A 1939 Horch 855 Special Roadster by Gläser claimed Best of Show at the 2026 Concours of Elegance Germany, which returned to Gut Kaltenbrunn on the shores of Lake Tegernsee for its second edition. The event brought together nine decades of privately owned road and competition cars, with the Best of Show award uniquely selected by the concours entrants themselves.
The winning Horch is among the most significant surviving pre-war German luxury cars. Believed to be one of only five to seven examples built, chassis 855007 is understood to be the sole surviving original production 855 Special Roadster. Originally delivered to the Netherlands, it later passed through several major collections, appeared in Road & Track in 1954 and was driven by Rock Hudson in The World Is Ours. Following restoration in Germany, it spent time on display at Audi’s museum in Ingolstadt before joining its current private collection.
Maserati provided one of the defining themes of the weekend, with the concours marking 100 years since the Trident badge first appeared. The marque’s cars were strongly represented among the winners, with a 1955 Maserati 300S taking the 1950s decade award and a 1962 Maserati 5000 GT by Allemano winning the 1960s class. The dedicated Maserati Award went to the 1959 Maserati 3500 GT Convertible Prototype by Michelotti for Vignale, which had travelled from Texas for the event.
Other decade winners included a 1928 Bentley 4½ Litre Open Tourer by Van den Plas, a 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spyder, a 1947 Delahaye 135 MS Roadster, a freshly restored 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona and a 1985 Aston Martin V8 Vantage originally ordered by Sir Elton John. The Future Classics class was won by a 1995 Lamborghini Diablo SE30.
Special awards went to the 1933 Armstrong Siddeley Special Six, which received the Chairman’s Award, and a 1955 Maserati 150S/200S Prototype, winner of the Patron’s Award selected by Prince Leopold Prinz von Bayern.
Away from the main concours lawn, RM Sotheby’s Tegernsee auction formed another focus of the weekend, led by a 2015 Koenigsegg One:1, while the event also featured the Club Trophy, Emerging Collectors Concours, Ladies Concours and the new free-to-enter Gallery display.
For more info, see concoursofelegancegermany.com
