The world’s most prestigious car gathering handed down its verdict for 2026, and an American legend walked away with the biggest prize of all. The winning entry: a 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster belonging to Cincinnati collector Harry Yeaggy.
218 cars filled the show field this year
It marks Yeaggy’s second Best of Show win, following his 2007 victory
The event has now surpassed $50 million in cumulative charitable giving
The car will forever be remembered as the Best of Show winner at the 75th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
A Fitting Homecoming
This year’s 75th anniversary edition drew 218 cars, including 33 international entries from 14 countries and 185 American entries spanning 30 states. Concours chairwoman Sandra Button noted that the SSJ represents Duesenberg at its absolute peak, blending style and performance with a Hollywood pedigree that’s tough to top.
That pedigree traces back to the car’s original owner: screen icon Clark Gable.
This isn’t Yeaggy’s first trip to the top step at Pebble Beach either. It’s a remarkable story, though perhaps not entirely shocking in the rarefied world of exceptional automobiles. He first claimed the honour back in 2007 with another Duesenberg, the legendary SJ Speedster nicknamed the “Mormon Meteor.”
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In a curious twist, Yeaggy learned that the SSJ’s second owner had lived just steps from the concours grounds for nearly 12 years, giving the win a genuine sense of homecoming for the car.
For Duesenberg, this marked the marque’s eighth Best of Show trophy, cementing its place as the most decorated American nameplate in the event’s history.
The field wasn’t short on serious competition, either. Among the standouts vying for top honours were a 1938 Delahaye 165 Figoni et Falaschi and a pair of postwar Ferraris, a 1955 375 MM Pinin Farina and a 1954 375 America Vignale.
A Meaningful Impact
Beyond the prestige, the concours continues to serve a charitable purpose. This year’s event raised over $4.3 million, pushing the cumulative total past $50 million since the event’s founding, with more than half of that sum collected in just the last ten years. The proceeds support more than 130 nonprofit organizations throughout the Monterey area.
Being there in person is something else entirely. Yours truly had the chance to walk the fairway at Pebble Beach‘s 18th hole, where the competing cars are displayed, and it’s an experience that’s hard to forget.
Gooding Christie’s, the concours’ official auction house for the past 22 years, also posted its best results yet, with sales topping $159 million. The headline sale of the week was a 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, which fetched nearly $43 million, setting a record for an American car at auction.
We’ll see you again in August 2027 for the 76th edition.
