A 1931 W.O. Bentley saloon by Vanden Plas, one of only five known survivors of its kind, will serve as the featured marque when the St. Michaels Concours d'Elegance on Chesapeake Bay returns to the Kent Island Yacht Club this September. The three-day event kicks off on September 25, 2026, drawing collectors and vintage-car enthusiasts to the waterfront grounds in Chester, Maryland.
The Bentley on display was built as one of just 25 cars in its Vanden Plas configuration and carries an 8-liter six-cylinder engine, according to DailyVoice.com. That scarcity traces back to the broader 8 Litre model line, of which W.O. Bentley produced only 100 units total between 1930 and 1932, before financial collapse forced a sale to Rolls-Royce — a run that made the 8-Litre the fastest production Bentley until 1953, with top speeds exceeding 100 mph, per Wikipedia's Bentley 8 Litre entry. The particular car headed to Kent Island, chassis YX 5113, was originally built for J.A. Player of the Player's cigarette family and still retains its original custom cigarette lighter mounted in the center of the windscreen, according to Conceptcarz.
A Waterfront Show With Deep Roots
The concours begins with entrant activities on Friday and Saturday before opening to the public on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the Kent Island Yacht Club. The event marks the fourth year the show has been hosted on the yacht club's waterfront lawn, and transient boat slips there let attendees arrive by water via the Kent Narrows, according to I Love Kent Narrows. Beyond the cars themselves, the show offers locally inspired food, craft beverages, live music, and vendors, along with displays of classic wooden speedboats and vintage motor yachts that lean into the Eastern Shore's maritime character.
Luke L. Phipps said the concours offers collectors and enthusiasts an opportunity to experience fine automobiles in a waterfront setting, and that the event celebrates the artistry, innovation, and history that make the automobile an enduring part of culture, per the same DailyVoice.com report. The show has grown considerably since it was founded in 2007 by former automotive executive George Walish on the lawn of the Inn at Perry Cabin, and it is now regarded as one of the Mid-Atlantic region's premier historic motoring exhibitions, according to Chesapeake Bay Magazine.
Centennials for Rolls-Royce and Pontiac Take the Spotlight
Alongside the Bentley, the concours is honoring the American-built Springfield Rolls-Royce Phantom of 1926, which was built in Springfield, Massachusetts. That factory operated from 1920 to 1931, producing U.S.-adapted Silver Ghost and Phantom models — the only manufacturing plant Rolls-Royce ever operated outside the United Kingdom, according to Coachbuilt.com. A 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Drophead Coupe by H.J. Mulliner is expected on the show field as well; the car was first shown at the St. Michaels Concours back in 2008 by the current owner's grandfather.
The 2026 show also features a special exhibition of classic Pontiac vehicles marking that brand's centennial, celebrating General Motors' official launch of Pontiac at the New York Auto Show in January 1926, according to Old Cars Weekly. Tying the event to the country's semiquincentennial, the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2026, and the concours features a special invitational class for American pickup trucks in recognition of the milestone. A 1928 Ford Model A pickup and a 1955 Chevrolet pickup are both expected in that invitational class.
Tickets and Access for the Public Show
Presale general admission for the Sunday public show is set at $55, while VIP packages ranging from $200 to $250 offer early field entry at 9:00 a.m., gourmet dining, and private lounge access inside the yacht club, according to the St. Michaels Concours d'Elegance. Advance discounted tickets and further details are available through the event's website. The 2026 Concours is presented by Bentley Washington, with co-sponsorship from a roster of regional ultra-luxury dealerships including Aston Martin Washington, Bugatti Washington, Lamborghini Washington, McLaren Washington, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Washington.
Last year's show set a high bar for what turns up on the Kent Island lawn: the top Best in Show award at the 18th annual event in September 2025 went to a 1930 Cadillac Model 4203 V-16 Roadster, and the 2025 edition also featured an ultra-rare 1906 Locomobile Vanderbilt Cup race car, one of only two ever built for Locomobile's early factory racing program, according to the Car Collectors Club. With that pedigree, and a Bentley once built for a cigarette-family heir now heading the bill, the 2026 edition looks poised to keep the show's reputation for museum-grade pre-war automobiles intact.
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