1931 Bugatti T 41 Royale Weinberger Cabriolet
Photos by Bob Goldberg
These are the cars that stirred men’s souls, and continue to do so 76 year after the first concours at Pebble Beach. While the first few years of the show awarded best of show to contemporary cars, since 1955 when Phill Hill won with his 1931 Peirce Arrow Le Baron, the focus and best of show awards went to pre war classics. In 1968 a 1964 Maserati Mistral took home the bacon, and once more in 2014 when the Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti Coupe of Jon Shirley, but these two outliers remain the only post war cars to capture the coveted Best of Show. The winner this year was another pre war car, a 1935 Duesenberg SSJ owned by Harry Yeaggy, congratulations! And, btw, a Bugatti has won BOS more times than any other make.
Pre War cars are the mainstays, the classics of classics, the cars that will always be at the top. Here, Bob Goldberg has selected just a few of the pre war cars that were on display in 2026.
1927 Sunbeam 1000 hp World Land Speed record car
1938 Tatra T77A, Bruce McCaw
1938 Mercedes-Benz 320 Streamlined Saloon
1937 Dubonnet Xenia Saoutchik coupe, Petersen Museum
1937 Talbot Lago T150 Figoni et Falaschi coupe, William Connor
1938 Alfa 8C 2900 Touring Berlinetta, Revs Institute
1937 Delahaye 135 Chapron Coupe
1924 Isotta Fraschini 8A Le Baron, Tom Johnson
1925 Isotta Fraschini 8A Castagna
1936 Delage D8-120 Letourneur et Marchand, Mark Hyman
1937 Bugatti T57SC Atalante
1937 Bugatti T57S Gangloff
1938 Alfa 2900B Lungo Touring Spider
1935 Bugatti T57 James Young, Thomas Heckman
1937 Delahaye 135 Chapron coupe
Alfa 8C 2300 Lungo Eagle Coach Works Spider
1912 Fiat T56 Seven Passenger, Dale and Mary Halderson
1907 Itala 120 hp Grand Prix race car
1936 Bugatti T 57 SC Atlantic
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