Monterey 2009: Zagato honored at Pebble Beach

The 59th Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance displayed approximately 200 of the most unique and exquisite automobiles in the world on the 18th hole of the Links at Pebble Beach. Amidst the Bentley and Bugatti, Ferraris and Mercedes-Benz models, there was a special class devoted to a particular design house. That design house was celebrating its 90th anniversary – and despite having some of the world's most incredible designs in its long catalog of coachbuilt specials, it remains a relative unknown to most casual car fans. While many people might be able to recognize the name Pininfarina or Bertone, far fewer know the name Zagato. That's really a shame.

Starting with Ugo Zagato way back in the 1910's, son Elio and grandson Andrea have continued the tradition of building some of the most elegant and sporting vehicles on the planet. As part of a special tribute class at Pebble this year, a collection of Zagato-bodied cars was assembled that included customized cars from legendary automakers like AC, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Fiat and Maserati. While all of them have their own charm, we were particularly mesmerized by the 1957 Ferrari 250 GT LWB, 1965 Alfa Romeo TZ2 Zagato Competition Berlinetta (above), and the diminutive 1949 Fiat Topolino 750MM Zagato Coupe.

Check out our high-res gallery below and let us know what your favorite is.

Photos copyright ©2009 Frank Filipponio / Weblogs, Inc.