Arizona Concours Shines in Scottsdale Sun

A relaxed kickoff for Arizona car week

Every January, automotive passion floods Phoenix and Scottsdale. The Arizona Concours d’Elegance now launches that surge with style. Held on January 18 at the Scottsdale Civic Center, the event set an elegant and welcoming tone for the week ahead. The show field felt spacious and calm. Moreover, cars were not crowded, so lines and details stood out clearly.

There were no ropes or stanchions. Instead, visitors could study craftsmanship up close and chat with owners. That access softened the usual concours tension. It also invited newcomers into the conversation. Meanwhile, the class list balanced serious scholarship with a bit of whimsy. Prewar icons shared the lawn with surf-friendly runabouts and mid-century family wagons. As a result, the event showcased breadth as much as depth. For locals and travelers alike, it offered a refreshing, low-key start to Arizona’s auction frenzy.

Mercedes-Benz turns 140 in style

This year also doubled as an unofficial 140th birthday salute to Mercedes-Benz. A replica of the 1886 Patentwagen greeted guests at the entrance. Additionally, the event program featured a concise brand history by author Karl Ludvigsen. While there were no marque-only classes, Mercedes appeared in nearly every eligible category. The presence felt natural, not forced. It also highlighted the company’s long arc of innovation, from early pioneers to modern hypercars.

Furthermore, the diversity of Mercedes entries told a complete story. It spanned grand prewar tourers, postwar coachbuilt cabriolets, racing legends, and today’s advanced hybrids. Consequently, the brand’s engineering DNA was on full display. Visitors could sense the continuum: mechanical courage, elegant design, and a taste for speed. In short, the anniversary was not a theme. It was a thread woven through the entire exhibition.

Winners that defined elegance and speed

Judging decisions reflected both artistry and authenticity. The 1908 American 50/60 HP Underslung Scout Roadster took Class 1 for its low-slung innovation and rarity. Nearby, an Auburn 851 Supercharged Boattail Speedster captured Class 2 with its deco drama and supercharged punch. The Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio, recently refreshed, earned the Director’s/Chairman’s Award, proving touring coupes can still turn heads.

Then came a German masterclass. A 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet B won Class 3 and the Mercedes-Benz Award of Excellence. It also received a Director’s Choice and Best in Show (prewar). Moreover, Mercedes wins continued in the special awards. A 1955 Mercedes 300 SL gullwing claimed the Arizona Concours Award for Design. Additionally, a W194 prototype—winner of the 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans—took the Award for Exceptional Engineering in Period. Together, these honors underscored how elegance and performance can travel in the same lane.

Surprises across classes and eras

Beyond the headliners, variety ruled the lawn. The Avant Garde class crowned a pristine 1954 Cadillac Eldorado, still radiating Motorama magic. Meanwhile, mid-century wagons had their moment. A restored 1963 Pontiac Bonneville Safari, complete with eight-lug wheels, topped its field. In the preservation category, a lavender 1959 Buick LeSabre charmed judges with originality and period flair.

European sports cars showed depth, too. A 1966 Jaguar E-type won its class, while a 1966 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 impressed with show history and careful detailing. Postwar competition brought drama as well. A Jaguar D-type, restored to its Carroll Shelby livery, swept to three trophies, including postwar Best in Show. In a muscle-heavy American-powered class, an early 1953 Chevrolet Corvette stole the win with its triple-carb six and historical significance.

Modern technology, beach vibes, and crowd favorites

Today’s engineering got a spotlight of its own. The Mercedes-AMG ONE, with Formula 1-derived hybrid power, edged out the modern exotics class. Meanwhile, a 1956 Mercedes 300 SC Cabriolet clinched the Mercedes heritage class, blending mechanical fuel injection with hand-built grace. On the whimsical side, the Vespa 400 “Jolly,” complete with wicker seats and a striped top, won the beach-themed class. It proved that charm and lightness can still win hearts.

Artistry also earned applause. A Mercedes-Benz 38/250 SSK received the Scottsdale Arts Award for Automotive Artistry. The Clive Cussler “Passion for Collecting” Award went to a 1935 Swallow SS1 Coupe, a key chapter in Jaguar’s origin story. Elsewhere, crowd-pleasers multiplied. A 1964 Amphicar took the Make-A-Wish Arizona Kids’ Choice Award. Finally, the Frank Lloyd Wright Elegance in Motion award honored a 1929 Cord L-29 Cabriolet, a front-drive pioneer with poise.

Plan your visit and join the tradition

The Arizona Concours continues to grow into the perfect opening chapter for Arizona’s January car week. The setting is accessible, the judging is serious, and the atmosphere stays welcoming.

If you live nearby, it deserves a place on the calendar. If you travel for auctions, it offers a more human way to begin the week. Before the bidding rooms, transport trucks, and price headlines take over, the Concours puts the cars themselves back at the center. That makes it valuable. It reminds visitors that collector culture is not only about transactions. It is also about design, memory, restoration, preservation, and personal stories.

The relaxed format helps that message land. A formal concours can sometimes feel intimidating, especially for casual fans. Scottsdale’s garden-party atmosphere lowers that barrier. You can admire a million-dollar prewar Mercedes, then turn around and smile at a small beach car with wicker seats. You can study a Le Mans veteran, then talk to someone who has spent years preserving a family wagon. That range gives the event personality.

It also fits Arizona well. The January weather, desert light, and open civic setting create a natural stage for polished paint, chrome, leather, and sculpted metal. Unlike indoor displays, the cars breathe in the landscape. Curves catch sunlight. Interiors reveal their textures. Details that might disappear under harsh artificial lighting become easy to appreciate. For photographers, historians, collectors, and families, that matters.

The charitable side adds another layer. The event’s connection with Make-A-Wish Arizona gives the day a broader purpose, while the Kids’ Choice Award keeps the show from becoming too self-serious. Seeing children choose a favorite among rare classics and exotic machines is a reminder that enthusiasm often begins with simple delight. Sometimes the most memorable car is not the most expensive one. It is the one that makes people stop, point, and smile.

That spirit may explain why the Arizona Concours has gained such momentum. It has the judging standards and quality of entry expected from a serious concours. However, it avoids becoming cold or distant. It respects history without trapping it behind ceremony. It celebrates excellence, but it also leaves room for fun.

For Mercedes-Benz, the 2026 edition felt especially fitting. The brand’s 140-year story appeared not through a single display, but through many different kinds of machines. From the Patentwagen idea to the 540K, the 300 SL, the SSK, and the AMG ONE, the arc was clear. Mercedes has always balanced engineering ambition with status and style. On this lawn, that legacy looked alive rather than archival.

Still, the day belonged to more than one marque. Jaguar, Bugatti, Cadillac, Buick, Cord, Auburn, Ferrari, Pontiac, Chevrolet, Vespa, and Amphicar all played their parts. That breadth gave the show its rhythm. It was not a parade of predictable icons. It was a conversation across eras, countries, purposes, and personalities.

As Arizona Car Week grows larger and more commercial, the Concours offers a useful counterweight. It slows the pace before the auction tents accelerate it again. It asks visitors to look closely before they think about values. It rewards the patient eye: the sweep of a fender, the shape of a grille, the texture of original upholstery, the engineering hidden beneath a hood.

That is why the Arizona Concours d’Elegance feels like more than an opening event. It is a reminder of why the week matters in the first place. Cars gather in Scottsdale because people still care about beauty, ingenuity, rarity, and the emotional pull of motion. In 2026, on a sunny January lawn, that passion felt both serious and wonderfully approachable.