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The Concours at Wynn Las Vegas: Has the Supercar Scene Found a New Crown Jewel? For those who dwell in the rarefied atmosphere of blue-chip automobiles, the question invariably arises: Which is the supreme concours? The elder statesman, Pebble Beach, has long held the undisputed scepter of prestige. Pebble Beach, of course, is often shorthand for the entirety of Monterey Car Week—a debauched orgy of horsepower and haute design that culminates on Sunday with the planet’s most celebrated automotive judgment. But the conversation always branches out. Is the Goodwood Festival of Speed superior? What about the Goodwood Revival, Amelia Island, Moda Miami, or Retromobile? The Audrain? Wherever the affluent and impeccably dressed congregate to admire priceless machinery, the question is posed: Is Pebble Beach still the ultimate authority? The honest answer is this: Pebble Beach remains the king of the concours. Yet, the heir apparent, the worthy successor to the throne—The Quail—may have just encountered a formidable adversary in the glitzy landscape of Las Vegas. Why The Quail Has Dominated
The Quail, officially known as The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering, has historically served as the sublime appetizer to the main course of Sunday’s Pebble Concours. In fact, for a significant and expanding contingent of the automotive elite, The Quail has long eclipsed Pebble’s Sunday proceedings. This demographic often gravitates towards the latest and most cutting-edge supercars and hypercars. I have lost count of the number of friends who endure the schlep to Car Week only to depart Sunday morning, having zero interest in “a bunch of old cars.” Furthermore, the demise of the Geneva International Auto Show created a cavernous void in the supercar calendar, a void that The Quail has filled with remarkable success. Consider these examples: The Lamborghini Aventador debuted at Geneva in 2011, followed by the ultra-exclusive Veneno in 2013. The successor to the Aventador, the Revuelto, made its official public debut via an online unveiling, but its predecessor, the Temerario, made its global debut at The Quail in 2024. The same is true for the seven-figure Fenomeno, which premiered at the 2025 Quail. Bugatti unveiled the Chiron in Geneva in 2016; however, both the Divo (2018) and the Mistral (2022) were first shown to the world at The Quail. This pattern holds true for dozens of other vehicles. In essence, The Quail has matured into the world’s premier showcase for these specific types of machines. Until this past Halloween, I considered The Quail’s position in the global automotive hierarchy to be unassailable. Then I attended the 2025 Las Vegas Concours (officially the Concours at Wynn Las Vegas), and now I am reconsidering. I should preface this by explaining that I also attended the 2024 Vegas Concours, and while I enjoyed it, it struck me as a regional event, if not downright provincial. There were some impressive cars, but they were largely the usual suspects. In fact, were it not for a project I was working on with Czinger (who sponsored my attendance), I might not have bothered to go this year. But man, am I glad I went. What Exactly is the Las Vegas Concours? The Wynn casino’s estate was transformed into a cathedral of automotive perfection, featuring an astounding 48 Bugatti Veyrons on the lawns. Yes, you read that correctly. Out of the 450 Veyrons ever produced and the 100 sold in North America, 48 of them were present in Las Vegas. Well, 49, as Bugatti also brought a stunning white Vitesse Super Sport to commemorate the Veyron’s 20th anniversary—alongside a Bolide, Centodieci, Chiron Super Sport, Divo, Mistral, and a prototype of the upcoming 18-cylinder hybrid tourbillon that will succeed the Chiron. Displaying, in one location, more than 10 percent of all Bugatti Veyrons ever built left me completely awestruck. A Pantheon of Performance The younger generation has a fondness for Paganis, right? Because there were more than 40 of them. I didn’t tally the exact count (I was too busy drooling over the Veyrons), but there were several Zondas, including a Zonda Revolution (one of five), dozens of Huayras, a plethora of Utopias, and—alarmingly for The Quail—the debut of the Huayra Codalunga Speedster, a model Pagani plans to produce in a strictly limited run of ten cars, each priced at $7 million before taxes and tariffs, in case you were interested. (The mint green one displayed under wraps in Vegas belongs to Apple’s Tim Cook.) Even if these extroverted carbon-titanium masterpieces aren’t your cup of tea, the fact that the 2025 Las Vegas Concours was not only the largest gathering of Paganis ever held in North America, but also that Horacio Pagani (who was honored on stage by emcee Justin Bell for his contributions to automotive design) and his team chose this venue to introduce a new vehicle, speaks volumes. More on that later. Circling back to the Paganis: That’s more cars than the factory produces in an entire year.
