THE-PENINSULA-HOTELS
9.2.2021 07:02:26 CET | Business Wire | Press release
The Peninsula Hotels, whose international hospitality brand has epitomised glamour and luxury for nearly a century, today announced the winner of its sixth annual classic car showcase, The Peninsula Classics 2020 Best of the Best Award. The winning car, the 1954 Ferrari 750 Monza, coachwork by Scaglietti , has achieved distinction both for its impressive racing history and its exacting restoration. It became eligible as a Best of the Best Award contender after winning Best of Show at the 2020 Palm Beach Cavallino Classic.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210208005295/en/
The Best of the Best Award was co-founded in 2015 by The Hon. Sir Michael Kadoorie, Chairman of The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (owner and operator of The Peninsula Hotels), along with William E. (Chip) Connor, Bruce Meyer and Christian Philippsen. The Award celebrates the fine engineering and design of classic cars built by internationally renowned manufacturers, selected from an exceptional short list of winners from the most exclusive concours. This year’s award has a contracted list of nominees due to cancellation or postponement of partner concours in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19.
The 1954 Ferrari 750 Monza was chosen from a selection of four nominees crafted by automakers from Italy, Germany, and the United States, including a 1969 Porsche 917 KH Coupé, coachwork by the Factory, 2020 Best of Show, Concours of Elegance Hampton Court Palace, 1931 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza Spider, coachwork by Zagato, 2020 Best of Show, Salon Privé and a 1929 Duesenberg Model J Town Limousine, coachwork by Murphy, 2020 Best of Show, Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.
The winner was selected by The Best of the Best Award’s esteemed panel of judges, including, amongst others, designers Gordon Murray (former Formula 1 designer for Brabham and McLaren) and Anne Asensio (Vice President of Design Experience at Dassault Systèmes), and prominent classic car collectors Laurence Graff and Jay Leno.
“It was a difficult task for our judges to select a winner this year. Our judging procedures had to be carried out remotely and unfortunately the main awards event had to be cancelled, with social distancing measures and safety our top priority,” said The Hon. Sir Michael Kadoorie. “With such a prestigious collection of nominees, choosing one winner was especially challenging. However, it is always a great pleasure to spotlight the remarkable achievements of the automotive industry, and to create a small spark of joy in the current challenging times. These classic vehicles are an enduring testament to human artistry and ingenuity.”
The winning 750 Monza made its original debut with a 2-litre motor at the Inaugural Grand Prix of the Imola Autodrome in June of 1954. After driver Umberto Maglioli secured first place for Scuderia Ferrari with the car, it was subsequently fitted with a 3-litre engine and went on to compete in several other major races that year, including the Monsanto Grand Prix (where it won), and Nassau Race Week – where it was driven by its original owner, Alfonso de Portago, and secured a 1st and two 2nd places.
The car’s next owner, Sterling Edwards, raced the 750 Monza over the next two years mainly in California, including the Pebble Beach Road Races (an event he founded) in 1955 and 1956 – garnering four 1st-place and two first-in-class wins in the car. After the tragic death of his friend Ernie McAfee prompted Edwards to stop racing altogether, he sold the car to his engineer Bob Whitmer, who replaced its engine with a Chevy V8 and continued to successfully race it through the early 1960s.
The car spent most of the ensuing 50 years disassembled, though its chassis, body, engine, and gearbox were all carefully preserved in a small San Francisco-area warehouse. In 2016, a complete restoration of the car was initiated under the direction of Bob Smith Coachworks, located in Gainesville, Texas, a process that took new owners Tom and Jill Peck of southern California over two years to complete.
The refurbishment was guided by several noted Ferrari historians: Marcel Massini of Switzerland, Alan Boe of Braselton, Georgia, David Seielstad of Hawaii, as well as past owners Sterling Edwards’ son Hammond and Bob Whitmer, both from northern California. The vintage certification team at Ferrari Classiche in Maranello, Italy, was also helpful in piecing together the early racing career of the car while campaigned by Ferrari. Bringing their combined wealth of knowledge to the project, these experts employed many of the vehicle’s preserved original documents and instruments, including the original owners’ manual, toolboxes, build sheets, and a treasure trove of original photographs of the car. Computer modelling of these photos was employed to repair flaws in the body from the car’s racing days, and 3-D printing technology was utilised to duplicate some parts that were irreparable. The vehicle’s livery was restored to that which it sported in its first Carrera Panamericana race in 1954.
Once fully restored, the 1954 Ferrari 750 Monza won the Enzo Ferrari Award at the 2019 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and 2020 Best of Show at the Cavallino Classic, before being named winner of The Peninsula Classics 2020 Best of the Best Award.
“It is a true honour to be recognised by the venerable judges of The Peninsula Classics,” said Mr. Peck of his car’s latest success. “Like so many classic cars, this one has been both a labour of love and the product of dedicated teamwork. The Best of the Best Award is a crowning achievement for everyone involved.”
