Concours d'Elegance

Impression from the Concours d'Élégance Bürkliplatz (2011)

At the Classic Days 2007

Impression from the Concours d'Élégance International Lake Constance Week (2011)

A Concours d'Élégance is a meeting of owners, usually of the highest quality, historic automobiles in top condition, at which the classic cars are judged in a competition for condition, originality, beauty and often also history. One of these concours takes place annually in Pebble Beach , California. Another concours will take place in northern Italy, the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este on Lake Como.

The main events

Germany

The first Concours d'Elégance in Germany took place in 2001 in Schwetzingen Castle Park and was intended to be the counterpart to Pebble Beach . Since then, a Concours d'Elégance has been held there regularly, usually on the first weekend in September, under the name "Classic-Gala Schwetzingen".

In Germany since 2004, a Concours d'Élégance in the highest FIVA category A has been held annually on the first or second weekend in June near Stuttgart in the park of the Ludwigsburg Palace (Blooming Baroque). "Retro Classics meets Barock" is organized by the organization partner of the Stuttgart classic car fair Retro Classics . In 2009, 26,000 people attended this Concours d'Elegance. From 2019 this Concours d'Elegance moved to Tegernsee (Bavaria).

Since 2006 the Concours d'Élegance “Jewels in the Park” of FIVA category A has been taking place at Schloss Dyck in North Rhine-Westphalia as part of an international classic and motor festival “Classic Days”. On the historic orangery peninsula, the vehicles are presented in the 70 hectare English landscape park - laid out by Thomas Blaikie in the years 1820–1835. In the Classic Days, 45 selected vehicles - mainly from the time of coachbuilding and prototype construction - are judged by a well-known jury. The jury for the 2010 event included: Jutta Benz, Caroline Bugatti, Johann Tomforde, Manfred Gotta, Paolo Tuminelli, FIVA President Horst Brüning and FIVA expert Dominik Fischlin. 39,800 spectators attended the “Jewels in the Park” concours in the fifth anniversary year of 2010.

The Concours d'Elégance of the “Schloss Bensberg Classics”, also a FIVA A-rated competition, has been held since 2009. In the inner courtyard of the baroque Bensberg Castle , a selection of around 40 classic vehicles is presented, including numerous prototypes and unique items. The jury is chaired by Dr.-Ing. Franz-Josef Paefgen , former CEO of Bentley Motors and President of Bugatti Automobiles SAS and General Representative of Volkswagen AG for Motorsport and Research. Members of the eleven-person jury of the Concours d'Elégance of Schloss Bensberg Classics 2016 included Sandra Button, President of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elégance , automobile designer Dr. Andrea Zagato or racing legend Jacky Ickx .

Switzerland

The "Concours d'Élégance Bürkliplatz-Zurich" has been held in Switzerland every year since 2003. In the heart of Zurich , around the Bürkliplatz music pavilion , around 90 historic vehicles, including rarities from Swiss manufacturers and individual items from well-known coachbuilders, are presented to a well-known jury, a press committee and a critical audience for evaluation. The beauty contest takes place in the middle of the week and is a veritable crowd puller for the city of Zurich.

United States of America

Several Concours d'Elegance take place in the USA every year. The most prestigious events are the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance on Amelia Island (Florida) in March, the Concours d'Elegance of America in Plymouth (Michigan) in July and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in Pebble Beach (California) in August .

Other countries

In the meantime, the mobile cultural asset is being respected and evaluated in competitions in more and more countries, including Canada in 2009 and India for the first time in 2008, with historic automobiles from Great Britain competing in the former British colony.

Classic sailing yachts

Since 2009 there has also been a Concours d'Élégance for classic sailing yachts, which takes place annually as part of the International Lake Constance Week in Constance . The wooden sailing yachts, some of which are more than 100 years old, including rarities made of mahogany and one-offs, present the diversity and technical developments in sailing. A jury and the audience will evaluate the presentation trip in the port of Constance.