Belle macchine!
Octane travels to Lake Como to take in the stunning entrants at this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este
THERE’S BEAUTY EVERYWHERE. Not only in the cars but also their spectacular surroundings. The way to arrive at this invitation-only event is by boat, skimming over the water in the late-May morning sunshine as the Renaissance villa reveals itself around the steeply banked and wooded shoreline. The air is cool right now, but we’re set to bake later.
In the grounds sit 51 historic cars spanning eight decades, from 16 countries around the world, split into such categories as ‘Speed Demons: Endurance Pioneers of the Golden Age’, ‘Faster, Quieter, Smoother: Heroes of the Jet Age’, and ‘Fast and Flamboyant: Playboys’ Toys’.
With their owners, they await their fate at the hands of such esteemed judges as designers Ian Cameron, Harm Lagaaij and Patrick le Quément, classic car consultant Adolfo Orsi Jr, of the family that once owned Maserati, and Pebble Beach veteran and Octane contributor Winston Goodfellow, all led by former Pininfarina designer Lorenzo Ramaciotti.
Early on, it’s clear there are a few favourites, not least the ex-Moss/Rodriguez 1958 Maserati 300 S, the ex-Tim Birkin Bentley 4½ Litre monoposto, the 1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic, the crazy 1952 OSCA MT4 with deeply scalloped flanks, and the even crazier Olds V8-powered 1952 Astra Coupe. Octane’s picks include the ex-Ferruccio Lamborghini 350GT 4.0-litre, Tomáš Hoferek’s 1934 Tatra 77, and the Baillon Maserati A6G 2000 Gran Sport, still resplendently unrestored (see Octane 157).
And the event itself is a favourite of judge Winston Goodfellow. ‘You get to spend time with people in a fantastic, genteel atmosphere, and aren’t harried to be somewhere else. The judging is very enjoyable, in part thanks to the wonderful camaraderie that goes with it. And you can never tell what ultra-cool piece will show up – witness the one-off Pininfarina-
designed Abarth Monoposto that was in incredibly original condition, and which almost knocked off the beautifully restored ex-Moss Maserati 300 S for the class win. There aren’t many shows where that can happen.’
The concorso was first held at Villa d’Este in 1929, and since 1999 it’s been under the patronage of the BMW Group. Which explains why Adrian van Hooydonk is here to present his latest BMW 8-series concept car, the production version of which will tackle top-line Mercedes from next year. And while the judges make their first rounds, Rolls-Royce unveils its spectacular one-off Sweptail, not a concept car but a coachbuilt version of the outgoing Phantom (see News).
In the afternoon, the cars (and motorcycles) take turns to parade in front of the elegant crowd. And there’s an air of surprise when Best of Show is awarded to Italian collector Corrado Lopresto’s tiny 100bhp four-cylinder 1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SS Prototipo Coupé. The prize is presented to Giovanna Scaglione, daughter of its designer Franco Scaglione, who had developed the car’s styling following his work for Bertone with the BAT concept cars.
‘This is the first time the car has been awarded such a prize,’ says Lopresto. ‘The jury has paid tribute to the design because at the time it was very futuristic. Franco Scaglione was a genius and the automobile sector owes a great debt of gratitude to him.’
A day later the cars decamp a mile or two down the lake to Villa Erba, which is open to the public. There the Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este is voted for by visitors and goes to the astonishing Lurani Nibbio record-breaker, built in 1935 by Italian journalist and racing driver Giovanni Lurani Cernuschi, VIII Count of Calvenzano, around a 46bhp Moto-Guzzi 500cc twin. In it, the Count broke a total of 18 World Speed Records over a 12-year period. It remains in family ownership.
Meanwhile, that coachbuilt Rolls-Royce causes a Twitter storm when its owner Sam Li is seen blasting along in convoy with a gaggle of McLarens on the nearby Autostrada. Perhaps it will return five decades from now, in the Playboys’ Toys class.