On August 19, the 62nd Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance was held at Pebble Beach in the United States where Gran Turismo series Producer Kazunori Yamauchi awarded the 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Pininfarina Coupe (Chassis number 0422MD) with the "Gran Turismo Trophy."

There are a few different versions of the Ferrari 500 Mondial, but the car which received the award is a Pininfarina Berlinetta (coupe) that was built to race the 1954 Tour de France, and is one of only two that were ever made.
Under the curved engine hood is a 2 liter DOHC engine with a 4 cylinder configuration to minimize weight. The engine has ties to the F2 Grand Prix which started in 1952, and was designed by the famous engineer Aurelio Lampredi and produces an impressive 170ps at 7000rpm. The body is a steel tube space frame, and the suspension utilizes the De Dion Axle for superior road holding characteristics. The sleek form of this car carries with it all the leading edge technologies of its era.

Though the 500 Mondial did not win the Tour de France, it was left in pristine condition for us to enjoy today. 2 years after the race in 1956, the car passed to its second owner, and rested within a French château for 46 years. In 2002, after Mr. and Mrs. Shirley found out about this car they wanted to make it theirs. The car had survived in miraculous conditions and they decided to bring it to Pebble Beach where it received the award.

The Ferrari 500 Mondial Pininfarina Coupe will be included in a future version of Gran Turismo. We can look forward to the day when we can all try driving the masterpiece created in the golden era of sportscars.

The grand "Best of Show" award of this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance went to the 1928 Mercedes Benz 680S Saoutchik Cabriolet.