Under a flawless New England sky, the 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Rimoldi Corto Spyder by Carrozzeria Touring took Best of Show at the 2025 Audrain Newport Concours d’Elegance. Unrestored yet magnificent, the car captured the event’s growing reputation for celebrating authenticity and story as much as craftsmanship.
The final four
The Alfa, owned by Alex MacAllister, is no stranger to competition. Registered to the Alfa Romeo Works team in 1933, it ran in the Monte Carlo Rally, the Mille Miglia and later in vintage racing. Its ‘Rimoldi Alfa’ nickname recalls its long-time British owner, a Manchester ice merchant who drove it regularly for decades.
It faced serious opposition at the 2025 Audrain Newport Concours d’Elegance. The 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato Coupé owned by David and Ginny Sydorick was the Turin Motor Show car and winner of the Zagato Coachwork class. The 1960 Ferrari 250 SWB Pinin Farina Cabriolet Speciale, shown at Geneva in 1960, won the Ferrari class, while William Parfet’s 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster brought formidable pre-war gravitas.
All four cars embodied excellence. But the judges’ choice of the Alfa was indicative of preservation-class cars’ arrival in the world’s major concours d’elegance.
A judging philosophy of its own
Audrain’s judging panel avoids the conventional concours obsession with rivet counting. There are no preservation classes here – unrestored cars compete on equal footing. Authenticity, design significance and continuity of ownership matter most. The Alfa’s honest patina and racing history ticked every box.
As one judge put it: “A winning car at a concours says much about the concours.” In choosing the Alfa, Audrain confirmed that it is a concours confident enough to reward cars that have lived.
A week that defines Newport
The Concours capped Audrain Newport Concours and Motor Week, a celebration that now dominates early October in Newport, Rhode Island, US. At Rough Point, the Gilded Age home of Doris Duke, Friday’s Gathering set the tone – glorious weather, fine cars arranged across the lawns and hospitality that mixed sushi and lobster tacos with G&Ts and local wines. Several premium manufacturers revealed new models, blending tradition with modern ambition.
Elsewhere, Bonhams held its auction at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. A Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ sold for $5.2 million after spirited bidding, while a West Coast Choppers motorcycle surprised the room, reaching $41,000 against an $8k-12k estimate. Most cars sold just below estimate, yet the energy on the day suggested a healthy, selective market.
Saturday’s Tour d’Elegance turned Bellevue Avenue into a live stage, closing the road and inviting the public to mingle with entrants. It was Newport at its best – informal, inclusive and full of enthusiasm.
That evening, the Gala Dinner brought a burst of Americana with an American Bandstand theme. Donald Osborne and Jay Leno urged guests to support local charities, while Jay Ward, channelling Dick Clark, presided over an evening of music from the 1950s to 1970s accompanied by professional dancers.
Beyond the lawn
Across town, the Audrain Automobile Museum continued its strong curatorial form with Porsche in Motorsport – Rennsport, an exhibition tracing the marque’s greatest competition cars. It reinforced the week’s dual identity: serious about history, yet open and engaging.
Success and growth, however, bring their own challenges. Newport’s hotel rates have soared – one long-time judge recalled paying $170 in 2019, now $750 for the same room. With more organisers likely to eye a presence in the city, Audrain will need to guard its balance of quality and intimacy.
The spirit of Audrain
With Newport’s wealth of venues and its famously accommodating spirit, other organisers and auction houses will inevitably eye a foothold. The task for Audrain’s team will be to protect the event’s distinctive intimacy – the easy warmth that separates it from the larger, glossier gatherings.
Yet as the sun set over Narragansett Bay and the unpolished Alfa Romeo caught the last light, it was clear that Audrain has already achieved something remarkable. It has created not an imitation of Pebble Beach, but a celebration entirely its own: a festival where history breathes, elegance relaxes and every car tells its story with pride.
