The 2025 Concours at Wynn Las Vegas: A Potential Supercar King is Crowned
For years, the automotive world has debated the apex of global collector car events. When you hear the term “concours d’elegance,” your mind likely gravitates towards historic races, legendary marques, and the hallowed grounds of Pebble Beach. But the landscape has shifted. A new challenger has emerged from the neon-soaked heart of the American desert, and it’s forcing veterans like The Quail to look over their shoulders.
The standard definition of a concours d’elegance centers on the careful judgment of vehicles and their accessories based primarily on aesthetic excellence and presentation. Yet, the industry is constantly evolving. Today, collectors and enthusiasts face a widening spectrum of world-class events. The Monterey Car Week remains the undisputed heavyweight champion, a week-long extravaganza that culminates in the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. But the conversation now extends far beyond California.
We debate whether the Goodwood Festival of Speed or the Revival surpasses Pebble. We consider the unique appeal of Amelia Island, Moda Miami, Retromobile, and the Audrain. Wherever luxury automobiles and high-net-worth individuals congregate, the fundamental question remains: Is Pebble Beach still the undisputed leader?
Here is the sobering truth: The Pebble Beach Concours remains the king of the concours. However, the prince, the potential heir to Pebble’s throne—The Quail—may soon face a formidable new competitor from the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas.
Why The Quail Is Facing a Challenge
For years, The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering has served as the essential appetizer to Pebble’s main course. But for a substantial and growing segment of the car world, The Quail has long surpassed Sunday’s Pebble event. These enthusiasts are typically drawn to late-model and brand-new supercars and hypercars. I have lost count of the number of car friends who attend Car Week but skip Sunday’s proceedings, stating they have no interest in “a bunch of old cars.”
The closure of the Geneva International Auto Show created a significant vacuum in the supercar calendar—a void The Quail has filled with remarkable success. To illustrate:
The Lamborghini Aventador made its global debut at Geneva in 2011, followed by the highly exclusive Veneno in 2013.
The Aventador’s successor, the Revuelto, made its official debut via an online unveiling, but its sibling, the Temerario (the Huracán’s successor), was first revealed to the public at The Quail in 2024.
The Fenomeno, a seven-figure hypercar, premiered at the 2025 Quail.
Bugatti unveiled the Chiron in Geneva back in 2016. However, the Divo (2018) and the Mistral (2022) both made their world debuts at The Quail.
These are just a few examples. The Quail has firmly established itself as the world’s premier venue for showcasing these exclusive automobiles.
Until last Halloween, I believed The Quail’s standing in the global automotive hierarchy was unassailable. Then I attended the 2025 Concours at Wynn Las Vegas, and now I’m not so sure. To provide context, I also attended the 2024 Las Vegas Concours. While enjoyable, that event felt more regional, perhaps even provincial, with rather predictable displays. If not for a project I was working on with Czinger, which brought me as a guest, I likely would not have attended this year. But I can say this: I am extremely glad I went.
What Exactly Is It?
This year, the Wynn had 48 Bugatti Veyrons on display. You read that correctly. Of the 450 total Veyrons produced globally and the 100 sold in North America, 48 were present in Las Vegas. Well, 49, as Bugatti also brought a stunning white Vitesse Super Sport to commemorate the Veyron’s 20th anniversary. They were joined by a Bolide, Centodieci, Chiron Super Sport, Divo, Mistral, and a model of the upcoming 18-cylinder hybrid Tourbillon—the Chiron’s successor. However, the simple fact of displaying more than 10 percent of all the Bugatti Veyrons ever built in one location still leaves my head spinning.
The kids like Paganis, too, right? Because there were more than 40 of them. I didn’t get the exact number (I was too busy drooling over the Veyrons) but there were several Zondas including a Zonda Revolution (one of five), dozens of Huayras, a bunch of Utopias, and—worryingly for The Quail—the debut of the Huayra Codalunga Speedster Pagani plans to make 10 of at a price of $7,000,000 each before tax and tariffs, if you’re interested. (The minty green one that was in Vegas under the covers belongs to Apple’s Tim Cook.) Even if these carbo-titanium extroverts aren’t your thing, the fact that not only was the 2025 Las Vegas Concours the largest Pagani gathering ever to happen in North America, but also that Horatio Pagani (who was honored onstage by emcee Justin Bell for his contributions to car design) and his team chose to introduce a car there says something. More on that in a bit. Back to more than 40 Paganis: That’s a larger number of cars than the factory produces in a year.
