Concours condition, explained

“Concours condition” is the top grade in the standard classic-car condition scale. The term derives from “concours d’elegance,” the French phrase used for the formal beauty contests at which classic cars are judged on presentation, authenticity, and restoration quality. A car described as “concours condition” is, in principle, one that could credibly be entered into such a contest.

In practice, the term is used more loosely in advertisements and casual conversation than in the actual concours world, where judging is rigorous and the difference between “concours condition” and “show condition” matters. For valuation purposes, the term sits at the top of every commonly-used condition grading system.

The standard four-grade scale

Most classic-car valuation systems converge on a similar four-tier scale, with minor variations in the labels:

Concours / Grade 1 / Excellent+ / Show condition. A restored or exceptionally well-preserved example, period-correct in every visible detail, where the goal of the preparation was either show competition or absolute authenticity. The car looks as it did when new, or better. Often won’t have been driven significantly since restoration. Examples are rare and command premium prices.

Excellent / Grade 2 / Show-condition driver. A car restored or maintained to a very high standard, presentable at any event, with no visible defects from a few feet away. Closer inspection might reveal small departures from concours: a small chip in the paint, a slightly imperfect interior trim panel, a non-period hose clip. Driven and used as a car, not just a static showpiece.

Good / Grade 3 / Driver-quality. A presentable, usable car that an owner can be proud of without it being absolutely perfect. Visible signs of use, perhaps some patina, original paint that’s not flawless, an interior that’s been lived in. This is where most well-loved classics sit; arguably the most practically enjoyable grade to own.

Fair / Grade 4 / Project / Restoration candidate. A complete car that needs significant work. Running but tired, or not running but recoverable. Most surviving 1970s saloons that have spent decades outside started in this category. Values here track the cost-to-restore curve as much as the underlying market.

The labels and exact boundaries vary by system. One common UK price-guide system uses Concours / Excellent / Good / Fair. The NADA-derived US system uses #1 through #4. Marque clubs sometimes use their own internal scales. The underlying logic is the same: four broad tiers, with concours at the top.

What separates concours from the next grade down

The line between concours and “merely excellent” comes down to finish-level details, not big things. The big things (rust, poor paint, wrong colour, wrong interior trim) move a car several grades, not one. The single-grade difference between excellent and concours is in:

• Period-correct fasteners and consumables. Concours preparation uses correct-pattern bolts, hose clips, paint finishes on castings, and similar small-component authenticity that most owners would never notice but that judges do.
• Engine-bay detailing. A concours engine bay looks the way the manufacturer presented it on the showroom floor: no modern components visible, correct cadmium-plate finishes, correct hose colours, original style labels.
• Underbody preparation. Concours judges inspect underneath. Modern undersealing, replacement modern brake lines that aren’t period-correct, evidence of welding repair: all visible there and all marked against.
• Originality of brightwork. Re-chromed bumpers that don’t match the original finish exactly, replated badges that are too bright, plastic fittings replaced with non-period reproductions: all separate concours from excellent.
• Provenance documentation. A car with full history (build-record copy, original delivery paperwork, continuous service records) presents better at concours than one without.

These distinctions cost time and money to achieve and are usually the difference between a £45,000 excellent example and a £75,000 concours example of the same model.

Concours-condition values vs everyday market

Specialist price guides report values across the condition spectrum. The headline figure (“Mk2 Jaguar in concours condition: £80,000”) is the top-of-band figure that the rarest, best-presented examples achieve. The everyday market trades much more activity in the Good and Excellent grades, typically at 50-70% of the concours figure.

A few patterns worth knowing:

• Concours-grade examples are illiquid. Few buyers; rare transactions; sale times measured in months rather than weeks.
• Over-restoration can hurt value. A car restored beyond factory standard (better paint than it ever had when new, upgraded interior materials, more chrome) can sell for less than a faithfully-restored equivalent. The market increasingly rewards authenticity over perfection.
• Originality is sometimes valued above restoration. A well-preserved unrestored car with original paint, original interior, and original mechanicals can sell at concours-level prices even though it wouldn’t win a concours class. The market for “preserved originals” has grown substantially over the past fifteen years.
• A restomod sits outside the scale. A car modernised underneath on purpose, rather than returned to factory specification, is judged on how it drives rather than on originality, so it falls outside concours grading altogether.
• Driving concours cars depreciates them. A concours-grade car driven extensively drops down to excellent fairly quickly. Many concours-grade cars are kept as garage-queen examples precisely to maintain the grade for resale.

Concours events in the UK

The major UK concours d’elegance events where the top-grade cars actually compete:

• Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace (September, annual): the highest-profile UK event, invitation-only entry, very high standard of presentation.
• Salon Privé Concours at Blenheim Palace (August/September): similar tier, similar standard.
• Goodwood Revival (September): not a pure concours event but features concours-tier cars on the entry list throughout.
• Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance (US, but worth mentioning because UK cars feature prominently): the global benchmark.

The marque-specific concours classes at major UK shows (NEC Classic Motor Show, individual marque concours weekends) are where most British classic-car owners encounter actual judged concours for the first time.

Related

• Agreed value insurance policies reflect condition grade in the agreed figure.
• Which cars count as British classics provides the broader site-scope context.