A 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster was just deemed Best of Show at the 2026 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the apex award at what is arguably the most prestigious classic car show in the world.

The car is owned by Harry Yeaggy of Cincinnati, Ohio, who purchased it three years ago.

“I’ve been trying to buy the car for 40 years,” Yeaggy tells Car and Driver from the stand just after receiving the award. “But I got it physically three years ago.”

The car, one of just two hotted-up, short-wheelbase supercharged Duesenberg SSJs, was in the possession of classic-era movie star Clark Gable at the start of its life. (The other SSJ was owned by contemporary film star Gary Cooper; your author once drove that car.) It had been in the hands of one family for over six decades prior to Yeaggy’s acquisition. “This car has elegance, grace, and sportiness,” says Yeaggy.

The selection of this car by the judges fits perfectly with the long-term mission of the Pebble Beach Concours, which has long celebrated the best in interwar classic vehicles. “Duesenberg’s slogan was ‘The Mightiest Motorcar.’ This is the mightiest Duesenberg,” says Ken Gross, a venerable author, curator, and concours judge who has worked for decades in the world of classic cars. “It has all the elements needed to win at Pebble Beach. It’s just a marvelous car.”

While this choice maintains the status quo for the concours, Gross feels change is afoot. “I liked it when a postwar car won Best of Show several years ago. I think we’ll see another postwar winner in the near future,” Gross says. “For now, the tradition endures. At least for a while.”

Notably, this was the 75th anniversary, the Diamond Jubilee, of the Pebble Beach Concours. And while this car is now the jewel in the crown, it was our pleasure—as lovers of all things automotive—to simply walk amongst all of the gems assembled for this auspicious event.

“I honestly think this was the best gathering of cars we’ve had in my 36 years with the Concours,” says Gross. “A fitting 75th anniversary.”

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Brett Berk (he/him) is a former preschool teacher and early childhood center director who spent a decade as a youth and family researcher and now covers the topics of kids and the auto industry for publications including CNN, the New York Times, Popular Mechanics and more. He has published a parenting book, The Gay Uncle’s Guide to Parenting, and since 2008 has driven and reviewed thousands of cars for Car and Driver and Road & Track, where he is contributing editor. He has also written for Architectural Digest, Billboard, ELLE Decor, Esquire, GQ, Travel + Leisure and Vanity Fair.