The Lamborghini section was just as mind-blowing if you’re into these sorts of vehicles. First off, the 2025 Wynn Vegas Concours was the largest gathering of Lambos ever. Yes, ever. Again, I didn’t count, but the number being bandied was about 230. That’s 230 of the 600 cars present that Saturday. Simply mind-blowing. Of those 230, there was a Veneno Coupe (one of three ever sold to the public; the factory kept a fourth one), a Sesto Elemento (one of 10), a Centenario coupe (one of 20) and convertible (one of 20), and a Reventón (one of 21). The last time I saw all those “few-offs” (as Lamborghini now calls them) together in the same place was at the factory’s museum. It was a flabbergasting display of precious, high-horsepower Italian metal/composites.
In an attempt at brevity, I’m leaving out all the Koenigseggs, the Gumpert Apollo, the Czingers, the Nilu, the McLaren Project Endurance race car debut, all the cars that were actually judged (including a former and insane Pebble Beach Concours-winning 1929 Mercedes-Benz 680 S Barker Tourer 26/120/180 that won prewar best of show here, too), the HWA EVO, a Mercedes-AMG One, two Oldsmobile Aerotechs, and a McLaren F1. Yeah, that’s one hell of a car show.
What Could Possibly Be Next?
Two threads of conversation kept coming my way when I stopped and chatted with fellow Wynn Vegas Concours attendees. The big question: “How the hell are they going to top this next year?” No clue, but godspeed to the Wynn. The other and frankly far more intriguing query kept coming from the OEM carmakers: “Should we even bother doing The Quail next year?” Good question. Perhaps I should say godspeed to The Quail, too.
Things you may 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,” I think they call ’em). It was $1,600 for first-time attendees. Yes, that’s expensive, but it costs OEMs about $400,000 to put a car on a show stand there. For six hours. The Vegas Concours charges about 1/20 of that. And if you want to attend, tickets are $100 a pop. That’s about $2 per Veyron. I spoke to three different carmakers that openly questioned the need to ever attend The Quail again. Perhaps, they mused, Las Vegas and Moda Miami are enough? Moreover, for attendees, you won’t be paying heart-attack-inducing prices for hotels (a friend stayed at a motel near Pebble that was $1,100 a night, five-night minimum), nor running around from event to event in soul-crushing traffic. Also, making dinner reservations is easy because Las Vegas is literally built for big gatherings.
The above might sound far-fetched, but just a few years ago Geneva was the center of the supercar world. I can’t predict the future, but I can assure you the Concours at Wynn Las Vegas is now on my must-attend list. You should stick it on yours, too.
The 2025 Concours at Wynn Las Vegas: A Potential Supercar King is Crowned
For years, the automotive world has debated the apex of global collector car events. When you hear the term “concours d’elegance,” your mind likely gravitates towards historic races, legendary marques, and the hallowed grounds of Pebble Beach. But the landscape has shifted. A new challenger has emerged from the neon-soaked heart of the American desert, and it’s forcing veterans like The Quail to look over their shoulders.
The standard definition of a concours d’elegance centers on the careful judgment of vehicles and their accessories based primarily on aesthetic excellence and presentation. Yet, the industry is constantly evolving. Today, collectors and enthusiasts face a widening spectrum of world-class events. The Monterey Car Week remains the undisputed heavyweight champion, a week-long extravaganza that culminates in the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. But the conversation now extends far beyond California.
We debate whether the Goodwood Festival of Speed or the Revival surpasses Pebble. We consider the unique appeal of Amelia Island, Moda Miami, Retromobile, and the Audrain. Wherever luxury automobiles and high-net-worth individuals congregate, the fundamental question remains: Is Pebble Beach still the undisputed leader?
Here is the sobering truth: The Pebble Beach Concours remains the king of the concours. However, the prince, the potential heir to Pebble’s throne—The Quail—may soon face a formidable new competitor from the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas.
Why The Quail Is Facing a Challenge
For years, The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering has served as the essential appetizer to Pebble’s main course. But for a substantial and growing segment of the car world, The Quail has long surpassed Sunday’s Pebble event. These enthusiasts are typically drawn to late-model and brand-new supercars and hypercars. I have lost count of the number of car friends who attend Car Week but skip Sunday’s proceedings, stating they have no interest in “a bunch of old cars.”
