The 2025 Las Vegas Concours at Wynn: A Supercar Showdown on the Strip
The venerable term “concours d’elegance” has long been defined as “a show or contest of vehicles and accessories in which the entries are judged chiefly on excellence of appearance and turnout.” Yet, in the elite world of high-end automobiles, a more practical definition has emerged: a showcase for the latest, rarest, and most exclusive machines available—and The Concours at Wynn Las Vegas has just emerged as the titan of this modern arena.
For years, the automotive conversation has revolved around one annual question: Is a specific show “better than Pebble Beach?” The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the cornerstone of Monterey Car Week, remains the pinnacle of historical preservation and concours judging. However, the question has expanded. Is the Goodwood Festival of Speed superior? What about the Goodwood Revival, Amelia Island, Moda Miami, or Retromobile? Even the Audrain Concours is in the conversation. The prevailing wisdom is that Pebble Beach remains the undisputed king of the traditional concours, but the heir apparent, The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering, has been the unchallenged leader in the modern supercar scene. Until now.
The Evolution of The Quail: From Appetizer to Main Event
The Quail has traditionally served as the perfect appetizer to the main course of Pebble Beach Sunday. For a select, and rapidly growing, segment of the automotive community, The Quail has already eclipsed the Sunday event. These enthusiasts are devoted to late-model supercars and hypercars. Countless friends have journeyed to Monterey but skipped Sunday’s proceedings, stating clearly: “I’m not here for old cars.”
Furthermore, the abrupt demise of the Geneva International Motor Show left a gaping hole in the global supercar calendar. The Quail has stepped into this void with remarkable success. The Lamborghini Aventador debuted at Geneva in 2011, followed by the ultra-exclusive Veneno in 2013. The Aventador’s successor, the Revuelto, was introduced through an online unveiling. However, the Temerario (the Huracán’s replacement) was first seen at The Quail in 2024. Similarly, the seven-figure Fenomeno made its world premiere at the 2025 Quail. Bugatti unveiled the Chiron in Geneva in 2016, but the Divo (2018) and Mistral (2022) were both first presented to the public at The Quail. This trend extends to dozens of other vehicles, solidifying The Quail as the premier destination for introducing the world’s most cutting-edge hypercars.
However, until this past Halloween, I believed The Quail’s dominance was secure. Then I attended the 2025 Las Vegas Concours, and I am no longer certain. To understand the seismic shift, I must reference my experience last year. The 2024 Vegas Concours was enjoyable, but it felt regional, even provincial. The vehicles were mostly the usual suspects. If not for a project I was working on with Czinger, which brought me along as a guest, I likely would not have returned. But I am profoundly glad I did. The 2025 edition wasn’t just a bigger version of last year; it was a fundamentally different caliber of event, establishing the Concours at Wynn Las Vegas as the primary supercar gathering on the planet.
A Spectacle of Modern Automotive Royalty
The Wynn Las Vegas is not merely a hotel; it is an entertainment ecosystem, and the 2025 Concours leveraged this venue to create an immersive automotive experience unlike any other. The scale of the assembly was simply unprecedented. Imagine walking onto a lawn where 48 Bugatti Veyrons were displayed. Yes, you read that correctly. Of the 450 total Veyrons ever built, and the mere 100 sold in North America, a staggering 48 were gathered in Vegas. Add to that a stunning white Vitesse Super Sport, brought by Bugatti to commemorate the Veyron’s 20th anniversary, alongside a Bolide, Centodieci, Chiron Super Sport, Divo, Mistral, and a model of the forthcoming Tourbillon—Bugatti’s revolutionary 18-cylinder hybrid successor to the Chiron. Displaying over 10% of all Veyrons ever made in a single location left my head spinning and my camera working overtime. This wasn’t just a collection; it was a historical retrospective of an automotive epoch.
