Celebrating most prestigious, and junkers, of automobile world

On the central coast of California , car enthusiasts can marvel at the most prestigious and the junkers of the automobile world, all in one weekend. No place celebrates the elegance of the automobile quite like the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance . Like bubbles in champagne, these vehicles have risen to the top as some of the most exclusive and valuable collector cars in the world. This invite-only event is chaired by Sandra Button, who exudes a very serious air about it all — for good reason. Button said for some, owning one of these cars is "like owning an art form." "As more and more time goes by, as caretakers, it's important that we keep them authentic. That we're really here for the cars," Button said. But just up the road from the perfect green carpet of the 18th fairway in Monterey, on the not-so-manicured laws of the Seaside City Hall, is another event that's gained popularity. The Concours d'Lemons is a more corndog than caviar event that's an ode to the less desirable, less loved and less expensive driveway dwellers. Alan Galbraith stitched together this monstrosity in 2009. He calls himself the "head gasket of the Concours d'Lemons." Like Concours d'Elegance, it's an annual celebration of cars where the vehicles ooze with mediocrity instead of pedigree. "We kind of figured if there's a top, there needs to be, you know, rock bottom, and that's what we do," Galbraith said. The car categories say it all. …