On Sunday August 16th 2026, the 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links played host to the 75th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, an anniversary edition of what remains, by any reasonable measure, the most prestigious concours on the planet. 218 cars took to the grass in front of the Lodge this year, 33 of them international entries from 14 different countries and 185 from 30 US states, spread across a field particularly rich in featured classes and special displays.
The top prize, awarded at the end of the day, went to a 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster shown by Harry Yeaggy of Cincinnati, Ohio. Originally owned by none other than Clark Gable, this is one of just two SSJs ever built, and its Hollywood provenance is matched by dramatic proportions: a sweeping hoodline, a rakish aerodynamic windshield, a fresh black lacquer finish and a light saddle leather interior.
It was Yeaggy’s second Pebble Beach Best of Show, having taken the trophy in 2007 with the Duesenberg SJ “Mormon Meteor”. Duesenberg remains the winningest American marque at the Concours, now with eight Best of Show trophies to its name. “Duesenberg often tops the list of desires for people with a passion for American classics, and the iconic SSJ is the marque’s ultimate expression,” said Concours Chairman Sandra Button after the ceremony.
The rest of the Best of Show field was, as ever, formidable: a 1938 Delahaye 165 Figoni et Falaschi Cabriolet from The Pearl Collection in Switzerland, a 1955 Ferrari 375 MM Pinin Farina Berlinetta from the Heinecke Family Collection in Thailand and a 1954 Ferrari 375 America Vignale Cabriolet from RQ Collections in Texas all made it onto the final ramp. The other headline story of the weekend was the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Lamborghini Miura.
For the very first time in Concours history, the famed 3rd fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links was opened up to accommodate a dedicated display of more than 40 Miuras gathered from around the world, widely reported as the largest gathering of the model ever assembled and comfortably surpassing the record-setting displays organised for the Miura’s 40th and 50th anniversaries. The car that changed the direction of the high-performance road car almost overnight back in 1966, with its transverse mid-mounted V-12 and low, wide Bertone bodywork, took centre stage for a day that felt as much a celebration as a competition.
Beyond the Miura display, this year’s featured classes gave the field an unusually rich international flavour. Ferrari was the featured marque with a particular spotlight on Chinetti and NART Competition Cars, while Vignale was the featured coachbuilder. Elsewhere on the grass, dedicated classes celebrated the Automobiles of Royal India, Japanese Motorsport, the 1933 Century of Progress Exhibition, Pebble Beach Road Race Production and Special cars, prewar Streamliners and Duesenberg as a marque in its own right.
Away from the top prize, the Elegance Awards recognised some of the most beautiful coachwork on the field: a 1935 Duesenberg J Rollston Convertible Coupe was named Most Elegant Convertible, a 1937 Talbot-Lago T150 C-SS Figoni et Falaschi Teardrop Coupé took Most Elegant Closed Car, a 1937 Bentley 4¼ Litre Vanden Plas Sports Tourer picked up Most Elegant Open Car and a 1953 Fiat 8V Ghia Supersonic was crowned Most Elegant Sports Car. The 75th edition also marked a significant milestone off the field.
Total charitable donations raised by the Concours over its history have now surpassed $50 million, with more than $4.3 million added this year through the Pebble Beach Company Foundation and its 130+ local nonprofits focused on the education, health and wellbeing of children in Monterey County. The 76th edition has already been announced for August 15th 2027, and will celebrate the centennial of Delage’s Grand Prix-winning season, 40 years of the Ferrari F40, an exceptional gathering of Delahayes and a class dedicated to Prewar Open-Front Town Cars.
GTspirit already looks forward to being back on the 18th fairway.
Photos and Words by Yaron Esposito
