@alsancle
Replies (29)
I bought this car back in 2014 from Bill Barker. His dad had bought it in the early 2000s. The ownership history is know back to the 1940s. It is the only known custom bodied Royale to survive and 1 of 3 different cars built on the 148" custom wheelbase. The original restoration thread is here:
https://reoroyale.com/forums/5/topics/2352
Do you know how you ruin a car show experience? You bring a car. So, I'm not big on shows although I do occasionally show up with one, especially if someone twists my arm. Pebble Beach is different kind of car show and hopefully every car guy once in their life gets to attend. My dad brought his 540K back in the early 90s and won a third in class. He was pissed about that. But General Lyons got the first and I forget who the heavy hitter was that get second, but that is the way it goes. I haver zero expectations of winning anything.
@alsancle it would be great to share some of the restoration process as well. You have come a long way with that car - amazing color selection imho. Just stunning.
@SteveMackCT Steve, I will do that. The quick update is as follows:
1. The car is fully painted with the exception of the battery box which needs to be repainted.
2. Everything but the right front fender is bolted to the car and fits. This fender requires the batter box.
3. The car starts (roughly) and we backed it up off the lift where it has been for 5 years to get the pictures in the first post.
4. All electrical from the dash to back of car is tested and works.
5. All the gauges includes the stupid King Seeley gas gauge work. There is a king sealy for the oil also that works.
6. Left headlight works. Right is not installed.
7. 95% of the interior is installed and finished. We still have some trim to get done.
Great news! Looking forward to following along.
The first step in applying to Pebble Beach is requesting an application. So, you need to apply to apply. Applications need to be in by the beginning of January, so you want to do this step in November when applications open up. You can find the request link on the Pebble website:
Thank you for your interest in the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
If you would like to apply for the 2026 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, please send an email with a short description of your car to entries@pebblebeachconcours.net to request an application. If the Selection Committee is interested in learning more, they will reach out to you to fill out a formal entry application form.
You want to keep it short and sweet and include a single photo. Not to verbose and not a million pictures. Here is what I sent:
Hello,
I would like to apply to next year's concours. My car is as follows:
1. 1931 REO Royale with a coachbuilt body by Dietrich. 148" wheelbase, the only one built.
2. The car has a known history back to the 1940s as well as mentions in Auto Body Magazine and newspapers in period.
3. It has never been shown at a concours to this point. The last time it was shown was over 30 years ago at a REO nation event.
4. We are currently finishing a 10 year long restoration.
5. Attached is a photo prior to restoration.
thank you,
A.J. SanClemente
Assuming you get past the first step and they have interest in learning more you get an email with a link to the application:
Dear AJ,
Thank you for telling us a bit about the automobile you hope to show at the 2026 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. We are interested in learning more about your car, so we would like you to fill out a formal application
The pictures are submitted are in the first post of this topic. Here is the text:
1931 Reo 8-48 Royale Sport Sedan
Coachwork by Dietrich
Chassis no. 48N2661 Motor no. N2661
The Reo Royale is one of the great forgotten American Full Classics. Robustly engineered, the
car featured a 358-cubic-inch inline eight offering 125 horsepower. The chassis was equipped
with single-shot lubrication, large 15-inch Lockheed hydraulic brakes as used on a Duesenberg J,
a vacuum-operated clutch, and thermostatically controlled radiator shutters. Factory aesthetic
adornments came courtesy of Amos Northrup, Murray’s pioneer aerodynamicist, included the
subtly skirted fenders and flowing, vee’d radiator shell.
While production chassis had a 135-inch wheelbase, Reo promoted the planned offering of
custom bodies by commissioning three cars comprised of a Convertible Victoria, Convertible
Sedan, and Sport Sedan, to be mounted on a special 148-inch wheelbase chassis and displayed at
Reo’s dealership on Park Avenue. The Dietrich Sport Sedan with its long hood and low roofline,
was described in the July 1931 issue of Autobody as “Practically a duplicate of the Packard sedan
which Dietrich exhibited at the Chicago Salon, the body seems to me to fit the Reo Royale
chassis a bit more appropriately than the angular Packard chassis.” While three similar bodies
survive on the aforementioned Packard (845) chassis, ours is the sole survivor of the three Reo
display cars.
