Photo courtesy of Courtesy of Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

At the 67th Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in California, a Mercedes-Benz S Barker Tourer from 1929 overtook stiff competition to win Best of Show, ahead of 50 other vintage cars that were awarded prizes at the event.

Also Read: Model train collector Ross Hamilton shares his passion for locomotives

Owned by businessman collector Bruce R McCaw, the Mercedes-Benz S Barker Tourer, which was praised for its perfect combination of style and power, had left a restoration workshop in New Jersey only a few days before its triumph at Pebble Beach.

The car is still equipped with its original lights and chrome wheels. As for its blue color, the story goes that it was inspired by a 19th-century dress made of peacock feathers. 

The Mercedes-Benz S Barker Tourer was chosen over two other exceptional automobiles: a 1957 Ferrari 315 S Scaglietti Spyder from 1957 and a 1932 Packard 906 Twin Six Dietrich Convertible Victoria, which also won an award in the convertible category.

Several other awards were given out to a 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Gangloff Coupé (closed car category) and a 1955 375 Plus Pininfarina Cabriolet Speciale (sports car category).

Special trophies were given out to 20 other models: notably a 1909 De Dion-Bouton BV Type de Course, a 1931 Hispano-Suiza J12 Saoutchik Transformable Grande Luxe, a 1931 Bentley Speed Six Vanden Plas Open Four Seater Sports, a 1933 Auburn 12-165 Speedster and a 1949 Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta.

The "French Cup" was won by a 1947 Delahaye 135 MS Figoni & Falaschi Cabriolet. 26 other trophies for 26 categories completed the line-up for the 2017 awards.

First inaugurated in 1950, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is the world's most prestigious show of its kind. This year's event brought together 204 cars from 15 countries.

Among the celebrities in attendance this year were actor and former governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, US television host Jay Leno, and the director of the "Cars" movies, John Lasseter. The next show has already been scheduled for August 26, 2018.

The Tatler Test Drive: Mercedes-Benz E-Class sets a new bar for safety