Classic Cars Concours
Rank 01
Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
Still the collector-car world's top prize: a Best of Show here defines the pre-war coachbuilt canon and moves restorer reputations.
Photograph: Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance by Jay Cross, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Why it is here
The 75th edition (16 Aug 2026) fielded 218 cars and named Harry Yeaggy's 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster, the ex-Clark Gable car, Best of Show (MotorTrend, Car and Driver, Motor Sport, Autoweek all 2026-08-17). Car and Driver calls it 'arguably the most prestigious classic car show in the world'; Autoweek reports the restoration went back to a two-inch trace of original paint. The 2025 winner, the 1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C 'Tulipwood' Torpedo, followed a 12,000-hour RM Auto Restoration programme (MotorTrend 2025-08-17). Score drivers: prestige 10.0 because four independent titles frame it as the apex award; provenance 9.6 because judging is built on originality and authenticity, shown by the paint and leather detective work Autoweek describes; expertise 9.5 because the jury includes curator-level figures such as Ken Gross (quoted by Car and Driver); experience 9.2, held back by the scale and crowds of Car Week; community 9.4 because the field is global (owners from Switzerland, Thailand, India and Hong Kong among the 2026 nominees and award winners, per Autoweek and the event list).
Who it is for
Owners of significant coachbuilt and pre-war cars chasing the ultimate concours result, and collectors who want to see the year's most important restorations in one place.
Sources
- 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Wins Best of Show at the 2026 Pebble Beach Concours d'EleganceEx-Clark Gable SSJ, one of two Special Speedsters, wins the 2026 Best of Show; restored to its original black over saddle leather.
- 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster Wins 2026 Pebble Beach Best of ShowDescribes Pebble as 'arguably the most prestigious classic car show in the world'; 75th Diamond Jubilee edition.
- 'King' of Hollywood's Duesenberg wins Best of Show at Pebble BeachWinner chosen from a field of 218 entrants; owner's second Best of Show (first in 2007).
- Clark Gable's Duesenberg Wins Pebble Beach ConcoursRestoration by Classic Restoration Services matched a two-inch section of original paint; chair Sandra Button's final year.
- 1924 Hispano-Suiza Tulipwood Torpedo Wins Best of Show at 2025 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance2025 winner restored by RM Auto Restoration over more than 12,000 hours.
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