A New Perspective: Audrain Newport Concours 2026 at Fort Adams

Every year, there are a handful of automotive events I look forward to, and Audrain’s Newport Concours & Motor Week has become one of them. Having photographed the event for several years, I have come to appreciate how much goes into putting together a weekend that brings together some extraordinary automobiles, their owners, and the people who are passionate about them.

This year was different. With The Breakers undergoing renovations, the Concours moved to Fort Adams State Park. I was curious about how the new setting would work, especially from a photographic standpoint. By the end of the weekend, I had come away with two of my favorite photographs of the year and a new appreciation for what Fort Adams could offer the event.

The weekend began with the Supercar Road Tour, and one of my favorite images came from an unlikely combination of a stiff-suspension Volkswagen Golf, a moving car, and a shutter speed of just 1/5 of a second.

I was riding with my friend Sam as we made our way along Ocean Drive. We were allowing cars from the lead group to pass us, and behind us was a Lamborghini GTR driven by Ben Chester, head of operations for the Concours. As the Lamborghini came through a corner, I decided to try for a rolling shot. Handholding a 70-200mm lens at that shutter speed in a bouncing car was not exactly an ideal setup, but sometimes you have to take the chance.

I probably took around 50 frames. Most weren't sharp enough, but one came together beautifully. The Lamborghini appeared to be flying through the corner, while the motion in the road and a police car in the background gave the photograph an almost video-game quality. It looked like something you might see on the cover of Need for Speed.

That image became one of my favorite photographs of the year.

That evening, the cars arrived at Faxon Lodge and were positioned on the lawn for the opening gathering. It was a chance for entrants in both the Supercar Concours and the Concours d'Elegance to come together as the weekend got underway. The weather had its moments, but the sky eventually opened up with beautiful evening color.

One photograph that stood out was of my friend Aimee with her recently purchased BMW i8. Against the orange evening sky, the car looked fantastic, and the photograph meant a great deal to her. Sometimes the value of an image has very little to do with the car's price or rarity. It comes down to what that particular car represents to the person standing beside it.

Friday brought The Gathering at Rough Point, which gave me an opportunity to slow down and photograph what interested me without worrying about a shot list or making sure sponsors appeared in every frame. I wanted to enjoy the setting and make images that appealed to me personally.

One of the highlights was Hot Rod Hill in the backyard, where Brian Lenox gathered several of his hot rod buddies to display their cars. I have become close with Brian over the past few years, and he's someone whose company I genuinely enjoy. He also organizes the Mohawk Run, a driving event through the Berkshires of Massachusetts that is well worth a mention. Brian has built something special with that drive, and I always appreciate seeing what he and his friends bring to the automotive community.

Saturday morning brought the Concours d'Elegance Road Tour. I was fortunate to ride in a beautiful V12 Packard belonging to my friends Parker and Sheri Roaf of Parker's Packards. Parker embraced his role as camera car driver, and we worked through the route looking for opportunities to photograph the cars from different angles.

A rolling shot is never simply a matter of pointing a camera out the window. You have to account for the speed of both vehicles, the road surface, the light, the distance between cars, and the moment when everything lines up. As we made our way through the route, spectators were waving from the roadside, with children particularly excited to see the cars pass.

I also managed to get a rolling photograph of Fritz Burkard in his Delahaye, the car that would go on to win Best of Show on Sunday. Looking back, it was especially satisfying to have captured the car in motion before knowing how the weekend would end for it.

The road tour continued while I headed to Fort Adams for the Supercar Concours. This was where the setting really came into its own.

The supercars and hypercars were spectacular, and they had plenty of appeal for the younger generation growing up around modern performance cars. Koenigseggs brought their unmistakable presence, Cultivated Collector brought a Maserati MC12, and Bocca Motors displayed a Lamborghini GT3 Super Trofeo race car in a fantastic position at the end of the pier.

Then there was Rob Kaufman’s McLaren F1 XP4, one of my poster cars growing up. I had seen it once before in Rob’s collection, but getting the chance to photograph it at the end of the pier, with the Newport Pell Bridge in the background, was something special.

