The concours d’Elegance of today differs quite a bit from the original contests
From Wikipedia: A Concours d’Elégance (from French meaning a ‘competition of elegance’, referring to the gathering of prestigious cars) dates back to 17th-century French aristocracy, who paraded horse-drawn carriages in the parks of Paris during Summer weekends and holidays.[1] Over time, carriages became horseless and the gatherings became a competition among automobile owners to be judged on the appearance of their automobiles.
The original Concours d’Elegances for automobiles, which was started in the early years of the 20th century, were beauty contests where new vehicles entered the competition for elegance. As all cars were brand new, they were all original and of course completely authentic. The philosophy of the ICJAG® is, in order to honor the Original Concours d’Elegance, that the cars which enter the competition for the big awards such as Best of Show are as authentic as possible. This is also a very important point for future generations as owners are encouraged to restore and keep their cars in an authentic state and should be kept this way. The International Chief Judge Advisory Group® has established a fair, consistent and reproducible class judging system which honors the original Concours d’Elegance. Only the most original or authentic vehicles – the winners of their respective classes – enter the competition for the best of show. This system is used in most of the major shows throughout the world.
ICJAG® 11/2016 ck