The Concours at Wynn Las Vegas: America’s New King of Supercar Shows
The Standard definition of “concours d’elegance” is “a show or contest of vehicles and accessories in which the entries are judged chiefly on excellence of appearance and turnout.”
For a long time, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance has held the undisputed crown as the pinnacle of automotive refinement. Yet, the landscape of high-end car events is constantly evolving, and the 2025 Concours at Wynn Las Vegas is making a serious bid to challenge the established order. This article will delve into what makes the Las Vegas show such a game-changer and explore why top manufacturers and collectors are increasingly choosing Vegas over other iconic events on the global circuit.
The Competition Heats Up: Why The Quail is Looking Over Its Shoulder
The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering has long been the go-to event for enthusiasts craving the latest hypercars and performance vehicles. Positioned perfectly as an appetizer to the main course of the Pebble Beach Concours, The Quail has carved out a niche as the place to debut cutting-edge automotive engineering. For many attendees, especially those more interested in the bleeding edge of technology than vintage machinery, The Quail has already eclipsed the main Sunday event at Pebble.
The shift in preference is largely due to the changing automotive landscape. The demise of the Geneva International Auto Show has left a significant void in the supercar calendar, and The Quail has stepped in to fill it. This shift has allowed The Quail to become the premier showcase for new performance vehicles.
For instance, the Lamborghini Aventador debuted in Geneva in 2011, followed by the Veneno in 2013. More recently, the Lamborghini Temerario, the successor to the Huracán, made its debut at The Quail in 2024. The seven-figure Fenomeno also chose The Quail for its world premiere in 2025. While Bugatti unveiled the Chiron in Geneva back in 2016, the Divo (2018) and Mistral (2022) were both debuted at The Quail. This pattern holds true for dozens of other brands, solidifying The Quail’s status as the top show for these types of vehicles.
Until Halloween of 2025, I believed The Quail’s position in the automotive world was secure. Then I attended the Las Vegas Concours, and I’m not so sure anymore. I should preface this by saying I also attended the 2024 Vegas Concours, and while it was fun, it felt regional and provincial. There were some pretty cool cars, but mostly the usual suspects. In fact, if it weren’t for a project I was working on with Czinger (which brought me as its guest), I probably wouldn’t have bothered going this year. But man, am I glad I went.
What Defines The Las Vegas Concours?
The 2025 Concours at Wynn Las Vegas delivered a stunning spectacle that left automotive enthusiasts in awe. The Wynn featured 48 Bugatti Veyrons on the lawn. Yes, you read that correctly. Of the 450 Veyrons built and the 100 sold in North America, 48 were in Vegas. Actually, 49, because Bugatti also brought a stunning white Vitesse Super Sport to commemorate the Veyron’s 20th anniversary, along with a Bolide, Centodieci, Chiron Super Sport, Divo, Mistral, and a model of the upcoming 18-cylinder hybrid Tourbillon that will replace the Chiron. Displaying more than 10% of all Bugatti Veyrons ever built in one place has left my head still spinning.
The kids are into Paganis, too, right? Because there were more than 40 of them. I didn’t get the exact number because I was too busy drooling over the Veyrons, but there were several Zondas including a Zonda Revolution (one of five), dozens of Huayras, a bunch of Utopias, and—worryingly for The Quail—the debut of the Huayra Codalunga Speedster Pagani plans to make 10 of at a price of $7,000,000 each before tax and tariffs, if you’re interested. (The mint-green one that was in Vegas under the covers belongs to Apple’s Tim Cook.) Even if these carbo-titanium extroverts aren’t your thing, the fact that the 2025 Las Vegas Concours was not only the largest Pagani gathering ever to occur in North America, but also that Horatio Pagani (who was honored onstage by emcee Justin Bell for his contributions to car design) and his team chose to introduce a car there says something. More on that later. Back to more than 40 Paganis: That’s a larger number of cars than the factory produces in a year.
The Lamborghini section was just as mind-blowing if you’re into these sorts of vehicles. First off, the 2025 Wynn Vegas Concours was the largest gathering of Lambos ever. Yes, ever. Again, I didn’t count, but the number being bandied was about 230. That’s 230 of the 600 cars present that Saturday. Simply mind-blowing. Of those 230, there was a Veneno Coupe (one of three ever sold to the public; the factory kept a fourth one), a Sesto Elemento (one of 10), a Centenario coupe (one of 20) and convertible (one of 20), and a Reventón (one of 21). The last time I saw all those “few-offs” (as Lamborghini now calls them) together in the same place was at the factory’s museum. It was a flabbergasting display of precious, high-horsepower Italian metal/composites.
In an attempt at brevity, I’m leaving out all the Koenigseggs, the Gumpert Apollo, the Czingers, the Nilu, the McLaren Project Endurance race car debut, all the cars that were actually judged (including a former and insane Pebble Beach Concours-winning 1929 Mercedes-Benz 680 S Barker Tourer 26/120/180 that won prewar best of show here, too), the HWA EVO, a Mercedes-AMG One, two Oldsmobile Aerotechs, and a McLaren F1. Yeah, that’s one hell of a car show.
What Comes Next? The Future of Supercar Events
Two conversations kept coming my way when I stopped and chatted with fellow Wynn Vegas Concours attendees. The big question: “How the hell are they going to top this next year?” No clue, but godspeed to the Wynn. The other and frankly far more intriguing query kept coming from the OEM carmakers: “Should we even bother doing The Quail next year?” Good question. Perhaps I should say godspeed to The Quail, too.
Things you may not know about The Quail: A single ticket cost $1,300 last year. That’s $1,300 as a courtesy if you’ve attended in the past (“legacy ticket holders,” I think they call ’em). It was $1,600 for first-time attendees. Yes, that’s expensive, but it costs OEMs about $400,000 to put a car on a show stand there. For six hours. The Vegas Concours charges about 1/20 of that. And if you want to attend, tickets are $100 a pop. That’s about $2 per Veyron. I spoke to three different carmakers that openly questioned the need to ever attend The Quail again. Perhaps, they mused, Las Vegas and Moda Miami are enough? Moreover, for attendees, you won’t be paying heart-attack-inducing prices for hotels (a friend stayed at a motel near Pebble that was $1,100 a night, five-night minimum), nor running around from event to event in soul-crushing traffic. Also, making dinner reservations is easy because Las Vegas is literally built for big gatherings.
The above might sound far-fetched, but just a few years ago Geneva was the center of the supercar world. I can’t predict the future, but I can assure you the Concours at Wynn Las Vegas is now on my must-attend list. You should stick it on yours, too.
The Economics of Spectacle: Why Automakers Are Rethinking The Quail Investment
The cost of participation in top-tier automotive events has become a significant consideration for manufacturers. While The Quail has established a reputation as the go-to venue for new supercar debuts, the financial burden of exhibiting there is substantial. A single ticket for The Quail cost $1,300 last year for “legacy” ticket holders, and $1,600 for first-time attendees. These exorbitant prices reflect the high cost of booth space, which runs around $400,000 for OEMs to display a car for six hours.
In contrast, the Las Vegas Concours offers a much more accessible alternative. The Vegas show charges approximately 1/20th of the cost to exhibit at The Quail. Tickets to attend are only $100, which equates to about $2 per Veyron displayed. This cost efficiency has led to increased speculation among automakers about the necessity of returning to The Quail.