Advertised at a price of $5,575, it was sold in the New York City area and evidently stayed local,
as it was sold by John Pope of the Bronx to Ellis W. Bell, II of Arlington, Virginia. The
ownership history thereon is complete, including notably passing through the hands of the son of
Reo’s chief engineer from the Royale era. It has led a relatively secluded life, having been
displayed at the AACA Fall Meet in Hershey in 1966, with a later showing at a Reo meet in the
early 1990s. With a nearly 15-year complete restoration finally concluding, this one-of-a-kind
Dietrich-bodied Royale is poised to emerge as a spectacular and unique Full Classic and would
find a place of honor on the lawn at Pebble Beach.
The application contains a bunch of questions, including which class you are applying to. I'll talk about classes in a different post. Thing that are asked include when the car was last shown, do you plan on showing it again before Pebble, who restored it, and specifics about the car itself. You also provide a short write up and 6 pictures. They specifically do not want a book as they have to sift through many applications quickly.
When you are applying, it is not just to the show but to a particular class. Many shows you apply and they sort things out later but in the case of Pebble your car may be eligible for a number of classes but you need to pick one. Typically there are 6 to 9 cars in cach class. Standard classes include:
- Duesenberg
- Prewar RR
- Prewar Preservation
- Postwar Preservation
- American Classic
- European Classic
- Postwar Sports Car
- Postwar Luxury
There are others that are recurring and their are always special classes each year. Last year it was Invicta. Year before there was a Mcfarlan class. I applied to American Classic. Sometimes this class gets split in to open and closed which might happen this year.
So, applications are due at the beginning of January, the selection committee meets in February and the acceptance emails go out early March. This is what mine looked like:
Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
Wed, Mar 18, 9:22 PM
to me, Sandra-Button-Gmail
Dear A.J. & Pam,
We are delighted to extend an invitation for your 1931 REO Royale 8-48 to participate in the 2026 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It would be a special honor to have you join us as we celebrate our 75th Concours. We plan to judge your REO in Class C-2 – American Classic Closed.
Please confirm your participation by completing and submitting the online Concours Acceptance & Tour Packet as soon as possible. Through the link below, you will be able to request your entrant badges, order guest credentials, reserve parking for your show car (and any necessary transport carrier) and confirm your participation in the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance. Also included is important information about hotel accommodations and additional events of Pebble Beach Automotive Week.
To access your personal online acceptance packet, please click here.
You will be able to save and submit your work as you go and revisit your acceptance packet later to review it. This is your unique link, so please save it to access your packet as needed.
The Concours itself takes place on Sunday, August 16, but we hope you will be with us for the full Pebble Beach Automotive Week. Concours events begin on the early morning of Thursday, August 13, with the Tour d’Elegance and continue through Concours Sunday, August 16.
All entrants are invited and encouraged to take part in the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance, which we consider an important part of the Concours. Cars that successfully complete the Tour on Thursday, August 13, receive an advantage in the event of a tie during class competition at the Concours. Often over 70% of our entrants participate in the Tour, making it a time of great camaraderie as well as a beautiful scenic drive down the Pacific Coast. Please review and submit the applicable Tour registration and insurance information via the above link, indicating whether you plan to participate in or decline this event.
In July, you will receive an email outlining the complete schedule for Pebble Beach Automotive Week, including details for Concours Sunday and the Tour d’Elegance, along with invitations to several special events reserved exclusively for Concours participants. At that time, the physical portion of your entrant packet, which contains the materials you will need to bring with you to Pebble Beach, including your entrant badges and wristbands, will be mailed to domestic entrants. For international entrants, the packet will be held and available upon your arrival. In the meantime, should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Concours staff at ...
Thank you for sharing your automobile with fellow enthusiasts at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. As we celebrate our 75th Concours, your participation contributes to making this milestone year truly memorable. We look forward to welcoming you to Pebble Beach in August.
