by Charles Fleming

A beautifully restored pre-war Italian sports car once owned by musician Eric Clapton walked away with the best of show award at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance automobile exhibition. The 1936 Lancia Astura Cabriolet, with body by design house Pinin Farina, also took the top prize in its European Classic Early category. Owner Richard Mattei of Paradise Valley, Ariz., thanked the vast team that helped restore the car, which Clapton once described as "the most fun I've had offstage and out of bed."

More than 200 classic, vintage and antique automobiles paraded at dawn across the deep green 18th fairway at the famed Monterey Peninsula golf course, which for more than 60 years has been the site of what has become the world's most prestigious automobile concours. All were eligible for the best of show award, and all competed in one of several dozen specialized categories.

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Source: http://www.latimes.com/