Concours events are probably the most difficult auto events to execute successfully. The logistics, combined with the expectations of both spectators and entrants, make these events both complex and difficult to present well. You need to set up the permitting at the location, organize tents, reach out to sponsors, find prospective cars (and their owners), contact the judges, set up hotel rooms for staff and VIPs, arrange for catering for the parties, and organize the field both for cars as well as for vendors and sponsors. This takes years to sort out and manage, and no two concourse events are the same as each has different needs.
This process is made even more difficult when a concours event has had the same people running it for decades and then changes hands. The new organization is not starting at zero, but it does not have a running concern. People often bemoan that the event is not the same as it once was and that the new corporate owner has ruined the event. This is not usually true but people in the car hobby tend to be pretty tribal about this. The reason many of these events are sold to corporate partners is that few (if any) make money, and it takes an organization with deep pockets and the desire to spend money on something that is not a profit center.
The Greenwich Concours d’ Elegance was purchased by Hagerty in 2019 and, if you remember what happened after that, the timing could not have been worse. Buying a concours event just before a global pandemic was the very essence of bad timing. As a result, Hagerty had to cancel the 2020 Greenwich Concours and wait until 2021.
In the two years before the buyout of Greenwich by Hagerty, Greenwich Concours chairman Mary Wennerstrom had done a lot to make Greenwich better, eliminating the ugly plastic chains around the cars which had been there for years and making the event a bit more welcoming. This was good but, if the event was going to continue succeeding, what Greenwich needed was a team to make it what it could truly be. Greenwich had been an event that had so much potential but always fell a bit short of others. Hagerty took on the challenge of improving the event, and the 2021 Greenwich Concours was better yet in some ways lacking. It seemed as if the people running it tried to apply a bit of a cookie-cutter model and turn it into a sort of mini Amelia Island. People in general had a nice time but were left a bit underwhelmed.
Since that 2021 beginning, the events team at Hagerty have striven to make the Greenwich Concours a world-class event that embraces all the positives of the old event but also elevates it to achieve the potential it has always had. This positives include the location that, while logistically challenging, is simply beautiful, sitting at the very edge of Long Island Sound.
For 2026, Hagerty hit the mark completely, and this year’s event was the very best Greenwich Concours I have seen since I first attended as a judge in 2015.
The Concours is broken down into a three-day event, with Friday starting off with a tour and closing with a party on the Concours grounds at the Club Greenwich tent (sponsored by Flyhouse). This is the part that Hagerty gets with their concours events more than anyone but Pebble Beach and Villa d’ Este: concours events are as much about the people as the cars — they are social events. This casually elegant kickoff was wonderful, welcoming, and offered a nice selection of both food and drink. It was the perfect way to start off the weekend, providing a place for people to meet and catch up.
Saturday started off with the Concours DE Sport, which is described as a celebration of provenance and individuality that showcases one-of-a-kind vehicles with fascinating histories and distinctive characteristics. What this means is many of these cars are a bit more modern, more affordable, making the Concours DE Sport more inclusive. If you have a truly exceptional Honda CRX or a very clean period-modified Volkswagen Rabbit GTI, you are welcome and encouraged to show your vehicle.
After the fanfare, the day concludes with the Reverie Party, which was on site at the Club Amelia tent. This dinner part is as fancy or casual as you want to make it. There is no dress code though most people dress up for it. What you see there is plenty of amazing food from wonderful local restaurants, an open bar, and stations where you can have customized cufflinks made or a custom perfume/cologne to match your car. It might sound a bit silly but was actually quite fun. Yes, I had some cufflinks engraved!
Sunday is the big day of the Concours, and this year’s field of cars is one of the very best I have seen at Greenwich. Classes included one for the Ferrari Dino, another for BMW motorcycles, coachbuilt cars from Touring, postwar BMW roadsters, Sports Car Evolution from the 1920-50s, and Porsche Original Owner Cars, along with the usual classes for very special pre- and post-war automobiles of all types. It literally offered something for everyone who has an interest in collector cars.
One of the challenges of Greenwich has always been the logistics of getting award-winning cars from the field to the awards stand due to how crowded the small location is. What this has meant for both owners and spectators is that the awards ceremony takes forever to finish. This year was different, and everything ran like a fine Swiss watch. In fact, the awards ceremony was so fun to watch and well-managed that it was one of the best I have seen. This was helped by the work of Concours Director Tara Noftz and on-the-ground car wrangler Jim Kannengeiser. The work of both of these individuals helped make Greenwich look seamlessly smooth and easy.
Despite all of this, you are likely to hear from some people (as I have) that Greenwich is not as good as it used to be. What is likely common with all of these people is that they did not attend this year’s Greenwich Concours. They are dead wrong. In the past, Greenwich has been a decent regional concours, but this year it was elevated to a level well above a regional show — and I should know as I have attended this event for more than a decade as a judge, participant, and spectator. The folks running it brought together fantastic cars, great people, and provided an experience presenting so many amazing cars, getting together with old friends, making new ones, and having a great time doing it.
If you had the opportunity to attend this year yet you hear negativity from naysayers, I urge you to set them right and get them to come back to Greenwich next year. The Greenwich Concours has truly been raised to another level and is truly seeing its full potential realized. Well done, Team Hagerty, for making this event such fun … and now one of the must-attend auto events in the U.S.
