Veronica Duder’s 1930 Essex Super Six emerged the overall winner as the 2026 Africa Concours d’Elegance was concluded at Ngong Racecourse on Sunday. Duder tied on 278 points with Mike Duder’s 1930 Ford Tudor, but claimed the top position because her car is the older marque of the two on the log book. The matching 1930 American classics dominated the judging in underside, finish and originality. Kevit Desai’s 1968 Jaguar 420 was third on 270 points, followed by Umang Patel’s 1966 Mercedes-Benz 230 SL on 267 and Baldev Chager’s 1986 Nissan Silvia 200SX on 265. In the motorcycle category, Rick Agagliate’s 1941 Indian Scout 741 won with 176 points, one point ahead of Dominique Antoine’s 1925 Triumph 550SD on 175. The result underlined the quality of the Indian’s restoration and roadworthiness, while the event featured machines spanning more than a century, from the 1925 Triumph to 1980s classics. The 54th edition returned to Ngong Racecourse with a mix of rare utility vehicles, touring cars and classic motorcycles competing for top honours. In Class 1 for utility vehicles made after 1980, Cloth My Ride (EAT) won with a 1999 Land Rover Defender on 189 points. James Nguo’s 1996 Mercedes-Benz 290GD was second on 181, followed by Kelvin Leiyan’s 1992 Toyota Land Cruiser on 163 and Joshua Bily’s 1991 Peugeot 504 Pick-Up on 144. Class 2, for utilities made between 1971 and 1980, was won by Chirag Soni’s 1972 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ55 with 200 points, two ahead of Don Owino’s 1979 Range Rover Classic on 198. Martin Sharrif Butt’s 1957 Chevrolet 3100 topped Class 3 for utilities made up to 1970, ahead of Reid Arensen’s 1959 Land Rover Series II. Benson Muli’s 1970 Volkswagen Kombi Westfalia was third, followed by Bernd Trompell’s 1968 Land Rover Series IIA. The class also featured Kofi Okudzeto’s 1965 Land Rover Series IIA and 1966 Willys Jeep, as well as Tumaini Muthiga’s 1969 Peugeot 404 Pick-Up. Volkswagen Beetles dominated the touring car categories. Elizabeth and Dereck Dames won Class 5 for 1,001cc to 1,500cc touring cars with their 1968 Volkswagen Beetle on 228 points. Jane Chemngorem’s 1960 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia was second on 222, followed by Capt Mugo Keiyoro’s 1972 Volkswagen Beetle on 221 and Imran Khan’s 1956 Volkswagen Beetle Deluxe on 210. Paul Chemngorem won Class 6 for 1,501cc to 1,700cc touring cars with his 1975 Toyota Celica on 222 points, narrowly beating Avraj Singh’s 1980 Alfa Romeo Sud Sprint on 220. Kelvin Leiyan’s 1979 Mitsubishi Galant was third on 195. The Concours once again highlighted Kenya’s motoring heritage, with entries judged on originality, restoration and roadworthiness. Among the motorcycle category’s attractions was the Pearl Bikes Africa team, which travelled from Uganda to compete. Robert Gow, chief judge of the motorcycle category, said: “This year we’ve 35 entries, a couple of no shows but this is just what happens. We’ve got a good entry of different variety of motorcycles. We have a 101 year old Triumph 550SD bike belonging to Dominique Antoine.” Safari Rally winner Baldev Chager also drew attention with his meticulously restored 1986 Nissan Silvia 200SX, an ex-works Nissan factory car once driven by rally legend Jayant Shah. Chager, who has owned the car for 18 years, said the restoration had taken 11 years. “This is actually a beautiful restoration project. I have had this car for 18 years and began the restoration 11 years ago. It’s an ex-works Nissan factory car driven by Jayant Shah in a number of Safari Rallies, a number of national events in Kenya and Tanzania,” Chager said. He said the restoration was focused on preserving the car’s historic identity. “But when we started to restore it, we wanted to give it a perfect nostalgic look and I think we’ve managed to do that with the 1990 colour that Jayant ran in.” The entry carried added significance because Ngong Racecourse hosted the WRC Safari Rally spectator stage in 1990, the same year the Silvia competed there. SportPesa also showcased a replica of the Racing Point Formula One car it sponsored in 2019. The Racing Point car made its racing debut at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix before the team rebranded as Aston Martin for the 2021 Formula One season.
Top five cars overall 1. Veronica Duder — Essex Super Six, 1930 — 278 points 2. Mike Duder — Ford Tudor, 1930 — 278 points 3. Kevit Desai — Jaguar 420, 1968 — 270 points 4. Umang Patel — Mercedes-Benz 230 SL, 1966 — 267 points 5. Baldev Chager — Nissan Silvia 200SX, 1986 — 265 points
Top five motorcycles overall 1. Rick Agagliate — Indian Scout 741, 1941 — 176 points 2. Dominique Antoine — Triumph 550SD, 1925 — 175 points 3. Andre Antoine — BSA, 1959 — 164 points 4. Rick Agagliate — Yamaha Trial, 1976 — 162 points 5=Douglas Kiereini — Honda CB750F, 1980 — 153 points 5=Prateek Singh Gulati – Yamaha Roadstar, 2001 – 153 points.
