The metallic green 1947 MG/TC, of Sati Gata-Aura was crowned the overall winner of the 2025 Africa Concours d’Elegance.
The victory was sweet as he was at the same podium last year when he won the 52 nd edition of the event with a 1977 Nissan 160J.
Gata-Aura’s 1947 MG TC scored a total of 277 points to win the fable Africa Concours d’Elegance event which attracted around 7,000 spectators at Nairobi Racecourse.
With an apparently insatiable appetite for success, Gata-Aura racked up 37 points on the underside, 77 on external finish, 59 on interior finish, 55 on the engine, 6 on roadworthiness and 43 on age to decimate a large field of 75 car entrants.
James Duder’s 1928 Ford Model A pick up took second overall position in the car class with 272 as Mike Duder’s 1930 Essex Super Six chalked up third position on 258 points.
The judges also declared this rare 1930 Essex Super six the most elegant car in the event With several models in display, the motorcycle ring handed fans some exhilarating displays of biking artistry; dominated by two Triumph 550SD bikes as Yamaha sealed the podium in a fierce battle for points. Dominique Antoine’s 1925 Triumph 550SD emerged the overall winner followed by Rick Agagliate with a similar bike made in 1926.
Douglas Kiere-ini who had made a come-back with six bikes after a long absence in the Concours was happy to be on the podium with his 1980 Yamaha RD400G. Iqbal Omar’s Harley Davidson was voted the most elegant bike at the motorcycle ring.
Meanwhile, Officials, volunteers and marshals continue to play an integral part in the success of the Concours, first held in 1971, by the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (Kenya), to celebrate their first anniversary. Inspired by classic cars and international Concours d’Elegance events, the event was resounding success and has been held annually ever since, becoming a major motoring occasion for enthusiasts in Africa.
Peter Wanday, the Chairman of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club and the organizer of the event said, “This year’s Concours was a dubbed “The Bob Dewar Memorial Edition” and paid tribute to the late Bob Dewar who had been at the helm of organizing this event for more than half a Century. The level of preparation for the vehicles was very high, the officials have done a great job and the competitors came in great numbers. Overall, a resounding success.!”
One prominent official who goes unnoticed at the event, year in year out, is Robert Gow a retired Two Wheel Drive rally driver, two-times winner of the concours and indeed the event’s Motorcycle Chief Judge.
Gow was all smiles as he returned to the 2025 edition for the umpteenth time. “I was once a competitor and I won the event in 2001 and 2002 before becoming a judge. I have been doing this for the last 14 years now, it’s a labor of love. What we do basically as Motorcycle judges is to examine the bikes in every class, then determine the overall winner based on their score. Our colleagues in the Car paddock have a similar task with over 70 cars.”
Gow highlighted: “Over the years we’ve had bikes of 100 years right up to 15 years, and a huge variety, which is very interesting. We judge external finish, engine and mechanical, road worthiness and age, which is very key. Old is gold at the Concours so the older the bike, the more marks it will score over the younger bikes as long as it also scores high in the other areas too like engine and external finish.”
Competitors from outside Kenya also graced the Concours all and sundry, eager to showcase their vehicles. Allan Mutumba from Uganda was awarded the prize for the best foreign bike for his 1998 BMW R1100 RT while Ali Alam also from Uganda received the award for the best car from outside Kenya for his beautiful open sports car, a 1967 Mercedes Benz 250SL.
As usual, Uganda Bikers Association and Pearl Bikers Africa were among the star attractions at the event. Every year, these bikers ride all the way from Kampala and back to grace the Concours as part of their wider campaign to promote road safety, HIV Aids Awareness and indeed Sports Tourism.
Helping to make the event such a success, the Concours had a number of sponsors and partners including Stanbic Bank, SGA Security, Chairmania, the Nairobi Embassy of Italy and AAR among others.
CAR CLASS OVERALL RESULTS
1. Sati Garta Aura (1947 MG TC) 277 points
2. James Duder (1928 Model A Ford Pick Up) 272
3. Mike Duder (1930 Essex Super Six) 258
4. Kevit Desai (1974 Mercedes 450 SLC) 258
5. Chandrakant Shah (1972 Austin Mini 1000) 257
MOTOCYCLE OVERALL RESULTS
1. Dominique Antoine (1925 Triumph 550SD) 179 points
2. Rick Agagliate (1926 Triumph 550SD ) 167
3. Douglas Kiereini (1980 Yamaha RD400G) 157
4. Tumaini Muthiga (1985 Honda VFR) 154
5. Dominique Antoine (BSA B33) 151