Peninsula Classics Best of the Best 2017
A 1954 Maserati A6GCS/53 Berlinetta with coach-work by Pininfarina takes this year’s prize
The Peninsula Classics Best of the Best was created in 2016 by the Hong Kong-based luxury hotel group to add a layer of celebration on top of the world’s most important vintage car awards. It’s a complement to The Quail Motorsports Gathering which Peninsula Hotels sponsors during Monterey Car Week and in the future will travel around the world. This year’s winner was a 1954 Maserati A6GCS/53 Berlinetta with coach-work by Pininfarina—chosen from a group of eight remarkable cars, the Maserati stands out for its unique provenance and incredible unrestored condition.
First presented at the 1954 Paris Motor Show, the car is one of only four Berlinetta-style sports cars that Pininfarina ever made and is considered the best preserved of the group given it’s the only one that has retained both its original chassis and body. The original owner raced it several times, including at the 1955 Mille Miglia, which is a poetic tie to today’s owner, Timm Bergold of The Destriero Collection.
A life-long modern car aficionado, Bergold developed his passion for vintage cars when a friend invited him to co-pilot at Mille Miglia. They continued this partnership for five years before Bergold decided it was time to enter the world of vintage car ownership and race his own vehicle. And thus his collection began. “I don’t have a large collection of vintage cars, but I have very particular ones. It’s not the number that’s important to me, it’s the quality,” he told us recently. Four years ago he met the previous owner of the 1954 Maserati Berlinetta, admitting it was his dream car. The owner didn’t want to sell, but Bergold gave him a deposit anyway asking for the first opportunity to buy it when he’s ready. Almost a year later, the car was finally Bergold’s. “Still, every time I see this car I can’t believe it’s sitting in my garage. It’s like a sculpture. If I could, I would put it in my garden—it doesn’t belong in a garage,” he tells us with true passion in his eyes.
The 1954 Maserati A6GCS/53 Berlinetta will be on display today at The Quail Motorsports Gathering along with many, many more phenomenal vintage cars plus some examples of modern and future vehicles. We will be taking over the Peninsula Hotel’s Instagram account for the day, so be sure to tune in to @PeninsulaHotels and also follow #Quail2017 for a look at the cars, their owners and other highlights from the event.
Images by Josh Rubin
