Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster Named Best of Show at the 75th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

Total Charitable Donations Surpass $50 Million

/PRNewswire/ — The collector car world’s top prize, Best of Show at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, was awarded today to a Duesenberg SSJ originally owned by Clark Gable. The 75th celebration also reached a major milestone, surpassing $50 million in total charitable giving.

This year, 218 cars—including 33 international entries from 14 countries and 185 US entries from 30 states—pulled onto the competition field. The winning 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster was shown by Harry Yeaggy of Cincinnati, Ohio.


The 1935 Duesenberg SJ Speedster of Harry Yeaggy captures the Best of Show Trophy at the 75th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Photo Credit: Kimball Studios/Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

“Duesenberg often tops the list of desires for people with a passion for American classics, and the iconic SSJ is the marque’s ultimate expression,” said Concours Chairman Sandra Button. “This Special Speedster, one of just two made, offers both style and performance—and has a fantastic Hollywood backstory.”

The SSJ embodies the dramatic styling of the era, with its sweeping hood line and rakish, aerodynamic windshield. It has been recently restored to its initial presentation, with a black lacquer finish and a light saddle leather interior.

“I won once before, 19 years ago, but I appreciate it a lot better now,” said Yeaggy. “I appreciate the hard work it took and the time it took to get here. People don’t realize how hard it is, how special it is, to win this award. It’s amazing.”

Yeaggy won Best of Show with the 1935 Duesenberg SJ Speedster known as the “Mormon Meteor” in 2007. Duesenberg retains its status as the Pebble Beach Concours’ winningest American marque, now having earned a total of eight Best of Show trophies.

In an interesting twist, today served as a homecoming of sorts: “I found out recently,” said Yeaggy, “that the second owner lived right here on the point in Pebble Beach. He owned the car for almost 12 years, so this car has come back home today.”

This year’s race for Best of Show featured several strong contenders, including the 1938 Delahaye 165 Figoni et Falaschi Cabriolet shown by The Pearl Collection of Baar, Switzerland; the 1955 Ferrari 375 MM Pinin Farina Berlinetta shown by the Heinecke Family Collection of Bangkok, Thailand; and the 1954 Ferrari 375 America Vignale Cabriolet shown by RQ Collections of The Woodlands, Texas.

The Pebble Beach Concours has already raised more than $4.3 million for charity this year, bringing the event’s total charitable donations to $50,154,192 to date. More than half of that total has been raised in the past decade. Through the Pebble Beach Company Foundation, the primary charitable partner of the Concours, these funds will benefit more than 130 local nonprofits dedicated to improving the education, health, and well-being of children throughout Monterey County.

Gooding Christie’s, the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance for the 22nd year, concluded its highest grossing sale since the company’s inception. The auction house realized over $159 million in sales with a 94% sell-through rate. The top lot of this year’s car week, the 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe set a record as the most valuable American car ever sold at auction. It also became the most valuable car ever sold by Gooding Christie’s at auction, achieving nearly $43 million.

The 76th Celebration of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, to be held at The Lodge at Pebble Beach on August 15, 2027, will celebrate the centennial of Delage’s Grand Prix–winning season with a stunning selection of cars from that marque, Prewar Open-Front Town Cars, 40 Years of the Ferrari F40, and an exceptional class of Delahayes. Additional special classes and further details will be announced this fall.

For more information on the Pebble Beach Concours visitpebblebeachconcours.net.

COMPLETE LIST OF 2026 WINNERS

BEST OF SHOW

1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster, Harry Yeaggy, Cincinnati, Ohio

