2025 Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance

A concours show brings together a collection of the finest vintage (and even some modern) vehicles. Perhaps the most famous is the annual one at Pebble Beach in California, but Canada has one too, the Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance, held mid-September near Owen Sound, Ontario.

This year marked the eleventh edition of the show, which drew some 125 vehicles from nine provinces and 12 U.S. states. They ranged from some of the earliest cars, to exotic performance models still in showrooms, and were divided into classes and judged for a number of awards. The class winners were then further scrutinized to name the top three, with a 1932 Duesenberg taking Outstanding Pre-War (1942 and older); a 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz taking Outstanding Post-War (1946 and newer); and a 1938 Steyr named Best in Show.

Take a look at the winners and some of our favourites below.

1938 Steyr 220 Roadster – Best in Show

Steyr was an Austrian firearms company that wasn’t permitted to continue with that following the First World War, so it started building cars. As was common at the time, Steyr built the chassis and the body was built separately, this one by a coachbuilder in Germany. This car was a factory demonstrator and included such innovative technology as an all-aluminum engine, four-speed transmission, and floating rear axle. It’s believed only six of these were built and this is one of three remaining examples known to exist. The company began making firearms again in 1930 and that branch is still around; while the automotive arm was eventually broken up into separate companies that also still exist, including Magna Steyr, which manufactures the Mercedes-Benz G Class. The winning roadster is owned by Peter Boyle of Oil City, Pennsylvania.

1932 Duesenberg Model J – Outstanding Pre-War

Built in Indiana, Duesenberg is often considered to have made some of the greatest American cars ever. Introduced in 1928, the Model J was also the fastest in its day, with a 6.9L inline-eight engine and a reported top speed of 186 km/h (116 mph) – at least until its supercharged SJ successor went as high as 152 mph (244 km/h) in a 24-hour race in 1935. Buyers had their own bodies built and Duesenberg just sold them the chassis, which was $8,500 at a time when you could buy an all-there-body-and-all Ford for $480. This car originally belonged to a president of the Duesenberg company, and is now owned by William Miller of Frankfort, Indiana.

1958 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz – Outstanding Post-War

Cadillac’s Eldorado Biarritz and Eldorado Seville models for 1958 were set apart by their rear styling, with their fins mounted atop rounded fenders rather than the straight ones on other Cadillac models. It was also the first year that its 365-cubic-inch (5.9L) V8 had “Tri-Power” – three two-barrel carburetors, giving it 335 horsepower. Only 815 Biarritz convertibles were made for 1958, at $7,500 apiece. This one’s owned by Vernon Smith of Swift Current, Nfld., who took home the same trophy two years ago with his 1958 Buick.

1966 Ford Bronco U13 Roadster

In this very first year of the Bronco, you could get it as a wagon or a pickup truck, both of those with doors and a roof. Alternatively, you could opt for the roadster, which left the factory without bothering with such luxury touches. Some 4,090 Bronco Roadsters were built for 1966 and this one, assembled in October 1965, is one of 721 still known to exist. It’s estimated that only about 200 had the “eyebrow” grille, with a ridge over the headlights, that this one carries. It’s owned by Peter Lewko of South Bruce Peninsula, Ontario.

1963 Buick LeSabre: The “Pearson Buick”

Amid a display of Canadian-built cars was a very special Buick limousine custom-built for Lester B. Pearson. As Prime Minister from 1963 to 1968, he introduced the new Canadian flag and the Canada Pension Plan; he expanded universal healthcare; and he was the proud owner of a Nobel Peace Prize for helping create a UN peacekeeping force. Pearson personally ordered the Buick as a government vehicle and that was the last time a Prime Minister ever would, as Ottawa’s fleet services then took over that responsibility. General Motors built it in Oshawa, Ontario, modifying a Buick LeSabre sedan with a V8 engine, grille, and headlights from a Buick Wildcat. It also features exterior trim from a Buick Electra and Cadillac interior accents, including its clock. It has a glass divider, along with Canada’s coat of arms on the door pads. It was recently restored and belongs to the Canadian Automotive Museum in Oshawa, Ont.

