The Audrain Concours d’Elegance 2026: Why Judging These Automotive Masterpieces is a True Masterclass
Donald Osborne, the bowtie-wearing, Italian-speaking, opera-singing impresario of the Audrain Concours d’Elegance, posed the question that hangs in the rarefied air of Newport, Rhode Island, every autumn: “What’s it going to take to get you out to the Audrain?” For years, I had heard whispers of this burgeoning rival to Pebble Beach, a concours that masterfully blends the gilded-age elegance of Newport with the electrifying pulse of modern automotive performance.
My own introduction to this world was as unexpected as a sudden downpour during a black-tie gala. It began not in Rhode Island, but in Miami, at the MODA, RM Sotheby’s ambitious answer to the long-established Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Launched in 2021, MODA was born of a philosophical rift between RM Sotheby’s and Hagerty’s Broad Arrow, with Hagerty having acquired the Amelia Island event and subsequently poached nearly 30 RM employees. MODA was an act of professional spite, and it was glorious. While there, enjoying the spectacle and the intellectual camaraderie of this burgeoning community, I found myself in conversation with Osborne himself. The Audrain had been calling my name since its inception in 2019. I looked at Osborne, my internal auctioneer’s gavel poised, and asked, “Make me a judge?” His characteristic megawatt smile flashed, and with a theatrical flourish, he waved his hand over me. “You’re a judge. See you in Newport.”
Entering the Deep End
I still remember my first encounter with Pebble Beach week, decades prior. It was before the incessant pull of social media, before hashtags defined reality. I was a novice, blissfully ignorant of the fact that such opulent gatherings even existed. I didn’t even know how to dress, naively assuming the grand show on Sunday was merely an upscale Cars and Coffee. I believe I arrived in shorts and a T-shirt, a sight that still brings a blush to my cheeks. But even then, I understood the gravity of the proceedings. I watched as a friend, Pulitzer Prize–winning automotive journalist Dan Neil, was appointed an honorary judge. It was an awe-inspiring sight. A competitive spark ignited within me, an unshakeable conviction whispered by my undefeated ego: “Why not me?”
The Audrain is not Pebble Beach, though some legends, including Jay Leno, assert that the Audrain is, in fact, superior. I know this because during The Gathering at Doris Duke’s iconic Newport summer home, Rough Point (Audrain’s answer to The Quail), the Spike’s Car Radio podcast, a show I co-host with Seinfeld writer Spike Feresten (inventor of “No soup for you!”), hosted a live show with a very special guest: Jay Leno. Leno, whose property portfolio includes a “ridiculous house” in Newport, is arguably the heart and soul of the Audrain. So fundamental is his presence that the Mayor of Newport officially designated October 2, 2025, as Jay Leno Day, a fitting tribute to a man who has done so much to foster the car culture of this historic city.
How to Judge? The Masterclass
And so, here I was, serving as a judge during the main event on Sunday. The morning began with the customary judges’ breakfast—coffee, eggs, and sausage—a fitting start to a day of serious contemplation. As the head judge, Phil Neff, looked across the table, he posed the question, “Is there anyone here who hasn’t judged a concours?” No hands went up, including mine. While I had never officiated at a fancy-schmancy Sunday like the Audrain, I had presided over the parody concours, Concours d’LeMons, so many times that I have lost count and have sworn to never participate again. Should I have raised my hand? Who knows, but this is cars, isn’t it? How hard could it be? Remember, my ego is undefeated. Why not me?
Neff and his team paired me with Ray Evernham, the NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief who has won everything and often with Jeff Gordon at the helm. Evernham and I hit it off immediately, discovering a shared history of racing at Pikes Peak. Our assignment was to award the Sporting Choice Award, essentially finding 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 reviewing and judging every car present with either two doors or no doors—well over 100 cars, all within a two-hour timeframe.
Sporting our judge hats, medallions, clipboards, No. 2 pencils, and navy blazers, Evernham and I stepped onto the hallowed grounds and quickly formulated a plan. Like at all concours, the cars are segregated into specific classes. We would simply examine each class, identify one car that “popped,” and record our top four or five favorites. Our instructions were clear: do not get bogged down with the tedious, nitpicky minutiae that plagues modern car judging. Who cares if the trunk lining is incorrect? In fact, don’t even open the trunk. The objective was to identify the car that moved us most deeply.
Still Not Simple: An Auctioneer’s Dilemma
Two of the classes instantly validated my earlier “Why not me?” fantasy. Class D featured Ford GT40 road cars, six in near identical quality, all appearing to be Mk1 homologation specials. They were all equally spectacular, and without meticulously checking carb-bolt alignment (as instructed not to do), picking a winner was an exercise in futility. We failed. In fact, we couldn’t do it. Put another way, the people judging Class D needed to be genuine subject matter experts to make this call. The same held true for Class A, the pre-war Alfa Romeo division, which featured six mind-blowingly excellent 8Cs. I couldn’t even begin to explain why the winning car was chosen, though the burgundy beauty eventually went on to win Best of Show, a decision that, remarkably, felt entirely correct.
In any case, we managed to assemble a shortlist of our favorites, though sacrifices were unavoidable. There was a Lamborghini 3500 GTZ Zagato Coupe that absolutely mesmerized me, primarily because I had never even heard of it before (it turns out only two were ever built, and the other is being intentionally kept away from the public). However, I quickly realized that while the Zagato Lambo was undeniably novel and possessed a certain “Wow!” factor, it wasn’t going to win the Sporting Choice Award. Evernham, for his part, was captivated by an exceedingly rare Allard JR that had competed in the 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, I soon discovered that he owned three Allards, meaning we needed to strike this JR from contention. A sweet car, to be sure. Fitted with a Jaguar C-Type body to comply with new Le Mans regulations, but still powered by a massive 5.3-liter Cadillac V-8, it remains the most successful of the seven Allard JRs ever built.
The Final Call: Simplicity Lost in Beauty
The most difficult decision we faced was for third place. It was a toss-up between a 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Touring Superleggera Coupe and a 1940 Cadillac Series 62 Bonham & Schwartz Convertible Victoria. I am a sucker for postwar Alfas; I don’t know what it is exactly, but I absolutely adore them. Perhaps it’s the iconic Bakelite switches that define their interiors. This particular 6C was finished in a stunning blue and boasted a remarkable provenance. Its present owner had not driven it since 1973, until the day before the Concours d’Elegance, when he took it on the Audrain Tour d’Elegance, a scenic coastal tour designed to showcase the Audrain’s commitment to keeping these cars moving.
However, we found the Caddy more sporting. It was one of two custom-bodied in Pasadena, California, by the same artisans (Bonham & Schwartz) who created Clarke Gable’s Duesenberg. The candy-red Series 62 just popped. It possessed that indescribable “Wow!” factor, the know-it-when-you-see-it quality that separates the exceptional from the ordinary. It was one of two made, yes, but the only survivor, as its sibling perished in a fire. This car was built for the Doheny family, a wealthy Californian oil baron family who just happened to be the founders of a little town called Beverly Hills. We awarded the car our third-place vote, or in Audrain parlance, Honorable Mention.
For us, the Sporting Choice Award came down to two extraordinary 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 built (only 15 regular wheelbase versions were made), this particular car holds a racing record that will never be broken: Built in 1938, this T150 C won the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa
