1928 Mercedes-Benz SSK Roadster takes Best in Show at Concours of Elegance 2026
The extraordinary competition-bred Mercedes-Benz SSK, with a remarkable racing history stretching from Europe to South America, has been named Best in Show at the 2026 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace.
A genuine competition car with an extraordinary history, the 1928 Mercedes-Benz 710 SSK Rennwagen has taken the coveted Best in Show award at this year’s Concours of Elegance.
Built in 1928, chassis 36246 wasoriginally supplied as a Rennwagen, a competition specification version of Mercedes-Benz’s legendary supercharged SSK.
The SSK, or Super Sport Kurz, was developed from Ferdinand Porsche’s Model S chassis, with its wheelbase shortened from 3400mm to 2950mm. The resulting car was shorter, lighter and considerably more agile, while retaining the imposing proportions and enormous performance for which the supercharged Mercedes-Benz sports cars had become famous.
Power comes from Mercedes-Benz’s 7,065cc M06 straight-six, fitted with a single overhead camshaft and mechanically engaged Roots-type supercharger. Pressing the accelerator beyond its normal travel brings the compressor into operation, increasing output to approximately 250bhp in racing form.
Drive is sent through a four-speed manual gearbox to the rear wheels, while large drum brakes provide the stopping power required of a car designed for competition.
But it is the SSK’s competition history that makes chassis 36246 particularly remarkable.
Built in 1928, the car was delivered to Argentina, where it was raced by Julio Berndt and his brother-in-law Carlos Zatuszek, one of the most successful privateer drivers associated with the model. The pair entered the SSK in the 1929 500 Miles of Argentina, while Zatuszek went on to race the car in the Córdoba Grand Prix later that year and, in 1931, in Argentina’s Herbstpreis, or Autumn Prize.
The Mercedes continued to compete after leaving Zatuszek’s hands in 1935, remaining active in South American racing until 1958.
It was brought to North America in 1967 by California dealer and collector Paul Moser, who used it around Santa Barbara and entered it in historic competition at Laguna Seca. It subsequently passed through a succession of significant collections, including those of Ed Jurist, George Waterman, Bayard Ewing, H Ayashi, Brian Brunkhorst and Gottinger.
Chassis 36246 was eventually acquired by Rolf Meyer’s Mercedes-Benz collection, with Reifen-Wagner undertaking a restoration between 1995 and 1996 that returned the car to its early racing configuration.
The car was subsequently sold at auction as part of the Rolf Meyer Collection in Paris. Despite its international competition history and appearances at major events including Pebble Beach, the SSK had never previously taken part in an event in the UK.
Its arrival at Hampton Court Palace for the 2026 Concours of Elegance therefore marked an important new chapter in its story – and one that ended with the ultimate prize.
The SSK was chosen from an exceptional field of historic and modern classics assembled at Hampton Court Palace, with cars spanning more than a century of automotive history.
Among the other major winners was the 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B, which took the 1930s category. The only Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B known to have received cabriolet coachwork by Stabilimenti Farina, chassis 412028 was the fastest and most expensive Italian road car of its day.
The 1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato was another of the weekend’s standout cars, taking both the 1960s category and the award for Finest Aston Martin. Its combination of competition pedigree, rarity and Italian coachwork made it one of the most significant cars on display.
Known by its registration 1 VEV, this special 1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato was one of just two ordered by John Ogier’s Essex Racing Stable in 1961, and one of four prepared in lightweight competition form. Finished in Aqua Verde Caliente with a black interior, it combines Aston’s shortened DB4 GT chassis with an aluminium body shaped by Ercole Spada at Zagato.
The award for the 1970s went to the striking 1971 Monteverdi 375 L High Speed, providing a reminder of the extraordinary breadth of cars represented at this year’s Concours.
Presented in its original colour, with a well-documented history from new this Monteverdi 375L features matching numbers and is one of just nine right-hand-drive examples, and the only one believed to be roadworthy.
Meanwhile, the 2012 Aston Martin One-77 was named the winner of the Future Classics category, beating a 2010 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 and 2025 GMA T.50. Conceived during Ulrich Bez’s tenure as Chief Executive at Aston Martin as the ultimate expression of design, engineering and hand-built craftsmanship, the One-77 places hand-formed aluminium panels over a carbon-fibre monocoque.
The event’s special awards also recognised some of the most important individual cars gathered at Hampton Court Palace. The Chairman’s Award went to the 1930 Bentley Speed Six All-Weather Tourer by Gill. Completed in July 1930, this particular example retains all of its original numbered mechanical components, together with the Gill all-weather touring body fitted when new.
Other notable winners included the 1952 Jaguar C-Type, recipient of the Gooding Christie’s Award, while the Art of Bespoke Award went to the 1966 Aston Martin DBSC Prototype.
The weekend also saw the Concours continue its celebration of the next generation of enthusiasts. The Thirty Under 30 award was won by a 1972 Lamborghini Espada, with an 1985 Alpina C1, 1991 Mercedes-Benz 500 SEC and 1981 BMW 316 highly commended.
