The Quail Vs. The Las Vegas Concours: Has the Pebble Beach Heir Found a Rival?
The automotive landscape is awash in high-end car shows and concours. Yet, every year the question arises: Is Pebble Beach still the reigning monarch? While Pebble has always reigned supreme, its heir apparent, The Quail, has a new challenger to the throne. The Las Vegas Concours, taking place in the glitzy backdrop of Las Vegas, has emerged as a formidable rival.
What Is The Quail?
The Quail (full name, The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering) has long been considered the perfect appetizer to Sunday’s Pebble Concours. For a growing segment of the car world, The Quail has already eclipsed Pebble’s Sunday event. These enthusiasts are primarily interested in late-model and brand-new supercars and hypercars. I have lost count of the number of car friends who attend Car Week but leave on Sunday morning because they have no interest in “old cars.” Additionally, the cancellation of the Geneva International Auto Show left a significant premium hole in the supercar calendar, a hole that The Quail has filled nicely.
For instance, the Lamborghini Aventador debuted at Geneva in 2011, and the high-end Veneno debuted in 2013. The Aventador’s replacement, the Revuelto, was unveiled online, but the Temerario (Huracán’s successor) was first shown at The Quail in 2024. The same applies to the seven-figure Fenomeno, which debuted at The Quail in 2025. Bugatti unveiled the Chiron in Geneva in 2016; however, the Bugatti Divo (2018) and Mistral (2022) were both first shown to the world at The Quail. This holds true for dozens of other cars as well. Simply put, The Quail has become the world’s best show for these types of automobiles.
Until this past Halloween, I believed The Quail’s position in the global automotive hierarchy was secure. However, after attending the 2025 Las Vegas Concours (officially known as Concours at Wynn Las Vegas), I am no longer certain. I should preface this by explaining that I also attended the 2024 Vegas Concours, and although I enjoyed myself, it struck me as regional, if not provincial. There were some interesting cars, but they were mostly the usual suspects. In fact, if it weren’t for a project I was working on with Czinger (which invited me as its guest), I probably wouldn’t have bothered going this year. But man, am I glad I did.
What Is The Las Vegas Concours?
The Wynn hosted 48 Bugatti Veyrons on the lawn this year. Yes, you read that correctly. Of the 450 Veyrons ever built and the 100 sold in North America, 48 were in Las Vegas. Well, 49, as Bugatti brought a stunning white Vitesse Super Sport to celebrate the Veyron’s 20th anniversary—along with a Bolide, Centodieci, Chiron Super Sport, Divo, Mistral, and a model of the upcoming 18-cylinder hybrid Tourbillon that will replace the Chiron. Displaying more than 10% of all the Bugatti Veyrons ever built in one place has my head still spinning.
Kids like Paganis, too, right? Because there were more than 40 of them. I didn’t get the exact number (I was too busy drooling over the Veyrons), but there were several Zondas, including a Zonda Revolution (one of five), dozens of Huayras, a bunch of Utopias, and—worryingly for The Quail—the debut of the Huayra Codalunga Speedster, which Pagani plans to build 10 of at a price of $7,000,000 each before tax and tariffs, if you’re interested. (The mint green one under covers belongs to Apple’s Tim Cook.) Even if these extroverted carbon-titanium machines aren’t your thing, the fact that the 2025 Las Vegas Concours was the largest Pagani gathering ever in North America, and that Horatio Pagani (who was honored onstage by emcee Justin Bell for his contributions to car design) and his team chose to debut a car there, says something. More on that later. Back to more than 40 Paganis: That’s more cars than the factory produces in a year.
The Lamborghini section was just as mind-blowing if you are into these kinds of vehicles. First off, the 2025 Wynn Vegas Concours was the largest gathering of Lambos ever. Yes, ever. Again, I didn’t count, but the number being discussed was about 230. That’s 230 of the 600 cars present that Saturday. Simply mind-blowing. Of those 230, there was a Veneno Coupe (one of three ever sold to the public; the factory kept a fourth), a Sesto Elemento (one of 10), a Centenario coupe (one of 20) and convertible (one of 20), and a Reventón (one of 21). The last time I saw all those “few-offs” (as Lamborghini now calls them) together was at the factory museum. It was a flabbergasting display of precious, high-horsepower Italian metal/composites.
In an effort to be brief, I am leaving out all the Koenigseggs, the Gumpert Apollo, the Czingers, the Nilu, the McLaren Project Endurance race car debut, all the cars that were actually judged (including a former and insane Pebble Beach Concours-winning 1929 Mercedes-Benz 680 S Barker Tourer 26/120/180 that also won best of show here), the HWA EVO, a Mercedes-AMG One, two Oldsmobile Aerotechs, and a McLaren F1. Yeah, that’s one hell of a car show.
A New Home for Supercars and Hypercars
The Quail has always attracted some of the world’s rarest and most exclusive cars, serving as an appetizer before the main course at the Pebble Beach Concours. However, there is a growing segment of the automotive community that believes The Quail has already surpassed Pebble Beach. This group is largely comprised of enthusiasts who are passionate about late-model/brand-new supercars and hypercars. It is becoming increasingly common for these collectors to attend Monterey Car Week but skip Sunday’s Concours because they have no interest in “old cars.” Furthermore, the cancellation of the Geneva International Auto Show created a premium hole in the supercar calendar, a void that The Quail has filled effectively.
For instance, the Lamborghini Aventador made its debut at Geneva in 2011, and the high-end Veneno debuted there in 2013. The Aventador’s replacement, the Revuelto, was unveiled online, but the Temerario (Huracán’s successor) was first shown to the public at The Quail in 2024. The same is true for the seven-figure Fenomeno, which debuted at The Quail in 2025. Bugatti unveiled the Chiron at Geneva in 2016; however, the Bugatti Divo (2018) and Mistral (2022) were both first revealed at The Quail. This trend extends to dozens of other manufacturers as well. In essence, The Quail has established itself as the world’s premier showcase for these extraordinary machines.
Until this past Halloween, I believed The Quail’s status in the global automotive hierarchy was secure. However, after attending the 2025 Las Vegas Concours (officially known as Concours at Wynn Las Vegas), I am no longer certain. I should preface this by explaining that I also attended the 2024 Vegas Concours, and although I enjoyed myself, it struck me as regional, if not provincial. There were some interesting cars, but they were mostly the usual suspects. In fact, if it weren’t for a project I was working on with Czinger (which invited me as its guest), I probably wouldn’t have bothered going this year. But man, am I glad I did.
The Wynn Las Vegas Concours: A Record-Breaking Display
The Wynn Las Vegas Concours showcased 48 Bugatti Veyrons on the lawn this year. Yes, you read that correctly. Of the 450 Veyrons ever built and the 100 sold in North America, 48 were present in Las Vegas. Well, 49, as Bugatti brought a beautiful white Vitesse Super Sport to celebrate the Veyron’s 20th anniversary—along with a Bolide, Centodieci, Chiron Super Sport, Divo, Mistral, and a model of the upcoming 18-cylinder hybrid Tourbillon that will replace the Chiron. Displaying more than 10% of all the Bugatti Veyrons ever built in one place has my head still spinning.
Kids like Paganis, too, right? Because there were more than 40 of them. I didn’t get the exact number (I was too busy drooling over the Veyrons), but there were several Zondas, including a Zonda Revolution (one of five), dozens of Huayras, a bunch of Utopias,
