A Best of Show winner with Hollywood ties, the most expensive American car ever sold at auction and a landmark achievement in charitable giving made this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance one for the record books.
Overcast skies could not dim the stunning display of automobile excellence when a 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster originally owned by Clark Gable took the top prize on Sunday.
One of only two SSJs ever built, the automobile has been carefully restored to its original spec with a black lacquer finish and a light saddle leather interior by Harry Yeaggy of Cincinnati, Ohio, who previously won Best of Show in 2007 with another Duesenberg, the “Mormon Meteor.”
“I won once before, 19 years ago, but I appreciate it a lot better now,” said Yeaggy in a statement. “I appreciate the hard work it took and the time it took to get here. People don’t realize how hard it is, how special it is, to win this award. It’s amazing.”
The Duesenberg is now the marque with the most “Best of Show” wins, having earned eight trophies.
Drawing automobiles from across the United States and beyond, this year’s show featured 218 vehicles from 30 U.S. states and 14 countries.
Other notable contenders for the top prize included a 1938 Delahaye 165 Figoni et Falaschi Cabriolet, which came all the way from Switzerland, and a 1954 Ferrari 375 America Vignale Cabriolet from Texas.
Following this year’s celebration of the Lamborghini Miura’s 60th anniversary, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will pay tribute to the legendary French Delage’s Grand Prix–winning season and 40 Years of the Ferrari F40 when the event returns on Aug. 15, 2027.
Record-breaking auction
Gooding Christie’s, the official auction partner of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance for the past 22 years, made history earlier this week when it sold the most valuable vehicle in the auction house’s history.
A 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe sold for nearly $43 million, making it the most valuable American car ever sold at auction.
The 75th anniversary Concours event was the highest grossing sale for Gooding Christie’s, realizing over $159 million in sales with a 94% sell-through rate.
In other auction happenings, the inaugural Broad Arrow Auctions at The Quail Lodge saw Jesús Ortiz Paz (JOP), lead singer of Fuerza Regida buy a 2003 Ferrari Enzo for $10 million.
Concours tops $50 million for charity
Coming after a record-breaking year in 2025, when The Pebble Beach Concours raised more $4 million for local charities, this year’s event has already raised more than $4.3 million. This brings the event’s total charitable donations to over $50.15 million, with more than half of that total raised in the past decade.
Through the Pebble Beach Company Foundation, the primary charitable partner of the Concours, the funds benefit more than 130 local nonprofits focused on children’s education, health and well-being in Monterey County.
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This article originally appeared on Salinas Californian: Pebble Beach Concours breaks auction and charity donation records
Reporting by Roseann Cattani, Salinas Californian / Salinas Californian
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Roseann Cattani, Salinas Californian | USA TODAY Network
