Hillsborough Concours de Elegance 2026

By Brandes Elitch and Daniel De Gallo
Photos by Daniel De Gallo

Recently, it seems like all sorts of new car events are springing up in the “Concours d’Elegance” category. For instance, we have the new Wilton House Concours (“Concours des Legendes”), the Heveningham Concours, the London City Concours, the Concours at Hampton Court, the Royal Bahrain Concours, the Fuori Concorso, Moda Miami, Tegernsee, and the Aurora Concours in Sweden. You can’t tell the players without a scorecard. I imagine that our sophisticated readers would find an explanation for how and why this is all happening now.

I will spare our readers any social commentary. But I do think that we are witnessing a changing of the guard. When I bought my V12 Lagonda in 1966, car shows were populated by ordinary people who showed up just to see the cars.

Things have changed. A recent news release for one show indicated that the featured marque would be paired with the JP Morgan Private Bank.

A news release from a show in Carmel Valley said that you can buy a ticket for the show and a dinner the night before, with the starting price of $3000.

The ticket prices for these shows are likely out of reach for the average person.

Another change is that many of the cars exhibited are shown by a trust or private museum, which is not surprising given the extraordinary increase in prices that has been going on for a few years. It used to be pretty extraordinary to see a car selling for a million dollars, but this is not newsworthy any more today. When I try to talk to the exhibitor at a Concours, I am sometimes told that the owner is not in attendance, and the trust is showing the car.

Some observers say that now the organizers of such shows need to reach out to a younger audience, who is not interested in cars of the twenties and thirties. This is kind of like saying, go to museum but don’t look at the Old Masters.

Fortunately, I think that the Hillsborough Concours is still above the fray here, as our photos from contributor Daniel De Gallo will show. This is the 70th anniversary of this show. They say it is the longest continually running Concours in the world. I know, you are asking about the Pebble Beach show, but they did take a break in 1960 due to a “scheduling conflict.”

If I counted correctly, there are something like 24 classes, with 200 cars shown. There are also special displays. There is something for everybody.

This show is located outside of the city of Burlingame, a town that was incorporated in 1908 and is one of the wealthiest cities in California. The median household income is $237,000. A single family home would sell for between $2.9 million and $3.1 million. This might explain the overall atmosphere of the show.

It is a relaxed atmosphere, being held on the golf course at Crystal Springs, just outside of the CBD. The ticket price is reasonable and there is no crowding, unlike other shows particularly during Car Week.

I recommend a visit next year.

Meanwhile, here is some commentary from my friend and photography expert Daniel De Gallo.

Sunday June 28th, 2026: today marks the 70th edition of the Hillsborough, CA Concours d’Élégance, and my third consecutive year volunteering at the event. On the day prior (Saturday), a Tour d’Élégance Road Rally usually takes place, starting in downtown Burlingame, CA. It has a good turnout of cars of all classes winding through an itinerary typically set around the Santa Cruz mountains and the Peninsula.

Today’s Concours was blessed with a perfect and mild weather, and once again it offered an eclectic display of cars, and a good crowd made up of visitors, car owners (entrants), organizers, judges, guest speakers, MC’s, volunteers, and staff. Per usual, the event was well-organized and the volunteers’ committee and crew was widely included and recognized, every step of the way.

Meet Tom Matano

Besides the 70th anniversary celebration of the event, ample respect was paid to Tom Matano, who passed away earlier this year (he is remembered for his design of the Mazda RX7 and the Mazda Miata). Mr. Matano was a regular entrant and a fond participant at the Concours, he was also a judge until last year (2025). Today, several mentions to the 100th anniversary of the Mercedes-Benz marque (initially incorporated as Daimler-Benz) were also offered.

Perhaps a Mercedes-Benz celebration may have weighed a tad in the choosing for best in show: a 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300S (according to the Hillsborough website). In the Sports category the award was rendered to a beautiful 1966 Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada. Some French and Italian cars were present, notably the following entrants:

-a 1963 Citroën Ami 6 (won best in the W* class)

-a 1960 A.C.M.A. Piaggio Vespa 400 (won 3rd best in the W* class)

*W officially stands for: Arcane and Rare class (unofficially it stands for: “Weird” class)

-a proverbial 1970 Fiat 500L (in the Preservation class)

-a beautiful 1972 Citroën D Spécial

Also, some classic American cars were not to be missed, such as this stunning 1953 Packard Caribbean in “Golf Green” color (only 15 made in that color), it won best in A2 class (American Cars 1940-1959); a 1956 Chrysler 300B, a 1933 Pierce-Arrow 1242, and more… Of course, several high-end sports cars and super cars were also featured, such as an impressive Pagani at the dealership row.

Overall, Hillsborough Concours is a well-lived event offering cars for all tastes. I will probably volunteer there again next year, but now: onto volunteering at Pebble Beach Concours coming up, in August 2026!

Below, a few more images of your favorites…