Vice President of Design for Ford Motor Company from 1987 to 1997. Recently retired, Mr. Telnack was primarily responsible for the popularization of aerodynamic design as embodied on the 1983 Ford Thunderbird and the 1986 Taurus models and subsequently adopted throughout the auto industry.
Mr. Telnack is also credited with introducing the "New Edge" design featured on the European Ford KA as well as the Focus and the Mustang. He is currently a design consultant for Chris-Craft Boat Corporation and member of the Board of Directors. -
Freeman J. Thomas
Irvine, CA
Freeman Thomas has overall responsibility for Ford Motor Company’s Strategic and all Advanced Design activities in North America, with studios in Irvine, California, and Dearborn, Michigan.
Mr. Thomas is a Design graduate of Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, where he was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate. His career has spanned from Porsche AG, Audi AG, Volkswagen AG and DaimlerChrysler to Ford. He co-created the Concept 1/New Beetle, is the designer of the Audi TT and created the “Noble American Sedan,” which became the new Chrysler 300 Sedan. -
Gorden Wagener
Irvine
Gorden Wagener is the new Head of Design for Daimler AG. He was previously Vice President Advanced Global Design for Daimler AG and President of Mercedes-Benz Research & Development and Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design of North America.
Wegener attended the University of Essen in Germany and the Royal College of Art in London, receiving a diploma in transportion design.
He first worked as an exterior designer for Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg, Germany, in 1997. Later that same year, he joined Mercedes-Benz Design, working as a designer, at DaimlerChrysler AG in Sindelfingen, Germany. In 1999, he was appointed to head Exterior/Interior Styling for the R-/ML-/GL-Platforms, and in 2002 he was appointed to head Exterior/Interior Styling for the A-/B-/C-/E-/CLK-/CLS-Platforms. -
Tom Tjaarda
Turin, Italy
Tom Tjaarda is one of the postwar era’s most prolific stylists. Starting his career in 1959, he first worked at Ghia and then Pininfarina. He then was Ghia’s chief designer under DeTomaso, Fiat’s advanced design chief, and Rayton Fissore’s design director. Some of his more than 70 creations include the Pantera, the Fiat 124 spyder, the Ford Fiesta, the Ferrari 365 California, the Ferrarti 330 2+2 coupe and the Laforza 4x4.
Today he has his own studio called TJAARDA DESIGN, which does consulting and design for companies around the world. It created the interior design for the Honda Civic recently shown at the Paris Auto Show, and it has done prototype studies for Suzuki, Fiat, Bugatti, and numerous other automakers. Other projects include the Fissore 4x4, an all-aluminum crossover type vehicle; the new Turin PSV (personal security vehicle), a new sports car on the Spyker V12 chassis, and, most recently, the new Shelby Series II super sports car. -
Edward T. Welburn Jr.
Warren, MI
Edward T. Welburn Jr. was appointed GM Vice President – Global Design on March 1, 2005, and is responsible for the design of all GM products worldwide. He was previously Vice President Design of GM North America since October 1, 2003.
Mr. Welburn began his General Motors career in 1972, working in various production and advanced car and truck design studios in the United States and in Germany.
A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mr. Welburn has a bachelor’s degree from the College of Fine Arts at Howard University where he studied sculpture and product design. -
Kazunori Yamauchi
Tokyo, Japan
Kazunori Yamauchi is a game creator in Japan; he is renown for the Gran Turismo game series that has sold over 50 million units worldwide. Joining Sony Music Entertainment Inc. in 1992, he was involved in the startup of the Sony Playstation. Transferring to Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. in 1994, he produced his first title, MotorToon Grand Prix, and then in 1997, the first of the Gran Turismo series, which sold approximately 10.85 million units worldwide. He established Polyphony Digital Inc. in 1998, of which he is President. He has been a board member for the Japan Car of the Year awards since 2001. -
Andrea Zagato
Milan, Italy
Andrea Zagato is the third generation Zagato to head Coachwork Zagato since its founding in 1919. In his time, the firm has built solidly on its reputation for innovative styling that embodies advanced engineering. Under his leadership, the firm has also expanded on its traditional coachbuilding business.
Mr. Zagato founded SZ Design in 1994 to manage the Zagato brand name in a variety of sectors, and Zagato now provides comprehensive styling, engineering, and prototyping services for not only automobiles, but railway transport systems, heavy equipment, agricultural vehicles, car accessories, fashion and other industries.
Class Judges
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Class Judges with 30+ Years of Experience
Phil Hill
Ted Bacon
William Burchett
Jack Passey
Robert Kellner
Roger D. Morrison
Kenneth Gooding
Theodore Raines -
Class Judges with 25+ Years of Experience
Richard Riddell
Carl Steig
Steve Morton
William Davis
Ed Gilbertson -
Class Judges with 20+ Years of Experience
Chris Bock
Neal Kirkham
Rod Marconi
Roger Morrison
Bob Devlin
Richard Adatto
Siegfried Linke
Alan McEwan
Jim Hull
Stephen Dean
Winston Goodfellow
Dieter Holterbosch
Brian Pollock