BEST OF SHOW NOMINEES

1938 Delahaye 165 Figoni et Falaschi Cabriolet, The Pearl Collection, Baar, Switzerland

1955 Ferrari 375 MM Pinin Farina Berlinetta, Heinecke Family Collection, Bangkok, Thailand

1954 Ferrari 375 America Vignale Cabriolet, RQ Collections, The Woodlands, Texas

ELEGANCE AWARDS

Gwenn Graham Most Elegant Convertible

1935 Duesenberg J Rollston Convertible Coupe

The Singleton Collection, Costa Mesa, California

J. B. & Dorothy Nethercutt Most Elegant Closed Car

1937 Talbot-Lago T150 C-SS Figoni et Falaschi Teardrop Coupé

William E. (Chip) Connor, Hong Kong

Jules Heumann Most Elegant Open Car

1937 Bentley 4¼ Litre Vanden Plas Sports Tourer

Harsh Pati Singhania, New Delhi, India

Strother MacMinn Most Elegant Sports Car

1953 Fiat 8V Ghia Supersonic

Private Collection, San Francisco, California

SPECIAL AWARDS

Alec Ulmann Trophy

1934 Hispano-Suiza J12 Fernandez and Darrin Coupé de Ville

Anne Brockinton Lee/The Lee Collection, Sparks, Nevada

Ansel Adams Award

1931 Pierce-Arrow 42B Seven-Passenger Tourer

Nishant Dossa, Mumbai, India

ArtCenter College of Design Award

1974 Lancia Stratos HF Stradale Coupe

David & Erin Eichenbaum, St. Petersburg, Florida

Briggs Cunningham Trophy

1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Touring Spider

Dr. Richard Workman, Windermere, Florida

Chairman’s Trophy

1949 Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta

Jon & Kim Shirley, Medina, Washington

Charles A. Chayne Trophy

1938 Tatra T77A Limousine

Bruce R. McCaw, Bellevue, Washington

Classic Car Club of America Trophy

1934 Buick 98C Fisher Convertible Phaeton

The NB Center for American Automotive Heritage, Allentown, Pennsylvania

Dean Batchelor Trophy

1954 MG R2 Ken Miles “Flying Shingle” Special

Bill Hart, Carnation, Washington

Elegance in Motion Trophy

1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta

Revs Institute, Naples, Florida

Enzo Ferrari Trophy

1956 Ferrari 500 Testa Rossa Scaglietti Spyder

Larry Solomon, Napa, California

FIVA Prewar Trophy

1930 Cord L-29 Murphy Town Car

Dano Davis, Jacksonville, Florida

FIVA Postwar Trophy

1963 Jaguar E-type Fixed Head Coupé

Buzz & Julia Lynn, Reno, Nevada

The French Cup

1937 Dubonnet Xenia Saoutchik Aerodynamic Coupé

Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles, California

Gran Turismo Trophy

1961 Ferrari 250 GT Experimental Pininfarina Coupe

Bruce R. McCaw, Bellevue, Washington

The LAP of Luxury Award

1955 Lancia Nardi Blue Ray I Vignale Coupe

Private Collection

Lincoln Trophy

1942 Lincoln Continental Darrin Cabriolet

Kevin Bischoff, Vancouver, Washington

Lorin Tryon Trophy

Tom Peck, Irvine, California

Lucius Beebe Trophy

1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Hooper Tourer

OldiBox, Menzingen, Switzerland

Mercedes-Benz Star of Excellence Award

1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SC Pinin Farina Coupe

Fred & Donna Kriz, Monaco

Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy

1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Freestone & Webb Drophead Coupé

Bill & Adriana Hayward & The Hayward Family, Carmel, California

The Phil Hill Cup

1950 Jaguar XK120 Don Parkinson Special

Derek Hill, Ojai, California

Tony Hulman Trophy

1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta

David SK Lee, Walnut, California

Pininfarina Trophy

1958 Ferrari 250 GT Series I Pinin Farina Cabriolet

Julio Grosso, Danbury, Connecticut

CLASS AWARDS

A: Antique

1st: 1904 Rolls-Royce 10 HP Barker Park Phaeton, Terry Bramall, Harrogate, United Kingdom

2nd: 1910 Glide 45 HP Scout Touring, Ross & Beth Myers, Boyertown, Pennsylvania

3rd: 1908 Packard 30 Four Roadster, Bill Parfet, Hickory Corners, Michigan

B: Early Speedsters (Pre-World War I)

1st:
1913 Mercer 35 J Raceabout, Steve Adler, New Vernon, New Jersey

2nd: 1913 National Semi-Racing Roadster, Jim Grundy, Horsham, Pennsylvania

3rd: 1912 Moon 30 Raceabout, Leland F. Powels, Cambria, California

C-1: American Classic Open

1st:
1942 Lincoln Continental Darrin Cabriolet, Kevin Bischoff, Vancouver, Washington

2nd: 1935 Auburn 851 Supercharged Speedster, DuCoing Family, Anaheim, California

3rd: 1933 Cadillac 452C V-16 Fleetwood Convertible Sedan, Stephen Brauer, St. Louis, Missouri

C-2: American Classic Closed

1st:
1931 Packard 845 Deluxe Eight Dietrich Sport Sedan, Rob & Jeannie Hilarides, Visalia, California

2nd: 1932 Marmon Sixteen LeBaron Coupe, Nicholas & Shelley Schorsch of the Audrain Collections

3rd: 1931 REO Royale 8-48 Dietrich Newport Sports Sedan, AJ & Pam SanClemente, Northborough, Massachusetts

C-3: 1933 Century of Progress Exhibition

1st:
1934 Packard 1108 Twelve “Car of the Dome” Dietrich Sport Sedan, The Bob Bahre Collection, Paris, Maine

2nd: 1936 Cadillac Series 90 V-16 Fleetwood Aerodynamic Coupe, Lehrman Collection, Palm Beach, Florida

3rd: 1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow Sedan, Chris & Teresa George, Fremont, California

