Over the past three years I’ve watched the Las Vegas Concours d’Elegance from afar, either because I wasn’t able to attend or because it hadn’t seemed like a stand-out show, despite — being just a couple months after Pebble Beach doesn’t help. But a couple months ago I started hearing that this year’s Vegas Concours, held on the golf course at the Wynn, was going to have the largest gathering of Bugattis ever, including the most Veyrons. First the number was in the twenties. Then I heard at least thirty were going. Once a friend who works at a Bugatti dealership said more than 40 were confirmed, I booked a same-day round-trip plane ticket.
For a trip that was less than twelve hours total, it was completely overwhelming. Over 600 cars were on display, and the Concours estimates the total worth was at least $1.1 billion. Beyond the 47 Veyrons (and 64 Bugattis total), there was the largest number of Lamborghinis ever in one place (apparently 230 cars), more than 30 Paganis, at least four Skyline GT-Rs, the kind of incredible pre-war machines and Group C race cars you expect from a Concours, and all sorts of other weird and rare stuff like a pair of Oldsmobile Aerotech concept cars. My hope for a good car show is that I’ll see things I’ve never seen before, and the Las Vegas Concours really delivered on that.
The stuff of ‘Top Gear’ fantasies
Tim Cook was there, apparently because the mint green Codalunga Speedster that was on Pagani’s stand is apparently his (sadly I didn’t spot Cook in the crowd). I think Pagani is in its flop era right now, but out of the few-dozen cars on display there were some that caught my eye, like some original Zondas that haven’t been messed with, and a Huayra Imola Roadster with an absurd colorshift paint.
The highlight of the Lamborghinis was this Veneno coupe, one of just four ever made. There was also a Sesto Elemento (one of ten), two Reventón coupes (out of 21 of those, plus 15 roadsters), and both a Centenario coupe and a roadster (there’s 20 of each). Also multiple new Countachs, a couple of Diablo GTR race cars, and an LM002 with a winch. Other absurd newer stuff included a bedazzled Aston Martin Valkyrie Spider, a matching black McLaren F1 and P1 GTR, a chromaflair Ruf CTR3, a Gumpert Apollo, a Mercedes CLK DTM next to HWA’s 190E restomod, a Honda NSX-R and an AMG One.
Something for the oldies
Best in show went to a 1929 Mercedes-Benz 680 S Barker Tourer 26/120/180 in the Pre-War class, a 1951 Ferrari 212E in the Post-War class, both deserving winners. That blue Benz was truly spectacular; owned by Bruce McCaw, it won Best of Show at Pebble Beach in 2017. If you’re a younger enthusiast, once you’ve been to a lot of Concours shows it’s hard to get excited about pre-war American cars, but there were a bunch here that caught my eye, like a wonderful 1932 Auburn 12 Boattail Speedster. A white Toyota 2000GT, a matcha green 1952 Pegaso Z102, and a 1948 Jaguar Mark IV Drophead Coupe with a funny face were other favorites of mine. There was so much variety across all sorts of classes, eras and price points that the supercar-averse still had plenty to drool over. Even without the promise of nearly 70 Bugattis, the Vegas Concours is definitely getting added to my calendar going forward.
But man, those Veyrons. To me that is the car, the undisputed greatest of all time. I got to interview Frank Heyl, Bugatti’s current chief of design, about 20 years of the Veyron and what it was like being surrounded by so many. Look out for that story soon.
