They call it the ultimate car show -– the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
This weekend, hundreds met on the California coastline to show and buy some of the most expensive cars. They rode in at dawn -- more than 200 of the rarest collectible cars from around the world.
"You get the best cars here,” said Rich Ceppos, publisher of AutoWeek. “The most unusual, the most expensive."
From one-of-a-kind DeSotos to Ferraris driven by royalty, cars are the stars at this high-end car show. The event was expected to raise more than $1 million for charity. This is also where the rich and the famous come to see and, in some cases, be seen.
"This is where the wealthy come out to play," said Matt Stone, executive editor of Motor Trend magazine.
"It's a little different here,” said Tonight Show host Jay Leno, who is also a car collector. “It's kind of like the millionaires versus billionaires.”
And who's winning?
“Oh, the billionaires do pretty good," he said.
Leno brought his 1916 Crane Simplex to Pebble Beach, and was good-natured about how he planned to beat out other cars in the judging.
"I'll see cars and just kind of scratch them or go 'Wow look at that!' and maybe I'll pull some wires out," he said.
The event is mainly about showing off classic cars like the '38 Horch -- only three were ever made -- which won this year’s Best of Show. There are so many wealthy people at the show that luxury automakers set up shop around Pebble Beach to show off new cars that offer a different ride.
The Dutch-made Spyker sports car doesn't hit showrooms until later this year. But at Pebble Beach, several buyers agreed to the $250,000 sticker price.
"This is Sunday, and every day of this event we have sold one to two cars a day,” said . Hans Van Rennes, sales manager for Spyker Cars.
Whether you’re buying, selling or just watching, this is a show for those who appreciate the finer things behind the wheel.
"It's a very passionate, collective audience," said car auctioneer David Gooding. "In the car world, this is it, the pinnacle."
And not a bad way to spend the weekend.