D: Packard

1st:
1934 Packard 1108 Twelve Individual Custom Dietrich Convertible Roadster, John Groendyke, Enid, Oklahoma

2nd: 1941 Packard 1906 Custom Super Eight One-Eighty Darrin Convertible Victoria, George Myers, Saint Helena, California

3rd: 1930 Packard 745 Deluxe Eight Roadster, Craig Kappel & Meg McCarthy, Orlando, Florida

E: Streamliner (Pre-World War II)

1st:
1934 Hispano-Suiza J12 Fernandez and Darrin Coupé de Ville, Anne Brockinton Lee/The Lee Collection, Sparks, Nevada

2nd: 1932 Austro Daimler ADR8 Oeffag Alpine Sedan, The Nethercutt Collection, Sylmar, California

3rd: 1932 Duesenberg J Bohman & Schwartz Streamline Coupe, The Keller Collection at the Pyramids, Petaluma, California

F: Automobiles of Royal India

1st:
1929 Mercedes-Benz 630K Sports Tourer, Hemant Kumar Ruia, Mumbai, India

2nd: 1934 Packard 1101 Eight Seven-Passenger Tourer, Rajiv Kehr, Gurgaon, India

3rd: 1931 Pierce-Arrow 42B Seven-Passenger Tourer, Nishant Dossa, Mumbai, India

G:Duesenberg

1st:
1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster, Harry Yeaggy, Cincinnati, Ohio

2nd: 1932 Duesenberg J Murphy Convertible Coupe, Tom Maoli/The Maoli Collection, Mendham, New Jersey

3rd: 1926 Duesenberg A Schutte Roadster, Perry Pintzow, Albuquerque, New Mexico

H: Rolls-Royce Prewar

1st:
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Barker Tourer, Harry & Heather Clark, Paradise Valley, Arizona

2nd: 1923 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Pall Mall Tourer, Joe & Janice Conzonire, San Marino, California

3rd: 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Freestone & Webb Drophead Coupé, Bill & Adriana Hayward & The Hayward Family, Carmel, California

J-1: European Classic Under 4 Liters

1st:
1927 Bentley 3 Litre Speed Martin Walter Tourer, Edward Gregory, Bernardsville, New Jersey

2nd: 1937 Delahaye 135 Chapron Coupe des Alpes, The Sport Clips Collection, Georgetown, Texas

3rd: 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Touring Spider, Dr. Richard Workman, Windermere, Florida

J-2: European Classic Over 4 Liters

1st:
1938 Delahaye 165 Figoni et Falaschi Cabriolet, The Pearl Collection, Baar, Switzerland

2nd: 1925 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A Castagna Cabriolet d’Orsay, Museu Carde, Campos do Jordão, Brazil

3rd: 1939 Lagonda V12 James Young Sedanca Coupé, Martin Moore, Englewood, Colorado

L-1: Prewar Preservation

1st:
1930 Cord L-29 Murphy Town Car, Dano Davis, Jacksonville, Florida

2nd: 1916 Crane-Simplex Model 5 Farnham & Nelson Dual Cowl Phaeton, Stephen & Susan Babinsky, Lebanon, New Jersey

3rd: 1927 Hispano-Suiza H6C Gurney Nutting Sports Saloon, Susan & William Evans, Del Mar, California

L-2: Postwar Preservation

1st:
1974 Lancia Stratos HF Stradale Coupe, David & Erin Eichenbaum, St. Petersburg, Florida

2nd: 1973 Porsche 911 Carerra RS 2.7 Lightweight, HS Motorcars, Helena, Montana

3rd: 1954 Ferrari 212 Inter Vignale Berlinetta, Charals & Diana Haagen, Los Angeles, California

M-1: Ferrari Competition: Chinetti/NART

1st:
1949 Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta, Anne Brockinton Lee/The Lee Collection, Sparks, Nevada

2nd: 1961 Ferrari 250 TRI/61 Fantuzzi Spyder, Scuderia NE, Stamford, Connecticut

3rd: 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Sperimentale Pininfarina Coupe, Bruce R. McCaw, Bellevue, Washington

M-2: Ferrari Competition

1st:
1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Scaglietti Coupe, David & Melissa MacNeil, Manalapan, Florida

2nd: 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Competizione/335 GT Scaglietti Spyder, Chris & Ann Cox, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

3rd: 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Scaglietti Berlinetta Competizione, Larry & Anne Page, Crozier, Virginia

M-3: Ferrari Grand Touring

1st:
1955 Ferrari 375 MM Pinin Farina Berlinetta, Heinecke Family Collection, Bangkok, Thailand

2nd: 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 “Daytona” Scaglietti Berlinetta, Michael Regalia, Sun Valley, California

3rd: 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB Scaglietti Berlinetta, Chuck Akre, Washington, Virginia

M-4: Ferrari Vignale

1st:
1954 Ferrari 375 America Vignale Cabriolet, RQ Collections, The Woodlands, Texas

