10 reasons to go to Concours of Elegance 2026

All the classics in the concours will be vying for the Best In Show trophy (last year’s winner was a unique 1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom I, known as The Phantom of Love), but this year, the Concours of Elegance organisers have introduced some new awards.

On top of class honours, a selection of vehicles from the 80-car contest will also be eligible for the titles of Finest Aston Martin, Finest Bentley, Finest Italian Berlinetta and Finest Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera.

And outside the main concours, some of the show’s other popular competitions will return: the Levitt Concours will gather a set of 20 classics owned by women, the Thirty Under 30 group will shine a spotlight on cars whose keepers are under 30, while the Junior Concours category will celebrate even younger enthusiasts with a line-up of small-scale recreations of full-size classics.

3. Join the club

Vauxhall 30-98 owners are bringing their cars to Concours of Elegance 2026

Each year, Concours of Elegance pays tribute to the UK’s classic car community by inviting selected clubs and their members to display vehicles outside Hampton Court Palace.

On 5 September, the judging takes place for The Club Trophy, presented by the Royal Automobile Club. The winner will be invited to take part in the main concours in 2027.

The Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club, the XK Club and the Aston Martin Owners’ Club are among those taking part. The latter will showcase almost a century of the marque’s history, from a 1930 Aston Martin International racer to the brand-new DB12 Volante. They will be joined by the Alfa Romeo Owners’ Club and the Vauxhall 30-98 Register, too.

Plus, on Saturday and Sunday, Classic & Sports Car will once again be awarding the finest cars in the club displays.

4. Landmark Aston Martins

This 1935 Aston Martin MkII was the first painted in the marque’s now-iconic metallic green

A number of Aston Martins will compete for the top gong at Concours of Elegance 2026. 

This 1935 MkII is perhaps the most significant: the one-of-22 Sports Saloon was the first Aston Martin finished in the metallic-green colour the marque became famous for. This restored car – a previous Pebble Beach trophy winner – will be one to watch at this year’s Concours of Elegance.

Among the other fabulous Aston Martins coming to Hampton Court Palace this year are a 1955 DB3S/104 with remarkable motorsport history, one of only five DB4 Series IVs fitted with a twin-plug GT engine and the Graber-bodied 1952 Aston Martin DB2 that won 2025’s Club Trophy.

5. Motoring milestones

Concours of Elegance 2026 will mark six decades of the Jensen Interceptor

The Jensen Owners’ Club will honour the Interceptor’s 60th anniversary; the luxury GT was first exhibited at the London Motor Show in 1966.

There will be a 1954 Jensen Interceptor Cabriolet, four-wheel-drive FFs and a 1972 Jensen SP, equipped with a 7.2-litre V8 engine.

Meanwhile, Club Lotus, the oldest and largest organisation dedicated to the British sports-car maker, will be at 2026’s Concours of Elegance to mark 60 years of the Europa, plus the club’s own 70th birthday.

It will pay tribute to the Europa – the marque’s first mid-engined road car – with a special display.

6. Bristol’s fighter

This rare Bristol 400 has an unusual story

There are countless reasons for which a car could be restored, from a rust-ridden chassis to crash-damaged bodywork. But it’s not often a classic is restored because it’s been driven over a landmine.

But that’s the backstory to this super-rare 1949 Bristol 400 ‘Eleanor’, one of just three or four Zagato-bodied examples built.

The Bristol’s rarity is probably the reason it was revived after it struck an explosive device in Libya, where the car spent most of its early years.

Eleanor was wheeled into storage in the 1980s and the Bristol remained under wraps until 2013.

This spectacular car was exhibited at the Goodwood Festival of Speed’s Cartier Style et Luxe concours in 2019 and won its class at the Bristol Owners’ Club concours in 2017. Will it return from this year’s Concours of Elegance with a prize?

7. Italian intrigue

Look out for this 1953 Siata 208 CS Balbo Berlinetta at Concours of Elegance 2026

Some rare Italian machines will be at Hampton Court Palace from 4-6 September 2026.

A 1953 Siata 208 CS Balbo Berlinetta will be a highlight. One of just six surviving examples, this Fiat 8V-engined coupé will surely turn heads at Concours of Elegance.

As will a remarkable pair of right-hand-drive Maserati 3500GTs: a 1960 Touring of Milan-bodied coupé will star alongside a fuel-injected Spyder with Vignale coachwork.

And make sure you don’t miss the bright-red 1984 Lamborghini Jalpa. It was one of 42 right-hand-drive cars, and this one has covered just 45,000km. The current owner bought it as their very first car in 1987. If you think it looks familiar, you might recognise it from the cover of our February 2023 magazine.

8. See this Swiss super-GT

This Monteverdi 375L starred in Classic & Sports Car magazine – now it’s heading to Hampton Court Palace

And the Lamborghini Jalpa won’t be the only Concours of Elegance entrant that’s also appeared in the pages of Classic & Sports Car. We drove this one-of-66 Monteverdi 375L for our September 2025 edition.

The car tells the story of founder Peter Monteverdi’s ultimately unsuccessful quest to beat Ferrari.

‘You can forgive it almost anything, though, because it looks so cool, so seductive, so irresistible,’ said C&SC’s Richard Heseltine. 

You’ll be able to see this immaculately restored example – and the only one officially supplied to Australia – in the metal at Hampton Court Palace this September.

9. Remarkable Rolls-Royce

This aluminium-bodied Rolls-Royce 20hp has never been painted

This Rolls-Royce 20hp, or ‘Twenty’, will be one of the most eye-catching classic cars at Concours of Elegance – especially if the sun is out!

This 1923 example, chassis 66H9, was originally ordered with polished-aluminium bodywork.

The 103-year-old car sports early Rolls-Royce details, including a radiator with rounded edges, a Watford magneto and a boa-constrictor bulb horn.

It has toured Europe and claimed various concours accolades, including a first-place trophy in the Pre-War Conservation Class at the 2024 Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club Annual Rally – maybe it will add to its collection at Hampton Court Palace.

10. French fancies

The Barbier Peugeot 203 has motorsport history, but it faces a different type of competition at Concours of Elegance

Some extraordinary French classic cars will also surely turn heads in the main concours. 

The one-off Barbier Peugeot 203 that will be displayed at this event is an aluminium 1950s racer that competed in the 1954 Rallye Monte-Carlo and the 1957 Mille Miglia. It even topped the 1500cc category in a 24-hour race at Montlhéry.

It will be joined by the one-off 1949 Simca 8 Sport Cabriolet prototype and a 1936 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante. The latter, one of 33 ever built and one of just 10 with a roll-top roof, was used by Ettore Bugatti himself.

Concours of Elegance returns from 4-6 September 2026. Don’t forget: Classic & Sports Car readers can be there for less. Get 20% off by using the code ‘CSC26’ when you click here to buy tickets.

Images: Concours of Elegance/Classic & Sports Car

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