Congratulations,
Congratulations A.J.
It will be excitiing for everybody to see such a gorgeous Royale!!! Very impressive car!
Cool thread! Want to make the visit to Pebble Beach one of these days. Would never be able to bring a car.
Here is another Royale that was at Pebble. I believe John Phillips car is maroon so this is a different convertible coupe. No idea where the photo came from or what year it is.
@Royale835Sedan
I have it in my list as Reo Royale convertible, 35N2663, owned by a fellow member of the club
Assuming you going accept the invitation there are number of steps that you need to complete within about 30 days.
Step 1: Confirm Your Participation for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
- Confirming you are participating
- Providing info on how the car will arrive.
- Provide info on what you want your name tags to look like
- Confirming Contact info and mailing address.
As I just mentioned, Pebble wants to know how you are getting the car there. The truck lot is at the Equestrian center and it is as interesting as the show itself. I would say that 75 of the trucks are one of the big carriers, Passport/Reliable/Intercity. Each vendor has their trucks lined up together. It seems like the same drive ends up in about the same spot every year. Maybe 25-30% of the trailers are smaller carriers or single car trailers.
I'm sending my car Intercity. There will be two other show cars in the trailer. The car will arrive usually on Tuesday. It will be in and out of the trailer for the tour on Thursday and clean up on Saturday. Total cost round trip is $10,000 plus it is customary to tip the driver because he's hanging around with your car all week.
Step 2 in the acceptance is Tour Participation. The tour happens on Thursday and is approx 80 miles. Typically weaving through Pebble Beach and then driving down 1A to Big Sur and then turning around. The tour is optional, however it does count in the judging. As part of the show you are given 2 tickets for the tour, you are allowed 2 additional tickets at $400 each. You also need to provide proof of insurance.
The tour has typically headed south on Rt1 along the Pacific ocean about 40 miles down and 40 miles back. South of Pebble Beach there is nothing until you get to Cambria which is not exactly a metropolis. That is almost 3 hour south. Here are some pictures of the road from a couple of years ago.
Here is an update. I'm working on the Pebble book which I need to get done in the next few days in order to get a hard copy in time to take with us. Back up plan would be soft copy printed at Staples.
The shipper (Intercity) called me yesterday afternoon and wanted to pick the car up this morning. I had told them the car would be ready 8/1 (Saturday) but this is typical of the carriers. Today is not doable and it is pouring so they will pick up the car on Thursday morning.
Car is loaded and heading west. I did a fairly detailed post on the shipping and what to expect. You can find that here:
https://app.rumbleseat.com/rumblefeed/post/15520
Car arrived safe and sound in the truck lot this morning. The trucker had it off the truck yesterday to move it and it started right up so I didn't bother takingit out today. Tour is tomorrow morning, but instead of the usualy 80 mile drive down the coast on RT 1 we are doing a shorter 22 mile ride around Monterey. This is because of forest fires burning down by Big Sur. We have a number of firefighters staying at our hotel. Here is a video of the truck lot today. Not too busy yet. Tomorrow will be crazy.
Updated tour for Thursday. We will get there around 6:30 AM to get the car going and line up. Some people are crazy and will be there at 4:30 Am to get to the front of the line. Not really important to me.
Show day boys. I have not displayed a car at a car show since I brought my Mercedes to one of those Hemmings "Concours" 20 years ago. I'm a little out of practice. We need to be at the truck lot by 6:15 AM. THe driver will have the car out for us. Dawn patrol starts right at dawn when. the cars go down chute one at a time after meeting Sandra Button chairwoman of the concours. I got to do it once 10 years ago when Ed's boss asked me to drive his Duesenberg on the field. Mildly stressful for us rookies.
Car made it home today. Of course the route I gave the driver was completely shutdown by police for some reason and the detour was forcing all the traffic to the side road we do the drop off on. Had to take evasive action and move to the boat ramp parking which is further away but at 2:00 pm on a Wed fairly empty. Car started right up which it always does. Spent an hour unloading everything from the car. I left the trophy at the shop for the guys to see when they come tomorrow.
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