The Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este is more than a beauty contest for cars. It is an annual reminder that the automobile has yet to be eclipsed as the ultimate expression of the human desire for speed, elegance and sheer mind-blowing cool.
Combine the Goodwood Festival of Speed with the Geneva Motor Show, then add the breathtaking scenery of Italy's Lake District and a little petrolhead aristocracy and you've got the Concorso d'Eleganza. It's held late each spring on the southwest shore of Lake Como on the grounds of a 16th-century villa converted into a high-end hotel.
There was no shortage of speed and cool at this year's event, the 13th since BMW stepped in as a corporate patron. Such automotive beauty pageants, known by the French name concours d'elegance, started during the years between World Wars. The Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este debuted in 1929 and quickly became the place to show off the newest, best and most expensive cars of the day. World War II put an end to lakeside cruises in coach-built Alfa Romeos.
Following a few halfhearted postwar attempts at a revival, European concourses were gone for good. They emerged decades later in the United States at places like Pebble Beach and Amelia Island.
What makes the current, BMW-flavored Villa d'Este so special is its embrace of the spirit of the original. Although the focus is undoubtedly on impeccably retouched classics in eight categories, a ninth category features contemporary prototypes. It's a refreshing alternative to the all the cars restored to a level far beyond their original factory conditions. Yes, a 1930s Bugatti or 1950s Ferrari is a breathtaking spectacle, but it's also a museum piece. It is rather more interesting to see what modern designers come up with when they are allowed to dream and play.
Above:
Combine the Goodwood Festival of Speed with the Geneva Motor Show, then add the breathtaking scenery of Italy's Lake District and a little petrolhead aristocracy and you've got the Concorso d'Eleganza. It's held late each spring on the southwest shore of Lake Como on the grounds of a 16th-century villa converted into a high-end hotel.
There was no shortage of speed and cool at this year's event, the 13th since BMW stepped in as a corporate patron. Such automotive beauty pageants, known by the French name concours d'elegance, started during the years between World Wars. The Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este debuted in 1929 and quickly became the place to show off the newest, best and most expensive cars of the day. World War II put an end to lakeside cruises in coach-built Alfa Romeos.
Following a few halfhearted postwar attempts at a revival, European concourses were gone for good. They emerged decades later in the United States at places like Pebble Beach and Amelia Island.
What makes the current, BMW-flavored Villa d'Este so special is its embrace of the spirit of the original. Although the focus is undoubtedly on impeccably retouched classics in eight categories, a ninth category features contemporary prototypes. It's a refreshing alternative to the all the cars restored to a level far beyond their original factory conditions. Yes, a 1930s Bugatti or 1950s Ferrari is a breathtaking spectacle, but it's also a museum piece. It is rather more interesting to see what modern designers come up with when they are allowed to dream and play.
Above:
Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este
The event is held on the grounds of Villa d'Este, a lakeside villa turned into a luxury hotel. In the foreground are several 1950s race cars and grand tourers like the blue-on-white Maserati Birdcage 63 and the red Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, while you can see several interesting 1960s prototypes in the rear, like a four-door version of the Citroën SM and Giovanni Michelotti's 1968 DAF 55 Siluro
Zagato Aston Martin Vantage
The Zagato-bodied version of Aston Martin's V-12 Vantage is a modern take on the 1960 Aston Martin DB4 Zagato. It was voted best of class among the nine prototypes displayed at this year's show.
Jaguar XKSS
The Jaguar XKSS was among the ultimate high-tech cars of the 1950s. It was essentially a Le Mans–winning Jaguar D-Type race car with a windshield and flimsy doors. It was powered by Jaguar's monstrous 3.4-liter straight-six racing engine, and was one of Steve McQueen's favorite cars. He owned one of the 16 made.
Ferrari 375 MM
While most cars at high-end concourses are restored to an impeccable state never matched by their original manufacturers, the leather straps that secure the hood of this 1953 Ferrari 375 MM race car were left in their original state.
Rinspeed BamBoo
Rinspeed is a Swiss company specializing in mischievous designs intended to shake up the auto industry. They're the guys who brought you that wild scuba-diving Lotus. This is the Rinspeed BamBoo, an electric beach buggy that makes heavy use of organic materials like the car's namesake. Unfortunately, it's not exactly rainproof: When a sudden thunderstorm hit the event on Saturday evening, the BamBoo took a soaking.
