A Royal Showcase

The Royal Bahrain Concours returns for its second edition with an expanded competition programme celebrating the diversity of automotive culture across the GCC and beyond. An international judging panel and the launch of RBC TV are among the highlights of this year’s event.

From the craftsmanship of pre-war automobiles to the engineering behind today’s hypercars, the Royal Bahrain Concours will bring different eras of motoring together at the Royal Golf Club in Riffa on November 6 and 7, 2026. Visitors will have the opportunity to discover vehicles that have shaped automotive history alongside contemporary creations that reflect the latest developments in automotive design.

Held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain, the event builds on its inaugural success with three dedicated Car Club classes celebrating the region’s automotive community.

Eight Ways to Excel
At the heart of the Royal Bahrain Concours are eight main competition categories, spanning the earliest decades of motoring to contemporary automotive design.

The Pre-1940s category will celebrate the craftsmanship and engineering of the automobile’s formative years, while Modern Coachbuilt will highlight contemporary bespoke creations and low-volume production. Three heritage categories, American Heritage, British Heritage and European Heritage, will showcase significant vehicles representing distinct automotive traditions.

Supercars will recognise the machines that helped define high-performance motoring across generations, while Hypercars will focus on some of the most technologically ambitious road cars of the modern era.

Completing the main field is Big 6, a specially curated showcase bringing together six headline cars.

The Next Generation
Beyond the principal competition, three dedicated Car Club classes will recognise the GCC’s thriving community of automotive enthusiasts.

Thirty Under 30, presented by BBK, will celebrate younger owners and collectors who are helping preserve motoring heritage for future generations. As the event’s Exclusive Banking Partner, BBK will support the category through its wider long-term partnership with the Royal Bahrain Concours.

Restomod & Modified will turn the spotlight on vehicles that reinterpret automotive heritage through contemporary engineering and design. The category reflects growing international interest in classic cars that have been updated or individually modified.

Meanwhile, The 4x4 Trailblazers will recognise vehicles associated with exploration and off-road capability, celebrating the machines that have helped shape all-terrain motoring.

Around 200 Car Club members’ cars are expected to complement the main Concours field, offering visitors a broader look at automotive culture across Bahrain and the wider Gulf.

James Brooks-Ward, Chairman of the Royal Bahrain Concours, acknowledges the extraordinary diversity of cars and automotive culture across Bahrain and the wider GCC, explaining that the expanded competition programme was designed to reflect this.

Expert Eyes
An international judging panel will bring together specialists whose experience spans automotive publishing and the collector-car world.

Among the confirmed judges is James Elliott, Editor in Chief of Octane, a publication dedicated to classic and performance cars. He will be joined by Alastair Clements, Editor in Chief of Classic & Sports Car, who returns following the inaugural Bahrain event.

Filmmaker Manish Pandey, writer of the award-winning documentary Senna and co-director of Luca: Seeing Red, will contribute his experience in automotive storytelling. The latter documentary explores the life of former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo.

Also joining the panel is Arjun Oberoi, Chairman of the Selection Committee for The Oberoi Concours d’Elegance, alongside automotive curators and historic motoring experts Flavien and Vanessa Marçais.

The panel brings together perspectives from those who document automotive history and those involved in selecting significant collector cars for international concours events. Further judges will be announced ahead of the event.

Beyond the Lawns
One of the most significant additions for 2026 is RBC TV, a new broadcasting platform designed to bring the event’s cars and their stories to audiences beyond the Royal Golf Club.

Combining live and on-demand programming, the platform will feature interviews with collectors, expert discussions and coverage of the judging and awards, alongside reporting from throughout the event.

A dedicated studio, described by organisers as the first of its kind at a concours event worldwide, will anchor the coverage. Pre-recorded features will explore the histories and craftsmanship behind participating vehicles, while an on-demand library will allow audiences to revisit selected stories after the event.

Presenting RBC TV will be JP Rathgen, CEO of collector-car platform Classic Driver and host of BMW Group Classic’s Classic Heart podcast; Amanda Stretton, a racing driver and broadcaster whose career includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans; and Sara Essa, a sports presenter and motorsport commentator.

Mr. Brooks-Ward explains the thinking behind the new platform, noting that RBC TV will provide “a new way to bring the stories behind those cars to a wider audience, exploring their provenance, craftsmanship, history and the people behind them in far greater depth.”

Organised by Thorough Events in collaboration with the Bahrain Tourism & Exhibitions Authority, the Royal Bahrain Concours will bring together collectors and enthusiasts from across the region and beyond. With its expanded competition field and new broadcasting platform, the event offers visitors the chance to encounter automotive history first-hand and discover the stories behind the vehicles on display.

Digital Edition

Bahrain This Month

November 2026

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