1988 Porsche 959 Komfort: The “Bill Gates 959”

Porsche built 292 production copies of its 959 Komfort and this one made it to the U.S. when Microsoft founder Bill Gates bought and imported it. The problem was that it wasn’t legal under federal safety and emissions standards, and U.S. Customs promptly grabbed it and kept it for 13 years – during which time it’s believed to have rung up $28 a day in storage fees. Gates and other Porsche fans lobbied to change the rules. This finally happened in 1999 with the passage of the “Show or Display” decision, which allowed vehicles with historical or technical significance into the country, but saddled them with limited-use road restrictions. The car went back to Germany that year for a Porsche factory sprucing-up, and it returned under the exemption. Gates kept it until 2018 and it’s now owned by a private collector in Ontario.

1911 Brush Model E

Fifteen-year-old Jonathan Sinclair, shown here, and his brother restored and showed their grandfather’s 1911 Brush, winning the “Vehicle Fashion Award” for their vintage-style outfits. The Detroit-based automaker, in business from 1907 to 1913, did surprisingly well with its lightweight little cars and primarily failed due to its financial backer selling it to another company that went under. The Brush used a one-cylinder engine that, in this model, made 10 horsepower. To keep the price down, the frame and axles were made of wood. This one was found as a “basket case,” was restored in 13 months, and was then taken on a 321-km (200-mile) old-car tour. It belongs to Joseph Ely of Allen Park, Michigan, who’s only its third owner.

1974 BMW 2002tii

Based in New York, Max Hoffman was the U.S. importer for several European brands and had a big influence on the market: He was instrumental in getting Mercedes-Benz to sell the 300 SL Gullwing in the U.S., and convinced Porsche to make the 356 Speedster. He called on BMW to make a higher-powered 2002, and the result was a fuel-injected 2.0L engine making 130 hp, up from the standard engine’s rating of 98 hp. The “tii” stood for “Touring International and Injection.” This one recently made a trip to Munich for a two-year restoration by BMW and came back to Canada in 2023. It’s owned by Bob Becker of Mount Forest, Ontario.

1956 New Map Solyto Break Camping

How can you not love this? Part of the Microcars class, this little camper was built in France by New Map, which originally made motorcycles and then got into tiny cars and trucks. It uses a one-cylinder, two-stroke engine that makes 4.7 horsepower, and it’s started with a pull-cord that runs from the engine compartment to the dash. While it’s not very powerful, it also only weighs 330 lbs (150 kg). Only some 3,000 were made, but it’s not recorded how many people comfortably camped in them. It belongs to Kenn and Donna Poore of Sarnia, Ontario.

1996 Volkswagen Harlequin Golf

Not just a bodyshop painting exercise, the Harlequin Golf was a factory-made, one-year special edition. Europe got a VW Polo Harlequin, while the Golf version was strictly for North America, with an estimated 264 copies made at VW’s plant in Puebla, Mexico. It was based on the stock Golf GL, powered by a 2.0L four-cylinder making 115 horsepower. They weren’t painted in pieces, though. Each car was painted a single colour, and then the panels were swapped among them to create the patterns. This one belongs to Dinu Cebzan of Toronto.

1929 Ford Model A

You may like driving your car, but you likely don’t have anything on Seamus Hnat, who lives in Columbus, Michigan. He drove his 1929 Ford to and from the Concours d'Elegance, a round trip of about 620 km (385 miles) – and that’s on top of the 11,265 km (7,000 miles) he put on the 96-year-old car just this summer. And last year, he arrived at the show exactly the same way, but in his 1914 Ford Model T. He may have his hat on, but ours is off to him for doing what these cars were always meant to do.