Ultimately, however, the weekend belonged to the Mercedes-Benz SSK. Few cars combine such a potent specification with such an extraordinary competition history. From its construction in 1928 and racing career in Argentina to its decades of competition in South America and North America, chassis 36246 has lived the life for which the SSK was created.
Beyond the awards and the extraordinary collection of cars, Concours of Elegance 2026 once again offered visitors a spectacular weekend of motoring and entertainment in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace.
Alongside the main Concours field, guests enjoyed specialist displays, car clubs, the Thirty Under 30, the Junior Concours and a host of other features celebrating every aspect of automotive culture. The weekend culminated in the Grand Depart, as the Concours cars fired up and left the Palace grounds, providing a fitting final spectacle for visitors.
Neil Gaisford, Managing Director of Concours of Elegance, said: “The Concours of Elegance is about so much more than awards. Of course, we are incredibly proud to celebrate these extraordinary cars and recognise their owners, but at its heart this is a weekend for people to come together and enjoy everything that makes the world of motoring so special.
“From the incredible cars in the Fountain Garden and the wider collection of clubs and displays, to the atmosphere, the Palace setting and the Grand Depart, we hope our guests have enjoyed a truly memorable weekend. To see the 1928 Mercedes-Benz SSK take Best in Show is a wonderful way to round off what has been another very special Concours of Elegance.”
The Concours of Elegance will return in 2027, once again bringing together an exceptional collection of rare and significant motor cars for a weekend celebration of automotive history and design.
Gooding Christie’s Award Winner: 1952 Jaguar C-Type
Art of Bespoke Award: 1966 Aston Martin DBSC Prototype
Royal Bahrain Concours Award: 1933 Aston Martin Le Mans
Presentation of the Bahrain Tourism & Exhibitions Authority Award: 1939 Voisin C30 Saloon
The Chairman’s Award: 1930 Bentley Speed Six All-Weather Tourer by Gill
Jaguar Award: Jaguar E-Type S1 3.8
Club Trophy: 1969 Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV Coupé
Highly Commended: 1936 Rolls-Royce 25/30 Touring Limousine
Highly Commended: 1970 Ferrari Dino Coupé
Best Car Club Award by Classic & Sports Car: 1983 Aston Martin Lagonda
Specialist Dealer Trophy: 1953 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso
Highly Commended: 1961 Bentley S2 Continental Coupé by H.J. Mulliner
Highly Commended: Vincent Special “Brujo”
Thirty Under 30: 1972 Lamborghini Espada
Highly Commended: 1985 Alpina C1 2.3
Highly Commended: 1991 Mercedes-Benz 500 SEC
Highly Commended: 1981 BMW 316
Bentley Trophy: 1929 Bentley 4½ Litre Saloon
Highly Commended: 1951 Bentley Mark VI 4¼-Litre
Highly Commended: 2008 Bentley Brooklands
Best Club Car Award by Classic and Sports Car: 1924 Vauxhall 30-98 Bodied by Wensum
Prince Michael of Kent Award: 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental by Hooper
Decade Award: Pre-1920s
Winner: 1914 Humber TT
Decade Award: 1920s
Winner: 1927 Bentley 3-Litre Le Mans Team Car
2nd: 1923 Rolls-Royce 20hp Barrel Sided Open Tourer
3rd: 1925 Amilcar CGS by Charles Duval
Decade Award: 1930s
Winner: 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B
2nd: 1936 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante
3rd: 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C-1750 GS Zagato
Decade Award: 1940s
Winner: 1947 Delahaye 135 MS
2nd: 1949 Jaguar XK120 Roadster Aluminium
3rd: 1949 Simca 8 Sport
Decade Award: 1950s
Winner: 1953 Siata 208 CS
2nd: 1958 BMW 507 Series II
3rd: 1955 Aston Martin DB3 S
Decade Award: 1960s
Winner: 1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato
2nd: 1967 AC 428 Frua
3rd: 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4
Decade Award: 1970s
Winner: 1971 Monteverdi 375 L High Speed
2nd: 1976 Lamborghini Countach LP 400
3rd: 1970 Lamborghini Miura P400 S
Decade Award: 1980s
Winner: 1980 Lamborghini Countach LP 400 S
2nd: 1984 Lamborghini Jalpa
Decade Award: Future Classics
Winner: 2012 Aston Martin One-77
2nd: 2010 Bugatti Veyron 16.4
3rd: 2025 GMA T.50
Finest Aston Martin
Winner: 1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato
2nd: 1955 Aston Martin DB3 S
3rd: 1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT
Finest Bentley
Winner: 1927 Bentley 3-Litre Le Mans Team Car
2nd: 1961 Bentley S2 Continental 2-Door by Mulliner
3rd: 1935 Bentley 3.5-Litre by Vesters and Neirinck
Finest Italian Berlinetta
Winner: 1953 Siata 208 CS
2nd: 1964 ATS 2500 GTS
3rd: 1970 Lamborghini Miura P400 S
Finest Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera
Winner: 1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT
2nd: 1966 Aston Martin DBSC Prototype
3rd: 1968 Lamborghini 400 GT