Harry Yeaggy learned the story shortly before he brought the car west. The second man to own his Duesenberg had lived on the point at Pebble Beach and kept it for close to twelve years. On August 16, the car rolled back onto ground it had been garaged beside, and the judges gave it the biggest prize in the collector world.
“This car has come back home today,” Yeaggy said.
The 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster, built for Clark Gable and one of only two made, took Best of Show at the 75th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It is the eighth Best of Show trophy for Duesenberg, which remains the winningest American marque at the show.
Key Takeaways
- Best of Show went to a 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster shown by Harry Yeaggy of Cincinnati, Ohio, on Sunday, August 16, 2026.
- The car was originally owned by Clark Gable and is one of two SSJ Special Speedsters Duesenberg built.
- Yeaggy has won before. He took Best of Show in 2007 with the Duesenberg SJ Speedster known as the “Mormon Meteor,” 19 years earlier.
- Duesenberg now holds eight Best of Show trophies, keeping its position as the winningest American marque at Pebble Beach.
- 218 cars competed, including 33 international entries from 14 countries and 185 US entries from 30 states.
- Charitable giving passed $50 million, reaching $50,154,192 with $4.3 million raised this year.
- The Concours moves to the second Sunday in August starting in 2028, a week earlier than it has run for most of three decades.
Two Cars, One of Which Set a Record
Duesenberg built two SSJ Special Speedsters. The other one set the American auction record in 2018, when Gooding sold it at Pebble Beach for $22 million. That record stood until this year’s auction week, when a Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe took it away at nearly $43 million.
So the SSJ on the awards ramp was the twin of the car that had held the American record for seven years, standing on the lawn the same weekend the record fell.
Gable’s car carries a sweeping hood line and a raked, aerodynamic windshield. It has been restored to its first presentation, finished in black lacquer over light saddle leather.
“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,” Concours Chairman Sandra Button said. “This Special Speedster, one of just two made, offers both style and performance, and has a fantastic Hollywood backstory.”
Nineteen Years Between Trophies
Yeaggy’s first Best of Show came in 2007 with the 1935 Duesenberg SJ Speedster campaigned as the “Mormon Meteor,” a car built to run flat out on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Winning twice at Pebble Beach puts him in company that fits in a small room.
“I won once before, 19 years ago, but I appreciate it a lot better now,” he said. “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.”
The Three Cars It Beat
Three others reached the final round. Two were Ferraris, and one was a Delahaye.
| Result | Car | Shown by |
|---|---|---|
| Best of Show | 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster | Harry Yeaggy, Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Nominee | 1938 Delahaye 165 Figoni et Falaschi Cabriolet | The Pearl Collection, Baar, Switzerland |
| Nominee | 1955 Ferrari 375 MM Pinin Farina Berlinetta | Heinecke Family Collection, Bangkok, Thailand |
| Nominee | 1954 Ferrari 375 America Vignale Cabriolet | RQ Collections, The Woodlands, Texas |
Each of the three nominees won its class on the way to the final four. Delahaye gets a class of its own at the 2027 show.
The Elegance and Special Awards
Below Best of Show sit the four Elegance awards, which judge presence rather than restoration accuracy.
| Award | Car | Shown by |
|---|---|---|
| Most Elegant Convertible | 1935 Duesenberg J Rollston Convertible Coupe | The Singleton Collection, Costa Mesa, California |
| Most Elegant Closed Car | 1937 Talbot-Lago T150 C-SS Figoni et Falaschi Teardrop Coupé | William E. Connor, Hong Kong |
| Most Elegant Open Car | 1937 Bentley 4¼ Litre Vanden Plas Sports Tourer | Harsh Pati Singhania, New Delhi, India |
| Most Elegant Sports Car | 1953 Fiat 8V Ghia Supersonic | Private Collection, San Francisco, California |
Two of the special awards went to cars that had already earned coverage before the show. Ken Miles built and raced the 1954 MG R2 “Flying Shingle,” which took the Dean Batchelor Trophy 74 years after officials threw him out of his first American race on this same ground. A Lamborghini Miura P400 SV won Postwar Sports Touring, shown by the same collector who took Most Elegant Closed Car.
218 Cars From 30 States and 14 Countries
In all, 218 cars competed. International entrants brought 33 of them from 14 countries, and 185 came from 30 US states. Entries arrived from Brazil, Israel, India, Japan, Monaco, Switzerland and Thailand, among others.
One class had never been staged before. A first Japanese Motorsport class in 75 years went to a 1985 Toyota Group C car.
