Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille 2026: When Collectors’ Clubs Become the True Stewards of the Concours

by PASCAL IAKOVOU
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Each year, when the Domaine de Chantilly reopens its lawns to the finest pre-1971 coachwork, one question lingers beneath the surface: who truly makes such a gathering elegant, the jury or the public? Peter Auto, the event’s organiser, has chosen this year to answer by giving collectors’ clubs a central place in the Grand Prix des Clubs, turning what might have been a mere protocol item on the programme into the very backbone of the event.

Some Forty Communities Telling the Story of the Automobile Differently

Grouped by marque, country of origin or production period, some forty clubs will take over the lawns of the Domaine for this new edition of Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille. Admission remains strict: only automobiles built before 1971, along with models selected from the Happy Few list, may take their place in the Château park. Collectors who represent no collective structure find their own space in the Espace Collection, proof that Chantilly seeks to bring associative fervour and individual passion together without ever setting them against each other. This choice to organise by clubs rather than by mechanical rarity alone says something about the event’s project: less a contest of market value than a celebration of collective automotive memory, sustained by those who live it every day.

The Rallye du Connétable, a Road Prelude to the Staging

Before the cars come to rest on the lawns to be judged, they are still on the move. From Saturday midday, collectors entered in the Rallye du Connétable gather for a gourmet lunch at the Polo Club d’Apremont, before setting off on a 120-kilometre route through the Oise, road book in hand. The itinerary includes a stop at the legendary Course de Côte de Pondron, a nod to the region’s sporting history, before bringing the convoy back to the Domaine de Chantilly, where preparations for the great Sunday await. This shift from living road to contemplative lawn is no doubt what sets Chantilly apart from other concours d’élégance: here the car is still an object in motion before becoming, for an afternoon, a piece to be admired.

The Garden Party, or Elegance Judged Down to the Smallest Detail

Organised with the Fédération Française des Véhicules d’Époque, the Grand Prix des Clubs rewards the most accomplished presentations. The jury assesses not only the automobiles on show but an entire art of living recreated for the occasion: the quality of the display space, the diversity and originality of the models gathered, and above all the refinement of the traditional Garden Party. Floral arrangements, table settings, choice of accessories, harmony of outfits: every detail enters the equation of a judgement that borrows as much from the automobile concours d’élégance as from the French art of entertaining. Perhaps this is where the singularity of Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille lies — an event where mechanical heritage is also judged by the standard of the service that surrounds it.

It remains to be seen whether this spotlight on the clubs, year after year, will end up shifting the centre of gravity of the concours itself — from rare cars to the communities that keep them alive.

The “Garden Party” gathering also lived up to every promise thanks to the presence of 40 car clubs, bringing together nearly 900 cars on display in the Domaine. Enthusiasts, collectors and families thus shared a day devoted to elegance and conviviality.

BEST OF SHOW CONCOURS D’ETAT 

Pre-war: Delage D8 SS – 1933

Post-war: Ferrari 410 Superamerica – 1956

Concept Cars, Restomods & One-offs: Bugatti Brouillard – 2025

CONCOURS D’ETAT AWARDS BY CLASS 

  1. Pre-War Coupés

1st Prize: Delage D8 SS – 1933

2nd Prize: Atalanta V12 Coupe Short Wheelbase – 1939

3rd Prize: Jaguar SS1 Airline – 1935

  1. Pre-War Open Cars

1st Prize : Delage D8 Four-Seater Sport Tourer by Chapron – 1931

2nd Prize: Talbot T15 Cabriolet – 1938

3rd Prize: Amilcar CGS – 1925

  1. Cars in Original Condition

1st Prize : Porsche 904 GTS – 1964

2nd Prize: Sunbeam Grand Prix Works – 1924

3rd Prize: Fiat 600 Berlina – 1957

  1. Bugatti: The Competition Cars

1st Prize : Bugatti Type 35 – 1925

2nd Prize: Bugatti Type 51 – 1931

3rd Prize: Bugatti Type 13 Brescia – 1921

  1. Delahaye in All Its Forms

1st Prize : Delahaye 135 MS Cabriolet Vedette by Chapron – 1947

2nd Prize: Delahaye 135 MS by Graber -1939

3rd Prize: Delahaye 135 MS by Gramond – 1949

  1. Endurance Barchettas

1st Prize: Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta – 1949

2nd Prize: Jaguar Type D – 1953

3rd Prize: Cisitalia 202 SMM Nuvolari Spyder – 1947

  1. Ford & Shelby: American Legends

1st Prize: AC Cobra 289 – 1963

2nd Prize: Ford GT 40 – 1966

3rd Prize: Shelby GT500KR Fastback – 1968

  1. Automotive Art According to Pininfarina

1st Prize: Ferrari 410 Superamerica – 1956

2nd Prize: Alfa Romeo Tipo 256 / 6C 2500 Super Sport – 1939

3rd Prize: Lancia Aurélia B20 GTS – 1957

  1. Tribute to Ercole Spada

1st Prize: Alfa Romeo SZ Coda Tronca – 1962

2nd Prize: Rover TCZ 200 S – 1965

3rd Prize: Lancia Flavia Sport – 1963

  1. Racing Cars in the Spirit of the ACF Grand Prix

1st Prize: Fiat 130 HP – 1907

2nd Prize: Delage L – 1910

3rd Prize: Gladiator Grand Prix – 1904

  1. The Original Cars of the Tour de France Automobile

1st Prize : Matra MS 650 – 1971

2nd Prize: Mercedes-Benz 300 SL – 1955

3rd Prize: Lancia 037 EVO 1 – 1983

  1. Front-Engined V12 Ferraris (pre-1990)

1st Prize: Ferrari 212 Inter Coupe Speciale – 1952

2nd Prize: Ferrari 365 GTS/4 – 1962

3rd Prize: Ferrari 365 GTC/4 Beach Car – 1967

  1. 60th Anniversary of the Lamborghini Miura

1st Prize: Miura SV (brown) – 1972

2nd Prize: Miura S (sky blue) – 1970

3rd Prize: Miura SV (red) – 1972

  1. GT1: The Golden Age of Grand Touring

1st Prize : Nissan R390 GT-1 – 1998

2nd Prize: Porsche 911 GT1 – 1997

3rd Prize: McLaren F1 GTR – 1995

GRAND PRIX DES CLUBS 

Club AVEC’ L

FFVE SPECIAL PRIZE

Fiat 1200 TV Grand Luce Prototype (1958)

SPECIAL PRIZES

  • The Musée National de l’Automobile – Collection Schlumpf de Mulhouse for its exceptional contribution to the event,
  • A special distinction rewarded the Shelby Cobra Jet, which came from Madrid by road
  • The Special Jury Prize was awarded to the Talbot-Lago T150 C SS, to the Atalanta and to the Sunbeam

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