2nd: 1953 Ferrari 250 MM Vignale Coupe, Anton JG Bilton, Gstaad, Switzerland

3rd: 1952 Ferrari 340 Mexico Vignale Berlinetta, Santiago Martinez, Madrid, Spain

N: Vignale

1st:
1955 Alfa Romeo 1900 C Super Sprint Vignale Cabriolet “La Flèche”, Michelle & Steve Wolf, Wayland, Massachusetts

2nd: 1953 Siata 208 CS Vignale Coupe, Don Bernstein & Patt Taylor, Clark’s Summit, Pennsylvania

3rd: 1950 Abarth 205A2 Vignale Berlinetta, Wolfgang Biedermann, Hamburg, Germany

O-1: Postwar Sports Racing

1st:
1948 Cisitalia 202 Corsa Farina Coupe, Ed Godshalk, Newberg, Oregon

2nd: 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupe, Juan J. Escalante/Carlos J. Acosta, Miami, Florida

3rd: 1964 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS Coupe, Richard Mershad, New Albany, Ohio

O-2: Postwar Sports Touring

1st:
1972 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV Coupé, William E. (Chip) Connor, Hong Kong

2nd: 1965 Iso Grifo A3/C Berlinetta, Thierry Halff, Gy, Switzerland

3rd: 1953 Fiat 8V Ghia Supersonic, Private Collection, San Francisco, California

O-3: Postwar Luxury Touring

1st:
1948 Tucker 48 Sedan, Matthew Katz, Los Angeles, California

2nd: 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SC Pinin Farina Coupe, Fred & Donna Kriz, Monaco

3rd: 1951 Bentley Mark VI Park Ward Drophead Coupe, Rajiv Kehr, Gurgaon, India

P: Japanese Motorsport

1st:
1985 Toyota 85C L Longtail Le Mans Coupe, Hisashi Kunie, Gifu-City, Japan

2nd: 2010 Honda HPD ARX-01c Le Mans Prototype, Robert “Bob” Neapole, Santa Clarita, California

3rd: 1990 Toyota Eagle HF89 IMSA GTP Coupe, Anthony McIntosh

R-1: Pebble Beach Road Race Production

1st:
1953 Ferrari 250 MM Vignale Spyder, The Cultivated Collector, New Canaan, Connecticut

2nd: 1955 OSCA MT4-TN Barchetta, Elad Shraga, Savyon, Israel

3rd: 1952 Jaguar C-type Roadster, Jack Croul Collection, Newport Beach, California

R-2: Pebble Beach Road Race Special

1st:
1950 HWM-Chevrolet “Stovebolt Special”, Simon & Pearl Taylor, London, United Kingdom

2nd: 1952 MG R1 Ken Miles Special, Hart Family, Redmond, Washington

3rd: 1953 Glasspar Mameco-Ardun Bill Tritt Special, Montse Andrade, Villafranca del Castillo, Spain

First conducted in 1950, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® (pebblebeachconcours.net) has grown to be the world’s premier celebration of the automobile. Only the most beautiful and historic cars are invited to appear on the famed 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links®, and connoisseurs of art and style gather to admire these masterpieces. Charitable donations raised by Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® now total over $50 million. Related events include Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance® presented by Rolex, Pebble Beach RetroAuto™, Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum™, and Pebble Beach® Auctions presented by Gooding Christie’s. Pebble Beach®, Pebble Beach Golf Links®, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance®, Pebble Beach RetroAuto™, Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum™, and Pebble Beach® Automotive Week are trademarks, service marks and trade dress of Pebble Beach Company. All rights reserved. For more information, please call 831-622-1700 or visit pebblebeachconcours.net.

About Pebble Beach Company

Pebble Beach Company, headquartered in Pebble Beach, Calif., owns and operates the world-famous Pebble Beach Resorts®, including The Lodge at Pebble Beach™, The Inn at Spanish Bay™, and Casa Palmero®. The company also operates five renowned golf courses: Pebble Beach Golf Links®, Spyglass Hill® Golf Course, The Links at Spanish Bay™, Del Monte™ Golf Course, and The Hay. Its other famed properties include scenic 17-Mile Drive®, The Spa at Pebble Beach™ and Pebble Beach Golf Academy™. It annually hosts premier events such as the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, Pebble Beach Food & Wine, TaylorMade Pebble Beach Invitational, and the PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee. Future site of the 2027, 2032, 2037, and 2044 U.S. Open Championships and the 2035, 2040 and 2048 U.S. Women’s Opens, Pebble Beach Golf Links® has hosted six U.S. Opens, five U.S. Amateurs, one PGA Championship, one U.S. Women’s Open and numerous other tournaments. For reservations or more information, please call 800-654-9300 or visit pebblebeach.com.

SOURCE Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

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