Ford GT40 MkII
This Ford GT40 MkII was one of only two American cars at the event. The other was a big V-12‐powered 1935 Lincoln. The GT40 instantly drew crowds every time its Swiss owner fired up the mid-mounted 7.0-liter V-8.
iPadding Around
Technology may take its sweet time taking over the automotive world, but photography is an easier target. This gentleman snapped many photos of gorgeous 1960s grand tourers using nothing but his iPad2.
Mercedes-Benz 380K
Most vintage cars shown at Villa d'Este have interesting individual histories. This black 1934 Mercedes-Benz 380K was the personal car of Manfred von Brauchitsch, nephew of German field marshal Walther von Brauchitsch and one of the Grand Prix racers who drove the legendary Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow race cars of the late 1930s. While many of his contemporaries died in accidents or of exposure to the toxic racing fuels of the time, von Brauchitsch was 97 when he died in 2003.
Lamborghini V-12
This engine is second only to Chevrolet's small-block V-8 when it comes to longevity. Designed by Giotto Bizzarrini to power Ferruccio Lamborghini's cars, the Lamborghini V-12 was installed in every big Lamborghini from the first 350GTV prototype to the 2009 Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce. It was finally retired at this year's Geneva Motor Show, when Lamborghini introduced the Aventador with a new V-12. This particular engine is one of the early ones, a carbureted 4-liter version from 1966.
Lamborghini 400 GT
The 400 GT was one of Lamborghini's early cars. It was an improved version of the 350 GT, the company's first car, and typical of the kind of automobile Ferruccio Lamborghini wanted to build: fast, comfortable and made for touring.
Renault DeZir
Laurens van den Acker's Renault DeZir concept car, first shown at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, is a riot of sensual curves designed to shake up stodgy Renault. It has a mid-mounted electric motor and a range of 100 miles, highlighting the sad reality that the range of electric drivetrains cannot yet match the fabulous designs made possible by their compact size.Still, the DeZir is sex on wheels -- quite literally. The name is pronounced "desire." Renault's vice president of design directed his staff to create Laetitia Casta on four wheels. The result, with its rotationally symmetrical dihedral doors. and aerodynamics that look like wind-sculpted sandstone, is perhaps the most visually striking French car since the delightful Renault Avantime of 2001.
Renault DeZir, Interior
The DeZir's interior resembles a boudoir of white quilted leather. Designer Laurens van den Acker intended it to serve as a metaphor for traveling in the clouds. It looks like he's got one happy customer already.
Lake Como Road
The road that snakes along Lake Como on its way to Switzerland passes through a tunnel under the grounds of Villa d'Este, allowing the hotel's well-heeled guests — who pay up to $5,000 a night — to simultaneously contemplate Vespa scooters, one-off prototypes and their own Rolls-Royces.
Talbot-Lago T26 GS
This 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 GS is typical of French grand tourers: curvy, funky and very unlike the more race car–like Alfa Romeos of the era.
Ferrari P4/5 Competizione
Former movie producer James Glickenhaus is a serious Ferrari connoisseur, of the rare type who has the means to order an entirely unique Ferrari. This is his P4/5 Competizione, an endurance racer based on a Ferrari F430 and styled to evoke a 1960s Le Mans prototype. It stopped by at Villa d'Este after taking ninth in a six-hour race at the Nürburgring.
BMW 328 Hommage
Adrian van Hooydonk's BMW 328 Hommage is a wild exaggeration of BMW's prewar 328 race car. Shown here is the BMW's exquisitely machined headlight which mimics the practice of securing the glass on the headlights of race cars with electrical tape. It was rather unfortunate that many people took the BMW 328 Hommage as serious concept car, rather than as the splendid caricature it is.
Alfa Romeo 33/2
If there had been an award for the weirdest rear-view mirror, this 1968 Alfa Romeo 33/2 race car would have demolished the competition. The engine in this car, a mellifluent 2.0-liter V-8 that revs to almost 10,000 rpm, was later used in the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale road car.
BMW 328 Race Car
It's never easy to say goodbye to Lake Como, but the violent thunderstorms that race down from the Alps to the north make quick escapes necessary. For the cars that don't want to brave the local traffic, like this BMW 328 race car from the late 1930s, there's always the option of a bespoke tarp.You have read this article Auto Vehicle
with the title Ritzy Resort Hosts Glitzy Cars. You can bookmark this page URL http://emill-emil.blogspot.com/2011/05/ritzy-resort-hosts-glitzy-cars.html. Thanks!
