Judges and the Concours d'Elegance

A Concours d'Elegance without judges is not a competition. Since 1999 we have invited specialists with specific expertise in the concours classes of that particular year. They come not only from the Netherlands, but also from the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Belgium and the United States.

In 2026 we are running three concours events: the International Concours, the Youngtimer Concours and the Club Collection. Each class and each concours has its own points of attention, which means we invite the right judges for every section.

Since 2017 Wheels has also had a Junior Jury. The Netherlands has many young, enthusiastic professionals working in sales and restoration; through the Junior Jury we stay in touch with them and train them to become fully fledged judges.

Nostalgia on Route 66

Long-distance travel in the United States of America changed drastically decades ago. Aircraft took over most medium- and long-distance transport, at the expense of the once flourishing railways. Yet the car has kept its hold on the east-west routes in particular – these days mainly for nostalgic reasons. Take Highway 1 along the Pacific Ocean: from San Francisco via Monterey (and Pebble Beach!) and Carmel, along the rugged coastline of Big Sur to Los Angeles.

The real adventure, however, unfolded from the 1930s onwards on Route 66. That nearly 4,000-kilometre stretch from Chicago to California – extended to Santa Monica in 1936 – still captures the imagination. When it opened in 1926 it was not a tourist route but the road west: an escape for families fleeing the dust storms on the Great Plains and looking for a better life during the economic crisis of the 1930s. The endless solitude along the way was broken only by waypoints: filling stations, simple motels and small village communities.

Film directors drew inspiration from that adventure, and musicians wrote memorable songs about it, such as Get Your Kicks on Route 66 – written by Bobby Troup in 1946 and covered countless times since. For almost sixty years Route 66 remained the lifeline of American motoring, until it lost its official status to the wide Interstate Highways in 1985. But nostalgic motor touring – days on end in a big American V8 across the endless plains, past places that have long since fallen quiet – remains an adventurous challenge for many.

This year Wheels Mariënwaerdt brings that atmosphere to Beesd with a unique combination of live music, American cars and a genuine American Diner.

Volkswagen celebrates 50 years of the GTI at Wheels Mariënwaerdt

Volkswagen will be present at Wheels Mariënwaerdt with no fewer than thirteen GTI models from the Pon Classics collection. Every generation of the Golf GTI is represented, from the very first one from 1976 through to the most recent versions. Other iconic GTIs are part of the display as well, including the Lupo GTI, the up! GTI and various generations of the Polo GTI.

Alongside this look at the past, Volkswagen is also looking firmly ahead to the future of the GTI with the brand-new ID. Polo GTI. With this fully electric hot hatch, the brand brings the GTI DNA into a new era. The ID. Polo GTI combines the characteristic GTI qualities – immediate response, sporting performance and a dynamic character – with an electric drivetrain producing 166 kW (226 hp) and a 0-100 km/h sprint in 6.8 seconds.