With very little room to work and the water just feet away, I kept the Best of Show trophies inside the car for the detail shots rather than risk damaging them. Drawing on what I learned from Bill Warner at Amelia Island, I organized the photographers so everyone had time to get the images they needed. Several thanked me afterward, which meant a lot.

As the photographers began to clear out, I noticed the Schooner Adirondack IV sailing toward the bridge. I waited for it to line up, and it passed perfectly between the bridge’s uprights behind the McLaren. The timing was incredible, and the resulting image became one of my favorite photographs of the year.

For me, that was one of the defining moments of the weekend. The McLaren was already an extraordinary subject, but the schooner, the bridge, the harbor, and the timing gave the image a sense of place that made it much more than a photograph of a rare car.

Sunday was the Concours d'Elegance, and it gave me a better opportunity to evaluate Fort Adams as a home for the event.

The Breakers is a beautiful historic property, and I have made wonderful photographs there over the years. Fort Adams, however, offers a very different environment. With water on three sides, boats passing through the harbor, and the old stone fort itself, the scenery is constantly changing. The morning light also offered some excellent opportunities to photograph the cars and their owners.

The Best of Show photography on Sunday required a little improvisation. A cruise ship was docked in front of the fort, blocking the view of the bridge from the pier. The location that had worked so well for the McLaren the previous day was no longer an option for the winning car.

We also had an unexpected mechanical problem. After driving up to the stage, Fritz Burkard's Delahaye would not start again. We needed to find another location inside the fort, and the clock was ticking as the possibility of rain approached.

I chose the white arched windows, with the major sponsor A. Lange & Söhne visible in the background. There weren't many suitable locations inside the fort, so a few of us worked together to get the Delahaye into position. We rolled the car into place and made sure the other photographers had enough room to create their images before the weather turned.

It was a good example of why planning matters, but also why you have to be ready to adapt. The ideal location is not always available, and sometimes the car itself has other ideas. You have to recognize what is possible, make a decision, and work with what you have.

Fritz's Delahaye was a fitting Best of Show winner. Its elegant design and exquisite coachwork looked right at home against the historic architecture of Fort Adams.

Another highlight was the youth judging program. Watching the children visit cars, talk with their owners, try the horns and lights, and experience the automobiles up close was a reminder that the future of the hobby depends on giving the next generation a reason to care. The winner, Bruce Males' S1 Bentley, was chosen by the kids themselves. Their enthusiasm and independent opinions make youth judging one of the most enjoyable parts of the Concours.

I also had a memorable moment with the Pixar team. My friend Jay Ward, creator of Pixar's Cars, had let me know members of the team would be attending. As a longtime fan of the films and a collector of die-cast cars, I brought a couple of models with me. Bob Pauley, the designer of the Pizza Planet Truck, signed my Hot Wheels Pizza Planet Truck, while Jay signed a little Autozam model. Since I own a real Autozam AZ-1, that signature was particularly meaningful.

After several years of photographing Audrain at The Breakers, I left the 2026 event convinced that Fort Adams deserves serious consideration as a long-term home for the Concours.

The location offers a different kind of photographic opportunity. The water and harbor traffic provide constantly changing backgrounds, the fort adds a historic architectural element, and the open areas allow for a wider range of compositions. With thoughtful planning, I believe there are even more possibilities for Best of Show photographs and other signature images in the years ahead.

There is also something appealing about the end of the day at Fort Adams. You don't necessarily have to rush for the exit. You can walk up into the park, have a picnic, watch the boats move through the harbor, and wait for the traffic to subside or the sun to set.

For me, that captures what makes Fort Adams so promising. It isn't just a different place to park a collection of extraordinary automobiles. It offers a setting with its own character, atmosphere, and photographic possibilities, and I left Newport excited to see what Audrain might create there in the future.

If you attended Audrain Newport Concours & Motor Week 2026, you can find photographs from throughout the weekend at the link below. The galleries include the incredible automobiles, Best of Show winners, road tours, and plenty of candid moments featuring owners, families, children, and spectators enjoying the event. Whether you're looking for a photo of your car, a moment with your family, or a favorite memory from the weekend, you can purchase prints and photographs through the gallery.

View the photographs and shop the gallery here: