The historic Geneva Concours d’Élégance has a lineage that reaches back to 1927 when the event took place at the Parc des Bastions. After the decline of coachbuilding in the mid-1950s the concours lay dormant for a long interval before a modern revival in 2016. The contemporary edition marked its tenth re-edition and commemorated the 70th anniversary of the last original pre-war gathering by centering the program on automobiles of the 1930s. This edition adopted the banner De l’Art Déco à l’Aérodynamisme linking stylistic currents with the era’s aerodynamic experiments.
Event format and weekend itinerary
Organizers adapted the program to local conditions, reducing the usual three-day format to two days because of extreme heat. The reconfigured schedule placed the public tour and rally activities on Saturday 20 June while the formal concours judging took place on Sunday 21 June. The weekend preserved a flexible participation model: entrants could choose between the Tour d’Élégance the concours, a gala evening, or any combination. The Tour on saturday included a lakeside route through historic villages, stops at a local winery and a Maître Chocolatier‘s workshop, and visits to event partners such as dealerships and classic car restoration shops.
Numbers, audience and community engagement
The restored event demonstrated healthy public interest with approximately 1,850 visitors110 participants and 50 volunteers supporting the activities. Some 70 cars were displayed across the venue at the Castello di Coppet drawing families, collectors and younger enthusiasts alike. This mix of attendees underlined the concours’ role as both a heritage showcase and a social gathering that spans generations.
A highlight winner and notable entries
The top honor, the Best of Show went to a remarkable Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Stabilimenti Farina cabriolet from 1938. The car originally belonged to the racing champion Giuseppe ‘Nino’ Farina and features long-preserved, original leather interiors. Today it is part of the Keller Collection at the Pyramids in Petaluma, California. Alongside this Alfa Romeo, the concours also highlighted automotive coachbuilding milestones: a Rolls-Royce Phantom II with a Pininfarina body from 1934—a vehicle that has remained with the same ownership for many years and previously attracted attention in automotive publications in April 2005—served as an emblem of the coachbuilt era.
Categories, special recognitions and historical threads
Judging categories spanned multiple aims: awards recognized the best restoration and best preservation across decades from the 1930s to the 2010s while additional prizes honored engine soundfemale crews innovation and period-appropriate attire. A special tribute was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the coachbuilder Touring Superleggera underscoring the concours’ attention to coachwork history and technical craftsmanship.
Heritage, revival and public appetite
By staging the event at the Castello di Coppet and programming lakefront tours and artisan visits, organizers aimed to echo the spirit of the early concours while situating the gathering firmly in a modern cultural context. The mix of archival cars, living owners and public programming signals a sustained appetite for automotive heritage: the figures of attendees and participating vehicles suggest an event that is rebuilding momentum after its mid-century hiatus and the later decades of silence.
The Geneva Concours d’Élégance therefore operates today as both a celebration of automotive design—from Art Deco silhouettes to the streamlined language of aerodynamic experiments—and as a platform where collectors, artisans and the public reconnect with the material culture of the automobile.
