2026 Audrain Concours d’Elegance: The Premier Classic Car Experience
The question hung in the crisp autumn air of Newport, Rhode Island, delivered with the distinct cadence of Donald Osborne, the bowtie-clad maestro of the Audrain Concours d’Elegance. “What’s it going to take to get you out to the Audrain?” The world’s most sophisticated car enthusiasts and marque experts convene at this iconic event, held in the heart of America’s historic yachting capital, known for its opulent Gilded Age estates.
Osborne and I had crossed paths in Miami earlier that year at MODA, the highly regarded automotive showcase founded two years prior as a direct retort to Hagerty’s Broad Arrow acquisition. When Hagerty poached nearly 30 employees from RM Sotheby’s, a leading name in global classic car auctions, the founders of MODA were motivated to forge a rival event. The organizers of the Audrain Concours d’Elegance had been encouraging me to join their festivities since the event’s inception in 2019. Looking directly at Osborne, I blurted out, “Make me a judge?” A smile split his face as he gestured toward me, proclaiming, “You’re a judge. See you in Newport.”
Transitioning into the Deep End
My first encounter with Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance — the undisputed pinnacle of exclusive automotive events — was a humbling lesson in cultural norms. This was before social media dominated every aspect of our lives, and I genuinely didn’t know such events even existed. I recall being clueless about the dress code, mistakenly believing the main Sunday event was just another casual gather of automobiles. I’m pretty certain I showed up in jeans and a t-shirt. What I did note, however, was my friend, the Pulitzer Prize–winning automotive journalist Dan Neil, serving as an honorary judge. It seemed impressive. My undefeated ego, however, whispered a thought into my brain: “Why not me?”
The Audrain is certainly giving Pebble Beach a run for its money. Jay Leno once commented during The Gathering at Doris Duke’s magnificent Newport estate, Rough Point — Audrain’s answer to The Quail — that the Audrain Motor Week reminds him of Pebble Beach 15 years ago. Spike’s Car Radio, a podcast I co-host with Seinfeld writer Spike Feresten, hosted a live show featuring Leno as a special guest. Leno, who owns a “ridiculous house” in Newport, is a cornerstone of the Audrain community. In fact, Mayor Jeanne Boyle officially proclaimed October 2, 2025, as Jay Leno Day.
The Mechanics of Judging
So here I was, taking my role as a judge during the main event on Sunday. After enjoying a light breakfast with coffee, eggs, and sausage, the head judge, Phil Neff, posed a question: “Is there anyone here who hasn’t judged a concours?” Before the words fully left his lips, no hands were raised, mine included. Now, I’d never judged a high-caliber event like the Audrain before. However, I’d judged the satirical parody 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 raised my hand? Who knows, but really, it’s about cars, right? How difficult could it be? Remember, my ego is undefeated. Why not me?
Neff and his team paired me with Ray Evernham, a NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief whose record includes championships with drivers like Jeff Gordon. Evernham and I bonded immediately when we realized we’d both competed at Pikes Peak. We were assigned the task of awarding the Sporting Choice Award. Essentially, we were seeking the most sporting car on the display field. I approached head judge Neff for clarification. Was he looking for two-door sports cars or actual race cars? “Yes,” he replied, with a smile. This meant we were tasked with reviewing and judging every car present that had either two doors or no doors. That’s a massive undertaking — well over 100 cars — and we had just two hours to complete the task.
Equipped with our judge hats, official medallions, clipboards, #2 pencils, and navy blazers, Evernham and I surveyed the field and quickly formulated a plan. As is standard at all concours events, the cars are categorized into specific classes. Our strategy was simple: review each class, identify one car that “popped,” and note down our top four or five favorites. The instructions were to avoid getting bogged down in the nitpicky minutiae that often plague modern car judging. Does it really matter if the trunk lining is incorrect? In fact, it’s best not to even open the trunk.
Still Not as Easy as It Looks
Two of the classes quickly demonstrated why my “Why not me?” fantasy might have been overly ambitious. Class D featured Ford GT40 road cars, with six cars appearing to be identical-quality GT40 Mk1 homologation specials. Seriously, they all looked equally spectacular, and without inspecting carb-bolt alignment (which we were explicitly told not to do), I cannot fathom how anyone could select a single winner. We couldn’t. Put another way, the judges assigned to Class D had to be genuine subject matter experts to make such a decision. The same was true for Class A, the prewar Alfa Romeo division, which showcased six mind-blowingly exceptional 8Cs. I couldn’t begin to explain why the winning car triumphed, although the burgundy beauty did go on to secure the Best of Show award — which, surprisingly, made complete sense.
Despite the challenges, we managed to compile a shortlist of favorites, though some sacrifices were inevitable. I was mesmerized by a Lamborghini 3500 GTZ Zagato Coupe, a model I had never encountered before (it turns out only two examples were ever produced, and the other is intentionally kept away from the public). However, I soon realized that as captivating and novel as the Zagato Lambo was, it wasn’t going to win the Sporting Choice Award. For his part, Evernham was particularly impressed by an exceptionally rare Allard JR that had competed in the 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, I soon discovered that he owns three Allards, and we decided to dismiss this JR from consideration. It remains the most successful of the seven Allard JRs built, a testament to its engineering, fitting with a Jaguar C-Type body to meet the new Le Mans regulations while retaining its powerful 5.3-liter Cadillac V-8 engine.
The Hardest Choices
Our most difficult decision was for third place, a competition between a 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Touring Superleggera Coupe and a 1940 Cadillac Series 62 Bonham & Schwartz Convertible Victoria. I have a weakness for post-war Alfas; I don’t know exactly why, but I just adore them. Perhaps it’s mostly the Bakelite used on all the switchgear. This particular 6C was finished in a handsome blue and boasted a compelling backstory; its current owner hadn’t driven it since 1973 until the day before the Concours d’Elegance, participating in the Audrain Tour d’Elegance.
However, we found the Caddy to be more sporting. It was one of two cars custom-bodied in Pasadena, California, by Bonham & Schwartz, the same coachbuilders responsible for Clarke Gable’s Duesenberg. The candy-red Series 62 simply radiated appeal. It possessed that elusive “wow factor,” that indefinable quality that separates the ordinary from the extraordinary. While only one of two was made, it remains the only survivor, as its sibling was destroyed in a fire. This car was commissioned by the Doheny family, a wealthy oil-baron dynasty from California and the founders of the city of Beverly Hills. We awarded the car our third-place vote, or in Audrain-speak, Honorable Mention.
The Final Decision
For us, the Sporting Choice Award ultimately came down to two vehicles: an oligarchic 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 had the pedigree to win. Apart from being the only long-wheelbase T150 C ever built (only 15 standard wheelbase versions were produced), this specific car holds a racing record that will never be broken. Built in 1938, this T150 C triumphed at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa in 1948, making it the oldest car to ever win a grand prix race. Imagine a 10-year-old car winning an F1 race today? That alone was almost enough to sway our decision. But not quite.
Perhaps it was the Talbot-Lago’s expansive sunroof, its dark paint job, or the fact that its elongated chassis slightly distorted the traditionally elegant Figoni et Falaschi shape, making it appear somewhat bloated. Or maybe, the Cisitalia was simply that exceptional. As Evernham explained, “The Cisitalia just spoke to me. The combination of color, stance, and placement of chrome created a picture in my mind of driving it down a beautiful coastline wearing my vintage Wayfarers.”
Exactly. There’s a very good reason why the Museum of Modern Art in New York proudly displays a Cisitalia 202 (coupe) in its permanent
