View Photos of Engines of Pebble Beach

It's a common complaint that modern engines aren't attractive. But compared to the steampunk jewelry hiding under the hoods of some Pebble entrants, your shined-up Chevy big-block isn’t so purty, either. Cars tend to look better and less Italian with their hoods closed, and so they stay that way most of the time. But follow the judges around, and while they poke around underhood you can peer over their shoulders at the engines that make these historic beauties purr, pop, and roar. When I first started taking these pictures, they were for my personal collection. I don't care what the engines came from, and I didn’t bother writing it down. So your guess is as good as mine as to those in the gallery below. But they sure are lovely, aren't they?