A 1939 Horch 855 Special Roadster by Gläser won Best of Show at the Concours of Elegance Germany 2026, which closed on Sunday July 5 at Gut Kaltenbrunn on Lake Tegernsee. The owner-voted award crowned one of the rarest German luxury cars of the pre-war period. Between five and seven Horch 855 Special Roadsters are believed to have been built, with chassis 855007 recorded as the only known surviving production example.
The Horch headed a two-day event that placed privately owned road and competition cars around the Bavarian lakeside venue. The field covered nine decades of motoring history, from pre-war sports and luxury cars to post-war grand tourers, competition machinery and modern supercars. Organisers reported record attendance across the weekend.
Originally delivered to the Netherlands, the winning Horch was acquired in Germany shortly after World War Two before moving to the United States, where it passed through several major collections. It appeared in Road & Track in 1954 and was also used by Rock Hudson in The World Is Ours. The Horch returned to Germany for restoration from 1992 and later spent several years on display at Audi’s museum in Ingolstadt. It was acquired at RM Sotheby’s in 2024 and now forms part of a private collection. Its Gläser coachwork features a long bonnet, pontoon-style front wings and a low two-seat roadster body.
At Tegernsee, the car led a concours field that also included several significant Maseratis, in keeping with one of the event’s main themes for 2026. Elsewhere, the Chairman’s Award recognised the 1933 Armstrong Siddeley Special Six, while Prince Leopold von Bayern selected the 1955 Maserati 150S/200S Prototype for the Patron’s Award.
Maserati formed a central part of the event, marking 100 years since the Trident badge first appeared. The marque also produced winners in both the 1950s and 1960s decade classes. The 1950s award was claimed by a 1957 Maserati 300S (pictured above), chassis 3051. Built with Fantuzzi short-nose bodywork, the car uses a 3.0-litre straight-six related to Maserati’s 250F Formula 1 engine architecture. During its period competition career, it raced in American sports car events and was driven by Stirling Moss to victory in the Nassau Trophy in December 1956.
The car was later converted to long-nose form in 1957, before a subsequent restoration returned it to its earlier short-nose configuration. Its original engine and transaxle have since been removed and preserved, with service units fitted for running use. A 1962 Maserati 5000 GT by Allemano took the 1960s award, while the dedicated Maserati award went to the 1959 Maserati 3500 GT Convertible Prototype by Michelotti for Vignale, which had travelled from Texas to take part.
The 1920s decade award recognised a 1928 Bentley 4½ Litre Open Tourer by Van den Plas (pictured above), while in the 1930s class, judges chose a 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spyder. The car was one of around five factory-prepared examples for the 1931 Mille Miglia, where it finished fifth overall. It was delivered new with lightweight Zagato Spider coachwork before Carrozzeria Touring rebodied it with a one-off Sperimentale design. Its features include rotating bonnet air ducts and a fully retractable hood. The 1940s category was led by a 1947 Delahaye 135 MS Roadster, chassis 800484. Built on a 135 MS chassis with Cotal pre-selector gearbox, the car carries roadster coachwork long attributed to Figoni, although Letourneur & Marchand has also been identified as the likely coachbuilder.
A 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona headed the 1970s category. The European-specification car was delivered through Jacques Swaters’ Garage Francorchamps for the Belgian market and retains its matching-numbers chassis, engine and gearbox. It also has Ferrari Classiche Red Book certification. Its present owner acquired the Daytona in early 2025 and commissioned a restoration in Modena under Ferrari Classiche supervision. Bacchelli & Villa, Giuseppe Garuti and Tappezzeria Luppi were involved in the work. The car appeared at Tegernsee in Giallo Fly.
The 1980s award recognised a 1985 Aston Martin V8 Vantage (pictured above) originally ordered by Sir Elton John as part of his Aston Martin collection. Finished in Royal Cherry over Magnolia and first registered as C194 BYW, the car was later associated with the 2001 Christie’s Elton John Collection sale. The Future Classics award went to a 1995 Lamborghini Diablo SE30, the 93rd of 150 examples built to mark Lamborghini’s 30th anniversary. Finished in SE Titanium, the car is Polo Storico certified and was first registered in Germany in 1995. It returned to its current owners in 2024 after roughly 25 years away.
Away from the main concours, the event also included the Club Trophy, Emerging Collectors Concours, Ladies Concours and The Gallery, a new free-to-enter area for 2026.
RM Sotheby’s held its second Tegernsee sale in partnership with the Concours of Elegance Germany 2026. The boutique auction offered four memorabilia lots and 20 cars, grossing €10.5m with 91 percent of lots sold.
A 2009 Ferrari 599XX Evo led the auction at €2,536,250. It is one of the earlier 599XXs, understood to be approximately the fourth of 45 built, and was upgraded to Evoluzione specification in 2012. Finished in Rosso Fuoco, it has had two private owners from new and has been maintained by Ferrari’s XX Programme division. It had been estimated at between €2m and €2.5m.
Elsewhere, a 2023 Ferrari 812 Competizione coupé sold for €1,467,500. One of 999 examples built, it had one registered owner from new and had covered 1587km at the time of sale, and had carried an estimate of €1.25m-€1.5m. It was specified through Ferrari’s Personalisation Programme in Canna Di Fucile with a Giallo Fly racing stripe. Keeping to the Ferrari theme, a 2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale in Rosso Corsa and on 365km sold for €680k (€500k-€600k estimate), while a 2009 Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M in Rosso Scuderia sold for €651,875 against a €600k-€650k estimate.
A 2004 US-delivered Porsche Carrera GT achieved €1,445,000 against a €1.2m-€1.6m estimate. It left the factory in GT Silver Metallic over Ascot Brown leather before its second owner later repainted it in Lamborghini Reventón matte grey. Elsewhere, a 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG Cabriolet made €657,500 (€450k-€550k est).
Other top-ten results included a 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet at €635,000 (€300k-€400k est), a 1960 Porsche 356 B Carrera 1600 GS/GT Coupé at €398,750 (€470k-€570k est) and a 1992 Porsche RUF BTR 3.8 at €365,000 (€360k-€450k est). A 1964 Porsche 356 C Carrera 2 Coupé (€320k-€420k) and a 1990 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II (€200k-€250k est) each sold for €275,000.
For more information on Concours of Elegance Germany 2026, head here.
For more information on the RM Sotheby’s sale, head here.
Concours of Elegance Germany 2026 results
Best of Show: 1939 Horch 855 Special Roadster by Gläser
Maserati Award: 1959 Maserati 3500 GT Convertible Prototype by Michelotti for Vignale
Patron’s Award: 1955 Maserati 150S/200S Prototype
Chairman’s Award: 1933 Armstrong Siddeley Special Six
Decade awards
1920s: 1928 Bentley 4½ Litre Open Tourer by VDP
1930s: 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C-1750 Gran Sport Spyder
1940s: 1947 Delahaye 135 MS Roadster
1950s: 1955 Maserati 300 S
1960s: 1962 Maserati 5000 GT by Allemano
1970s: 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona
1980s: 1985 Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Future Classics: 1995 Lamborghini Diablo SE30