About The Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award
Through a shared desire to celebrate the best of what defines the automotive world, The Hon. Sir Michael Kadoorie, Chairman of The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited, launched The Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award in 2015 with co-founders William E. (Chip) Connor, Bruce Meyer and Christian Philippsen. Each founder shares a common passion and appreciation of fine motor cars, the preservation of their heritage and immaculate restoration projects. The award, sponsored by The Peninsula Hotels , brings together elite ‘Best of Show’ winners from nine of the renown concours circuits around the globe: Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, Cavallino Classic, Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille, Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, Concours of Elegance Hampton Court Palace, Goodwood Cartier Style et Luxe Concours d’Elegance, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Salon Privé, and The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210208005295/en/
Link:
Social Media:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Check Point and ControlPlane Partner to Help Enterprises Securely Scale AI and Accelerate Agentic Innovation24.2.2026 15:30:00 CET | Press release
ControlPlane, a specialist AI Security and DevSecOps consultancy, and Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., a pioneer and global leader in cyber security solutions, today announced a strategic collaboration to help enterprises securely adopt Large Language Models (LLMs) and agentic AI systems at scale. The partnership delivers a comprehensive, regulator-ready security framework designed to reduce risk, protect sensitive data, and enable organizations to move confidently from AI experimentation to production deployment. By combining Check Point’s AI-native threat prevention platform with ControlPlane’s deep expertise in cloud native architectures and DevSecOps, enterprises can operationalize AI securely without slowing innovation. As organizations advance AI initiatives beyond pilots, they face a growing “AI readiness gap.” Emerging threats such as prompt injection, unauthorized access, data leakage, and model misuse introduce risks that traditional security controls were not built to
Clinilabs Establishes EU Headquarters in Basel, Strengthening European Clinical Operations Under New Regional Leadership24.2.2026 15:00:00 CET | Press release
Clinilabs, a leading specialty contract research organization (CRO) focused on central nervous system (CNS) drug and device development, today announced the expansion of its European operations, including the establishment of its European Union headquarters at Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area, and the appointment of Dr. Anne-Marie Nagy as executive vice president and head of Clinilabs Europe. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260224669284/en/ Dr. Anne-Marie Nagy appointed as Executive Vice President and Head of Clinilabs Europe Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area is part of Switzerland’s national innovation network and located within the Basel region’s globally recognized life sciences cluster, bringing together biopharma companies, research institutions, and clinical innovation leaders. “Europe is a critical pillar of Clinilabs’ long-term growth strategy,” said Gary K. Zammit, Ph.D., president and chie
Yubico Unveils “YubiNation Partners”: A New Era of Global Channel Partnership to Secure Digital Identities in the Age of AI24.2.2026 15:00:00 CET | Press release
Yubico (NASDAQ STOCKHOLM: YUBICO), a modern cybersecurity company and creator of the most secure passkeys, today announced the launch of YubiNation Partners, a new global Channel program designed to unite a community of security experts. In the face of growing AI-driven cyber threats, the program enables partners to become trusted advisors and cultivate a safer digital world for their customers, making identities private and secure. As the average cost of a corporate security breach climbs to $4.4 million*, with phishing remaining a primary attack vector, the industry can no longer rely on passwords alone. In fact, a 2026 Total Economic Impact study from Forrester Consulting commissioned by Yubico, found that by replacing traditional multi-factor authentication (MFA) and one-time passwords (OTP) with YubiKeys, customers achieved a 265% return on investment (ROI). This effectively eliminated phishing and credential-theft risks, reducing an organization’s risk exposure to breach costs fr
Pure Lithium Receives Japanese Patent for “Vertically Integrated Lithium Metal Production and Lithium Battery Production”24.2.2026 15:00:00 CET | Press release
Pure Lithium Corporation, a disruptive lithium metal battery technology company, is pleased to announce that Japan has issued a notice of allowance, granting the company its foundational patent titled “Vertically Integrated Pure Lithium Metal Production and Lithium Battery Production” which was previously granted in the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This powerful and broad patent applies to co-locating the manufacturing of pure lithium metal anodes and lithium metal batteries. Our vertically integrated anode technology results in a high-purity lithium metal anode, contributing to exceptional battery performance. By vertically integrating lithium metal anode and battery production, not only do we capture margin at every stage of manufacturing, we eliminate costly transportation, handling, third-party markups and material degradation, dramatically reducing overall battery production costs. “I am honored that the Japanese patent office has recognized the importance and no
SETi: U.S. Court Affirms Principle of Protecting Domestic Patent Technologies, Permanently Bans Infringing Products24.2.2026 15:00:00 CET | Press release
In February 2026, a U.S. federal court ruled that Laser Components, a century-old global optics company, had infringed patents held by Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc. (SETi), a U.S.-based company that has focused on opto-semiconductor R&D and manufacturing for the past 25 years. The court ordered a permanent injunction banning the sale of the infringing products. The ruling applies not only to the manufacture and sale of products using the infringing technology, but also to employees and executives who cooperated in or were involved in the infringement. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260223103204/en/ Opto-Semiconductor Structure & Applied Patented Technologies (image: SETi) The patented technology is regarded as one of the core technologies for the future opto-semiconductor market, which is projected to grow to approximately $50 billion within the next decade—about one quarter the size of the memory semico
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom