Of course, here is the completely rewritten article in English, optimized for 2026, maintaining core ideas while adopting a unique perspective and featuring an expert industry voice.
Newport’s Finest: Evaluating Excellence at the Audrain Concours d’Elegance (2026)
It’s the same question posed by Donald Osborne, master of ceremonies and spiritual godfather to the Audrain Concours d’Elegance: “What’s it going to take to get you out to the Audrain?” For 2026, I finally said yes. Held in Newport, Rhode Island, a place steeped in gilded age grandeur, Audrain has rapidly become an automotive event that commands respect.
Osborne and I recently met at MODA, RM Sotheby’s ambitious automotive exhibition founded two years ago to challenge Amelia Island after Hagerty’s Broad Arrow acquisition poached nearly 30 of RM’s top employees. The Audrain organizers had been inviting me since the event’s inception in 2019. I looked at Osborne, the bowtie-wearing, Italian-speaking automotive impresario, and proposed, “Make me a judge?” With a characteristic flash of his mega-watt smile, he gestured dismissively, “You’re a judge. See you in Newport.”
Stepping into the Deep End: A Concours Newbie’s Perspective
My first foray into Pebble Beach Automotive Week – the zenith of high-end automotive gatherings – left me feeling entirely inexperienced. Back then, before the ubiquity of social media, I was blissfully unaware of the existence of such elaborate spectacles. I hadn’t even grasped what to wear, naively assuming the Sunday show was little more than a casual car gathering. I suspect I arrived in shorts and a T-shirt. Yet, even then, I noticed that my friend, Pulitzer Prize-winning automotive journalist Dan Neil, served as an honorary judge. It struck me as quite impressive. Then, a whisper of ego rose in my mind: “Why not me?”
Pebble Beach is in a league of its own. Many industry veterans, including Jay Leno, suggest that Audrain is actually superior. I witnessed this firsthand during The Gathering at Doris Duke’s historic Newport summer home, Rough Point, which serves as Audrain’s equivalent to The Quail. During a live podcast recording of Spike’s Car Radio with special guest Jay Leno, he remarked that Audrain Motor Week reminds him of Pebble Beach 15 years ago. Leno, who owns what he calls “a ridiculous house” in Newport, is a vital fixture in the Audrain community. This sentiment was publicly validated when the mayor declared October 2, 2025, as Jay Leno Day.
Navigating the Nuances of Judging
And so, there I was, stepping in as a judge for the main event on Sunday. Settling in for the judges’ breakfast with coffee, eggs, and sausage, head judge Phil Neff posed a critical question: “Is there anyone here who hasn’t judged a concours?” A silence fell over the room; not a single hand was raised, including mine.
Yes, I admit, I had never judged a formal concours event like the Audrain. However, I’ve judged the parody event, Concours d’LeMons, so many times that I’ve not only lost count but have also vowed never to do it again. Should I have admitted my lack of formal experience? Perhaps, but in essence, it’s about cars, right? How complicated could it be? Remember, my ego remains undefeated. Why not me?
Neff and his team assigned me to partner with Ray Evernham, the NASCAR Hall of Famer renowned for his championship-winning crew chief tenure, often alongside Jeff Gordon. Evernham and I connected immediately upon discovering our shared racing experiences at Pikes Peak. We were tasked with awarding the Sporting Choice Award, an accolade given to the most sporting car on the field. I sought clarification from Neff: should we focus more on sports cars or actual race cars? “Yes,” he replied with a smile. This meant we were responsible for evaluating every two-door or doorless car present—well over 100 automobiles—within a two-hour timeframe.
Sporting our official judge attire—medallions, clipboards, No. 2 pencils, and navy blazers—Evernham and I strategized. As with all concours events, cars are organized into classes. We decided to review each class, identify standout vehicles, and list our top four or five favorites. Our instructions were explicitly not to get mired in the typical nitpicking minutiae that plagues modern car judging. Who cares if the trunk lining isn’t original? In fact, don’t even open the trunk.
The Unfolding Challenge of Complexity
Two classes highlighted the reality of my “Why not me?” ambition. Class D featured Ford GT40 road cars, with at least six highly similar GT40 Mk1 homologation specials. They all looked equally stunning, and without analyzing carburetor bolt alignment (as we were explicitly instructed not to), it’s impossible to pick a winner. We couldn’t. To put it plainly, the judges for Class D had to be genuine subject matter experts to make such a difficult call.
The same was true for Class A, the prewar Alfa Romeo division, which consisted of six breathtakingly excellent 8Cs. I couldn’t even begin to explain why the winning car secured its title, though the burgundy beauty ultimately won Best of Show—a decision that somehow felt entirely appropriate.
Despite the difficulty, we managed to compile a short list of favorites, which required making some tough choices. A Lamborghini 3500 GTZ Zagato Coupe captivated me because I had never encountered one before (it turns out only two were ever built, and the other is intentionally kept away from the public). However, I realized that as novel and striking as the Zagato Lambo was, it wouldn’t win the Sporting Choice Award. Meanwhile, Evernham was highly impressed by an exceedingly rare Allard JR that competed in the 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, I soon discovered he owns three Allards, prompting us to strike the JR from contention. A beautiful car indeed, though. It was fitted with a Jaguar C-Type body to comply with the new regulations of the era but retained its powerful 5.3-liter Cadillac V-8 engine, making it the most successful of the seven Allard JRs ever built.
Making the Tough Choices: 1949 Alfa Romeo vs. 1940 Cadillac
The hardest decision was selecting the third-place finisher. It came down to two iconic vehicles: a 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Touring Superleggera Coupe and a 1940 Cadillac Series 62 Bonham & Schwartz Convertible Victoria. I have always been drawn to postwar Alfas; I don’t know exactly why, but I absolutely adore them. I suppose the Bakelite used in the switchgear plays a significant role in their appeal. This particular 6C was finished in a striking blue and boasted a fascinating history, including the fact that its current owner had not driven it since 1973, only recently participating in the Audrain Tour d’Elegance the day before the Concours.
However, we found the Cadillac more sporting. It was one of only two, custom-bodied in Pasadena, California, by the same company (Bonham & Schwartz) that created Clarke Gable’s Duesenberg. This candy-red Series 62 just stood out—that undeniable “wow” factor and the extra sparkle that sets truly special cars apart. It was one of only two built, but it is the only survivor, as its sibling was destroyed in a fire. This car was originally built for the wealthy Californian oil baron family, the Doheny clan—the very family that founded the town of Beverly Hills. We awarded this exceptional automobile our third-place vote, or in Audrain terminology, Honorable Mention.
The Final Verdict: Why the Cisitalia Earned the Top Spot
For us, the Sporting Choice Award came down to two stunning vehicles: an oligarchical 1938 Talbot-Lago T150 C Lago Figoni et Falaschi Teardrop Coupe and a light green 1951 Cisitalia 202SC Pinin Farina Cabriolet. The Talbot “Goutte d’Eau” certainly possessed the provenance to win. Aside from being the only long-wheelbase T150 C ever constructed (15 standard-wheelbase versions were made), this particular car holds a racing record that is arguably unbreakable: built in 1938, this T150 C won the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa in 1948, making it the oldest car ever to win a Grand Prix race. Imagine a 10-year-old car winning an F1 race today? That alone was almost enough to swing our decision in its favor. But not quite.
Perhaps it was the Talbot-Lago’s massive sunroof, its dark paint job, or the fact that lengthening the traditionally sleek Figoni et Falaschi shape resulted in a slightly bloated appearance. Or perhaps the Cisitalia was just that exceptional. As Evernham eloquently put it, “The Cisitalia just spoke to me. The combination of color, stance, and chrome placement created a mental image of driving it down a beautiful coastline wearing my vintage Wayfarers.”
Exactly right. Look, there’s a good reason the Museum of Modern Art in New York includes the Cisitalia 202 (coupe) in its permanent collection: these little sports cars are simply spectacular. And somehow on this day,