The Lamborghini presentation was equally spectacular for anyone who appreciates these automotive marvels. First off, the 2025 Wynn Las Vegas Concours was the largest gathering of Lamborghinis ever. Yes, ever. Again, I didn’t count, but the number being discussed was around 230. That represents 230 out of the total 600 cars present on that Saturday. Simply mind-boggling. Of those 230, there was a Veneno Coupe (one of only three ever sold to the public; the factory retained a fourth), a Sesto Elemento (one of ten), a Centenario Coupe (one of twenty) and Convertible (one of twenty), and a Reventón (one of twenty-one). The last time I witnessed all these “few-offs” (as Lamborghini now calls them) together in one place was at the factory museum. It was a flabbergasting display of precious, high-horsepower Italian metal and composites. An Exhaustive Showcase of Automotive Excellence Attempting to maintain brevity, I must omit mention of all the Koenigseggs, the Gumpert Apollo, the Czingers, the Nilu, the McLaren Project Endurance race car debut, all the vehicles that were actually judged (including a former and insane Pebble Beach Concours-winning 1929 Mercedes-Benz 680 S Barker Tourer 26/120/180 that also took home best of show in the prewar class here), the HWA EVO, a Mercedes-AMG One, two Oldsmobile Aerotechs, and a McLaren F1. Yes, that is one hell of a car show. What Could Possibly Come Next? Two topics of conversation dominated the discussions as I mingled with fellow attendees at the Wynn Vegas Concours. The first big question: “How on earth are they going to top this next year?” I have no idea, but godspeed to the Wynn team. The second, and frankly far more intriguing, question posed by the OEM car manufacturers was: “Should we even bother attending The Quail next year?” A valid question. Perhaps I should also extend my best wishes to The Quail, as its dominance may be under threat. Things you might not know about The Quail: A single ticket cost $1,300 last year. That’s $1,300 as a courtesy if you’ve attended in the past (“legacy ticket holders,” as they are called). For first-time attendees, the price was $1,600. Yes, that’s expensive, but it costs OEMs approximately $400,000 to put a car on a stand there for six hours. The Vegas Concours charges about 1/20 of that price. And if you want to attend, tickets are $100 apiece. That’s roughly $2 per Veyron. I spoke to three different car manufacturers who openly questioned the need to ever attend The Quail again. Perhaps, they mused, Las Vegas and Moda Miami are sufficient? Moreover, for attendees, you won’t be paying heart-attack-inducing prices for hotels (a friend stayed at a motel near Pebble that cost $1,100 a night, with a five-night minimum), nor will you be slogging through soul-crushing traffic while navigating from one event to another. Also, making dinner reservations is simple because Las Vegas is literally designed to accommodate large gatherings. The above may sound implausible, but just a few years ago, Geneva was the epicenter of the supercar world. I cannot predict the future, but I can assure you that the Concours at Wynn Las Vegas is now firmly on my must-attend list. You should place it on yours, too. Looking Ahead: The Future of Automotive Luxury Events
The automotive world is in a constant state of flux, and nowhere is this more evident than in the evolution of concours events. While The Quail has long held a commanding position as the ultimate gathering for new-model supercar reveals and exclusive hypercar debuts, the 2025 Concours at Wynn Las Vegas has emerged as a serious contender, and in many ways, a superior alternative for a significant portion

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