The younger generation of collectors is equally fixated on Pagani, and the 2025 Concours delivered in spades. While I was too captivated by the Veyrons to count exactly, there were more than 40 Pagani models on display. This included several Zondas, among them a rare Zonda Revolution (one of only five ever produced), dozens of Huayras, a significant number of Utopias, and—to the chagrin of The Quail—the world premiere of the Huayra Codalunga Speedster. Pagani plans to produce only 10 of these bespoke machines at a projected price of $7 million each before taxes and tariffs, if you’re interested in being one of the ultra-exclusive owners. (The mint-green example under the covers belongs to Apple’s Tim Cook.) Even if these carbon-titanium extroverts aren’t your particular niche, the significance of this event cannot be overstated. Not only was the 2025 Las Vegas Concours the largest Pagani gathering ever held in North America, but Horatio Pagani himself, honored on stage by host Justin Bell for his revolutionary contributions to car design, chose this venue to introduce a groundbreaking model.
The Lamborghini section was equally mind-blowing for enthusiasts of these high-performance Italian machines. The 2025 Wynn Las Vegas Concours hosted the largest gathering of Lamborghinis ever—yes, ever. While I didn’t perform an official count, the consensus estimate was approximately 230 vehicles. These weren’t just any Lamborghinis; they were the rarest and most sought-after models in the marque’s history. Among them was a Veneno Coupe (one of only three sold to the public; the factory retained a fourth), a Sesto Elemento (one of only 10 ever made), a Centenario Coupe (one of 20) and Convertible (one of 20), and a Reventón (one of only 21). The last time these “few-offs,” as Lamborghini now calls them, were assembled in the same place was at the factory’s own museum. The scene in Las Vegas was an absolutely flabbergasting display of precious, high-horsepower Italian metal and composite materials.
To maintain some semblance of brevity, I must omit the astonishing array of Koenigseggs, the Gumpert Apollo, the Czingers, the Nilu, the McLaren Project Endurance race car debut, all the truly judged vehicles (including a former, insane Pebble Beach Concours-winning 1929 Mercedes-Benz 680 S Barker Tourer 26/120/180, which earned the Best Pre-War Car title here), the HWA EVO, a Mercedes-AMG One, two Oldsmobile Aerotechs, and a McLaren F1. If this list doesn’t convince you, I’m not sure what will. To have such a diverse and exclusive lineup gathered for a single day is a testament to the organizational prowess of the Wynn team.
The Unquestionable Authority: Why Vegas Overtook The Quail
Two prevailing conversations dominated the 2025 Las Vegas Concours, and they are both deeply significant for the future of automotive events. The first question, asked by nearly every attendee, was: “How the hell are they going to top this next year?” The organizers at Wynn have set an extraordinarily high bar. It is difficult to imagine how they could improve upon this event, but I sincerely hope they find a way. Godspeed to the Wynn, because they have created something extraordinary.
The second query, and frankly the far more intriguing one, came from the OEM representatives and industry leaders: “Should we even bother doing The Quail next year?” This question represents a monumental shift in the automotive landscape. Consider the economics and logistics involved. Last year, a single ticket to The Quail cost an eye-watering $1,300, and that was a discounted “legacy” price for returning attendees. First-time attendees were charged $1,600. While these prices might seem justifiable given the exclusivity, the cost for OEMs to display a car at The Quail exceeded $400,000 for six hours.
Compare this to the 2025 Las Vegas Concours. The Wynn charges approximately 1/20th of that amount. For attendees, tickets were a mere $100. At $100 per ticket, the cost to attend this extravaganza was roughly $2 per Veyron displayed. I spoke with three different car manufacturers who openly questioned the necessity of ever attending The Quail again. They mused: Perhaps Las Vegas and Moda Miami are now sufficient? Moreover, for the attendees, the financial burden doesn’t stop there. You won’t be paying heart-attack-inducing prices for hotels; a friend stayed at a motel near Pebble that cost $1,100 per night with a five-night minimum stay. Nor will you be navigating soul-crushing traffic by running from event to event across the peninsula. In Las Vegas, making dinner reservations is effortless because the entire city is infrastructure built to handle