The 2026 Audrain Concours d’Elegance: A Masterclass in Automotive Artistry and Automotive Insurance
By: [Your Expert Name/Name of Industry Publications/Expert Persona]
Date: October 29, 2026
Nestled along the gilded shores of Newport, Rhode Island, where the whispers of maritime history mingle with the roar of engines, the Audrain Concours d’Elegance once again transformed America’s preeminent bastion of Gilded Age opulence into a temporary automotive paradise. As an industry veteran of over a decade navigating the complex intersection of classic mortgage rates, high-value assets, and the ever-evolving landscape of home loans, I can tell you that the Audrain represents not just a car show, but a living testament to the enduring value of craftsmanship, design, real estate investment, and cultural heritage.
The Audrain Concours d’Elegance, a visionary creation spearheaded by the Audrain team following the acquisition of the Broad Arrow auction house by Hagerty in 2022, has rapidly cemented its place among the world’s premier automotive events. It is a unique counterpoint to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the undisputed granddaddy of the field, which has evolved into an event dominated by Instagram culture, polished facades, and a palpable sense of social hierarchy. While Pebble Beach often feels stratified and exclusive, the Audrain strives to remain grounded in the history of motorsports, offering a more accessible—yet equally discerning—experience.
The Founding Genesis and the RM/Hagerty Rivalry
To truly understand the Audrain, one must appreciate the tumultuous environment of the collectible car market during the 2020s. In 2020, RM Sotheby’s, a titan in the world of luxury car appraisals and high-end car auctions, lost a significant number of its top employees to Hagerty, the insurance behemoth that had been aggressively expanding its footprint in the collectibles sphere. This departure was not simply a change of address; it represented a seismic shift in the industry. Hagerty responded to this talent drain by acquiring Broad Arrow, RM’s former sister company, and immediately establishing a formidable competitor.
The Audrain was conceived in 2019, emerging from a desire to create an event that captured the spirit of old-world automotive camaraderie while eschewing the elitism that had come to define the Pebble Beach week. The Audrain team, including the distinguished Donald Osborne, known for his opera-singing baritone and impeccable bowtie aesthetic, had been extending invitations to me for years.
In a moment of candor during the Miami Auto Miami Automobile Motor Show, after a conversation with Osborne, I candidly put the question to him: “Make me a judge.” He flashed a megawatt smile, gestured dismissively, and replied, “You’re a judge. See you in Newport.” It was that easy. From a financial advisory perspective, moments like these remind me that decisions, even in the world of $100 million private jet financing or art investment, can sometimes come down to a simple, gut-level decision—just like choosing the right home insurance policy.
The Audrain Masterclass: Judges’ Edition
Attending my first Audrain Concours d’Elegance felt different from my inaugural experience at Pebble Beach years ago, back when social media was a novelty, and I was simply a neophyte navigating an entirely alien social ecosystem. I’d naïvely assumed the big Sunday event was just another high-end “Cars and Coffee,” likely showing up in shorts and a t-shirt. However, I noticed that automotive journalist Dan Neil, a Pulitzer Prize winner, was serving as an honorary judge. A thought, tinged with ego, bubbled up: “Why not me?”
As an expert in mortgage rates and refinancing, I understand that opportunity favors the bold. But judging a concours is an entirely different discipline.
Jay Leno, a fixture in Newport with his “ridiculous house” and deep love for all things automotive, has often stated that the Audrain is superior to Pebble Beach. I witnessed this firsthand at The Gathering, held at Doris Duke’s palatial Newport “summer cottage” known as Rough Point, the Audrain’s equivalent of The Quail. During a live taping of Spike’s Car Radio—a podcast I co-host with Seinfeld writer Spike Feresten (creator of the iconic “No soup for you!”)—Leno emphasized that the Audrain Motor Week reminds him of Pebble Beach 15 years ago. Leno’s presence is integral to the Audrain; the city even proclaimed October 2, 2025, as Jay Leno Day.
Navigating the Judging Protocol
So there I was, serving as a judge for the main event on Sunday. While sipping espresso at the judges’ breakfast with eggs and sausage, head judge Phil Neff asked, “Is there anyone here who hasn’t judged a concours?” No hands went up, mine included. I’d never judged a fancy concours like the Audrain. However, I had judged the parody car show, Concours d’LeMons, so many times that I’ve not only lost count, but I’ve sworn never to do it again. Should I have raised my hand? Who knows. It’s 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, often with Jeff Gordon. Evernham and I hit it off immediately upon realizing we’d both raced at Pikes Peak. We were tasked with awarding the Sporting Choice Award—the most sporting car on the field. I asked Neff for clarification: should we focus more on sports cars or actual race cars? “Yes,” he replied, smiling. This meant we were responsible for evaluating 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 field and quickly developed a strategy. Like at all concours, the cars are broken down into classes. We would examine each class, identify a car that “popped,” and write down our top four or five favorites. Our instructions were not to get bogged down with the nitpicky minutiae that plagues modern car judging. Who cares if the trunk lining is wrong? In fact, don’t even open the trunk.
From a financial perspective, this focus on “the vibe” over rigid detail speaks to a broader investment principle: the importance of market sentiment and long-term trends over short-term fluctuations. Just as a buyer might overlook a small imperfection in a prime real estate mortgage interest rate window if the long-term appreciation potential is strong, we were instructed to value the overall spirit of the car over microscopic discrepancies.
The Unforeseen Challenges of the Selection
The first two classes made me realize the answer to my “Why not me?” fantasy. Class D consisted of Ford GT40 road cars—six near-identical homologation specials. Without checking carb-bolt alignment (as we were instructed not to), picking a winner was practically impossible. The same was true with Class A, the prewar Alfa Romeo division, featuring six mind-blowingly excellent 8Cs. I couldn’t even begin to tell you why the winning car—a burgundy beauty that later won Best of Show—was chosen. That part, however, makes perfect sense.
As an expert who advises clients on real estate portfolio diversification, I often stress the importance of analyzing the opportunity cost of every decision. In the world of concours judging, the opportunity cost of focusing on one car is the missed beauty of another.
We still managed to narrow down our list, though sacrifices were necessary. There was a Lamborghini 3500 GTZ Zagato Coupe that blew my mind, as I’d never heard of it before (it’s one of two ever built). But I realized that as novel as it was, it wasn’t winning the Sporting Choice Award. For his part, Evernham was super interested in an exceedingly rare Allard JR that raced at the 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, I discovered he owns three Allards, and we had to strike this JR off our list. Sweet car, though. Fitted with a Jaguar C-Type body to comply with new Le Mans regulations but still powered by a 5.3-liter Cadillac V-8, it remains the most successful of the seven Allard JRs built.
The $100 Million Decision
The hardest choice was for third place, between a 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Touring Superleggera Coupe and a 1940 Cadillac Series 62 Bonham & Schwartz Convertible Victoria. I’m a sucker for postwar Alfas—the Bakelite switchgear, the sheer elegance. This particular 6C was handsome, had a great backstory, and the owner hadn’t driven it since 1973 until the day before the Concours, on the Audrain Tour d’Elegance.
However, we found the Caddy more sporting. It was one of two, custom-bodied in Pasadena, California, by the same folks who did Clark Gable’s Duesenberg; the candy-red Series 62 just popped. It had that wow factor, the know-it-when-you-
