While the 1936 Lancia Astura Pinin Farina Cabriolet may have won the “official” title of Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance best in show, whatever that really means, it did not win our hearts. The one true winner should have been this, a 1931 Cadillac 452A Fleetwood Imperial Limousine. Or, as we knew it, the V16 with the fuzzy foot warmers.
We’re not joking about the foot warmers, either. Just check out these antique Uggs built into the back seat:
Fuzzy foot warmers in a car? We have never seen such automotive brilliance, neither before or since. Surely automotive genius itself ceased to exist past 1931, since I have personally never seen a car built in 1932 or later that also comes complete with said fuzzy foot warmers.
(Please note: if you have evidence of latterly included built-in footbags, please send it along.)
But it wasn’t just the extremity heating system, or the absolutely massive and glorious V16 engine which won our hearts. It was all the little details. Just look at the little engraving on the side-view mirrors, or the lovely wooden knurling on the clock. All of it is just delicious and perfect.
And what makes it most perfect is that the owners, Dave and Kathy Gano of Salem, Ohio, actually drive this thing. They’re even planning on taking it on a two-week long road trip through New England pretty soon.
Which is all we can hope for from Pebble Beach. So many of these cars live their lives in trailers, being transported from golf course to golf course. They deserve to live, to be driven, and to be loved.