Fifty Million Dollars
This year’s show pushed lifetime charitable giving past a round number it took 75 years to reach. Donations now stand at $50,154,192, over half of it raised in the past ten years.
This year alone accounted for more than $4.3 million. That money moves through the Pebble Beach Company Foundation to more than 130 Monterey County nonprofits working on children’s education, health and welfare.
On the auction week around it: Gooding Christie’s, in its 22nd year as the Concours auction house, ran its highest grossing sale since the company started. It cleared more than $159 million at a 94% sell-through rate, and the 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe became the most valuable American car ever sold at auction.
What Changes in 2027, and Again in 2028
Next year’s Concours runs August 15, 2027. Four themes are set. Organizers will mark the centennial of Delage’s Grand Prix winning season, stages a class of Prewar Open-Front Town Cars, gathers Delahayes, and celebrates 40 years of the Ferrari F40. More classes get announced this fall.
A bigger change lands the year after. For most of the past three decades the Concours has run on the third Sunday in August. In 2028 it moves to the second Sunday, one week earlier, which shifts the anchor date the rest of Monterey Car Week is built around.
Frequently Asked Questions
What won Best of Show at Pebble Beach in 2026?
A 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster shown by Harry Yeaggy of Cincinnati, Ohio. The car was originally owned by Clark Gable and is one of two SSJ Special Speedsters built.
Who was the previous owner connection to Pebble Beach?
The car’s second owner lived on the point at Pebble Beach and kept it for almost twelve years. Yeaggy learned this shortly before the 2026 show and described the win as the car coming home.
How many Best of Show wins does Duesenberg have?
Eight. That keeps Duesenberg the winningest American marque in the history of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Had Harry Yeaggy won Pebble Beach before?
Yes, in 2007, with the 1935 Duesenberg SJ Speedster known as the “Mormon Meteor.” The 2026 win came 19 years later.
Which cars were the other Best of Show nominees?
A 1938 Delahaye 165 Figoni et Falaschi Cabriolet from The Pearl Collection of Baar, Switzerland, a 1955 Ferrari 375 MM Pinin Farina Berlinetta from the Heinecke Family Collection of Bangkok, Thailand, and a 1954 Ferrari 375 America Vignale Cabriolet from RQ Collections of The Woodlands, Texas.
How many cars competed at the 75th Concours?
218. Of those, 33 were international entries from 14 countries and 185 were US entries from 30 states.
How much has the Pebble Beach Concours raised for charity?
$50,154,192 as of the 2026 show, including more than $4.3 million raised this year. More than half the lifetime total has been raised in the past decade, and the funds support over 130 nonprofits in Monterey County.
What was the top auction result during 2026 Car Week?
A 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe sold by Gooding Christie’s for nearly $43 million, making it the most valuable American car ever sold at auction. The sale as a whole grossed more than $159 million with 94% of lots selling.
When is the 2027 Pebble Beach Concours?
Sunday, August 15, 2027. Announced classes cover the centennial of Delage’s Grand Prix winning season, Prewar Open-Front Town Cars, Delahayes, and 40 years of the Ferrari F40.
Why is the Pebble Beach Concours changing dates in 2028?
The event moves from the third Sunday in August to the second Sunday beginning in 2028. It has run on the third Sunday for most of the past three decades, so the change shifts the date every other Monterey Car Week event schedules around.
Was there a new class at the 2026 show?
Yes. The Concours staged its first Japanese Motorsport class, covering endurance racing cars from the 1985 Toyota 85C through the 2018 Toyota TS050 Hybrid. A 1985 Toyota 85C L Longtail Le Mans Coupe won it.
Seventy-Five Years, Eight Duesenbergs
Pebble Beach started in 1950 as a sideshow to a road race, with thirteen cars and a winner who entered at the last minute. Its 75th running drew 218 cars from 14 countries and handed its top prize to a car built for a movie star in 1935, shown by a man who had won the same trophy nineteen years earlier with another Duesenberg.
The number that will outlast the result is $50,154,192. That is what an afternoon on a golf course has moved to Monterey County charities since the first thirteen cars parked on the grass.
Michael Kahn
Michael Kahn is the writer, photographer, and publisher behind The Weekly Driver. He cares about how cars drive and what they're like to own. He covers automobile industry news, car shows and events, and new car reviews. The reviews come from behind the wheel: day trips that favor back routes, treating a good meal as half the reason to go. He directs and produces the visual media, matching each car to a setting and mood that fit it. When he's not reviewing new cars, Michael races paddleboards, camels, and ostriches, along with the occasional exotic car on the racetrack, and has driven in every state and country visited.
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