Three Days of the Concours

Early October on the Spanish Costa del Sol holds a particular magic: the crowds of high summer have thinned, the sea meets the sky in a haze of pewter, and the afternoon sun provides a softness that flatters both people and paintwork. It was in these enchanted conditions that the Concurso de Elegancia Costa del Sol returned for its second edition, once again under the stewardship of Cavën. If the inaugural concours was the announcement of intent, this year’s edition confirmed its full implementation. Over three action-packed days, 170 entrants gathered at three different venues. The owners and custodians competed across eight categories, with Chief Judge Chris Kramer presiding over an international jury drawn from the world’s most significant concours, including designers such as Fabrizio Giugiaro, Ed Welburn and Tony Hatter. This year, Maison Ë joined the event as the official media partner. It is a natural alliance: both houses share the conviction that a motor car is equal parts a machine and a cultural artefact, and that craftsmanship deserves to be told as a story rather than merely sold as a spec sheet.

A Meeting of Eras

On the manicured lawns of the Higuerón Marbella Golf Resort, a mixture of several dynasties were on display side by side on the first day of the Concurso de Elegancia Costa del Sol: Exhibition Day. The latest hypercars, all carbon fiber and aerodynamic ambition, shared the putting green with supercars that have defined several generations of fantasies.

Beyond, the aristocrats of the field held their own: coach-built classics with long, sweeping bonnets, their chrome coaxed to a mirror finish by decades of care and tender treatment. Concurso MCs Amanda Stretton and Max Girardo began proceedings at 4 pm sharp, strolling the grounds and chatting with participants, and announcing unveilings and special events.

As the event’s Main Partner, Bugatti showcased the ground-breaking Tourbillon, alongside the one-off FKP Hommage, presented publicly at an outdoor event for the very first time as part of the marque’s exclusive Solitaire program. Guests were also invited to sign a specially commissioned Concurso de Elegancia-liveried McLaren 720S GT3X—one of only 15 ever made—while Homiēs Marbella unveiled a limited edition T-shirt, created in collaboration with the event.

The Maison Ë marquee drew crowds throughout the afternoon, offering not only copies of the latest issue of our magazine, but a champagne bar stocked with Dom Ruinart and a seemingly endless supply of blini topped with Kaviari caviar. As the helicopters departed for home, the remaining guests gathered for an exquisite dinner, conceived and overseen by acclaimed chefs, Betty and Paul Gajewski.

On the Road

While the first day of the Concurso de Elegancia Costa del Sol is a somewhat static affair, the true spirit of the event lies in the love of driving, with cars judged in motion—sound and all—on the Ascari circuit, while the convoy to Ronda, along one of Andalusia’s most breathtaking roads, is just as much a part of the experience, fostering a real sense of camaraderie among the participants. Across 5.425 km and 26 corners, the circuit naturally follows the contours of the terrain, combing high-speed sections, changing gradients, and challenging banked turns.

Much of Ascari’s character lies beyond the asphalt: the circuit appears and disappears between woodland and hills, with little visual noise to interrupt the landscape. According to Francisco Fernández, owner of Ascari Race Resort, “You can put a circuit somewhere else in the world, but you cannot copy Andalusia.” Its climate, culture, and landscape are as much a part of Ascari as the track itself.

Lunch took the participants to LA Organic, a 26-hectare olive estate outside Ronda, where Andalusian tradition meets the vision of legendary designer Philippe Starck.

By late afternoon, the cars were on the road back to Marbella, where dinner awaited at the Nota Blu New Brasserie. As guests enjoyed a well-earned repast, one award was presented in advance of the following day’s main ceremony: Totem’s restomod was awarded with the prize for Sound in Motion.

Between the Rock and a Hard Race

This year’s Concurso saved its most breathtaking act for the third and last day. Setting out from the Gran Marbella Resort & Beach Club, the convoy followed the coast to Gibraltar where, in the shadow of a cloud-wreathed Rock, lunch by Gajewski awaited in the terminal of Joshua Hassan Gibraltar International Airport.

An official welcome from the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, the Hon Fabian Picardo KC, was followed by a security briefing before guests were treated to one of the event’s most unforgettable moments: 40 cars emerging onto the runway itself, the first private vehicles ever permitted on to do so. The only aircraft in sight was the Bombardier Global 8000, framed by the spectacular backdrop of the Rock. Bordered by water at either end, the strip of tarmac saw Bugatti’s own Chief Commercial Director, Hendrik Malinowski, take the 110th-anniversary Chiron Super Sport to 345 km/h within just 1,100 metres—a run that sounded like a jet taking off and reaffirmed the marque’s claim to the hypercar crown. The entire outing was a spectacular sight (and sound), with Koenigseggs unleashing top-speed runs alongside a 300 SL Roadster and the Bertone Runabout prototype—a century of automotive ambition sharing the same strip of tarmac.

It fell to Villa La Favorita by Buccara, one of the most exclusive addresses on Marbella’s Golden Mile, to bring both the day and the Concurso to a close. At a black-tie dinner hosted by Maison Ë, guests shared their impressions of the three days over a carefully selected range of Penfolds wines. As the evening unfolded, co-hosts Amanda Stretton and Max Girardo took to the stage to announce the winners in the final award categories.

Pre-War honors were awarded to the Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII, followed by the Cord Supercharger and the Delage D8 S. The Post-War category, presented by Maison Ë, was a Mercedes-Benz affair—the 300 SL Roadster took first place, the 190 SL Roadster second and the 280 SE 3.5 Coupé third.

Among the Vintage Supercars, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 triumphed, ahead of the Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta and the Ferrari 512 M Art Car. In Motorsport, the Ferrari 250 S Vignale claimed first place, with the Mercedes-AMG DTM second and the Ferrari 212 Inter named third.

The Totem GT Alfa Romeo was crowned in the Fuera de Serie category, followed by the Bertone Runabout and the Brabus Bodo Cabriolet. Finally, in the Hypercar category, the Koenigsegg Jesko took top honours, with the Aston Martin Valkyrie second and the Bugatti Tourbillon third. Not least among the evening’s successes, the pool between the dinner tables and the podium claimed no guests, although one jubilant recipient came perilously close.

The weekend drew to a languid close in the small hours of Sunday, as guests drifted off for a glass of Louis Roederer Cristal in the Ladies’ Salon or, in the Gentlemen’s Lounge, a tot of Ron Matusalem Sublime Kiku from the first two bottles of the batch to ever be opened, and a Davidoff cigar.

Only two years since its inception, the Concurso de Elegancia Costa del Sol by Cavën has already found its distinctive voice and is rapidly securing its place on the international concours calendar. With the Mediterranean as a backdrop and a taste for cars as rare as they are beautiful, there is a persuasive case to be made for Marbella as a fixture on every serious collector’s itinerary.