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Marbella is preparing to welcome one of Europe's most exclusive automotive gatherings, as the Concurso de Elegancia Costa del Sol returns for its second edition under new leadership from CAVËN and the Piëch family. Running October 1-4, the event is aiming to join the ranks of the world's premier concours weekends, pairing a private collector experience with the Mediterranean lifestyle that first drew the automotive world to the Costa del Sol.
Organizers expect more than 250 international collectors from Europe, the United States and the Middle East, alongside a curated field of over 100 vehicles spanning hypercars, restomods, vintage supercars, pre-war and post-war classics, and dedicated motorsport machinery. Entrants will compete for category wins and the event's top honor, Best of Concours.
Bugatti returns as Main Partner for a second straight year, a vote of confidence from one of the industry's most storied marques. The French brand is expected to bring one-off creations that have never appeared at a concours before, joining a slate of other design houses on the lawn. For a sense of what a modern Bugatti hypercar commands in today's collector market, see our recent look at the final roadgoing W16 Mistral heading to auction.
Judging duties fall to a 24-person international panel that includes Italdesign's Fabrizio Giugiaro, former Pininfarina designer Carlo Bonzanigo, Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance president Vince Finaldi, former Petersen Automotive Museum director Ken Gross, Hagerty global brand ambassador Nigel Matthews, Ferrari Classiche manager Gabriele Lalli, and veteran international judge Chris Kramer. Vehicles will be scored on design, history, engineering, rarity and overall significance.
Beyond the show field, the four-day program includes a private track day at the Ascari Club Circuit and a first-time closed-runway demonstration at Gibraltar Airport, where some of the event's fastest entrants will get room to stretch their legs. The weekend wraps with a gala dinner and awards ceremony at a new seaside venue along the Costa del Sol.
The bet from CAVËN and the Piëch family is that Marbella can carve out its own place alongside the concours world's established heavyweights. Record results at this year's Monterey Car Week, including a Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe's 42.9 million dollar sale, show just how much appetite remains at the top of the collector market. Given the event's restomod category, it's also worth revisiting how builders elsewhere are reworking classics for modern use, like this LS1-powered 1970 Chevelle, and where the wider hypercar market stands right now with Motorious' current list of the coolest supercars for sale.
