Three World Premieres

The origins of the Villa d’Este Concours date back to before World War II.

At that time, many luxury cars had their engines and chassis ordered separately from their bodies. Sometimes the manufacturer offered a selection of body builders (carrozzieri in Italy), and other times the owner would commission their preferred carrozzier.

Many wealthy Milanese families owned villas on the shores of Lake Como, about 50 km to the north, where they enjoyed showing off their cars as symbols of their personal taste. Reflecting these passions, the concours was born in 1929.

This year’s event, held from May 26-28, 2017, featured 52 four-wheeled vehicles (51 participants) and 40 two-wheeled vehicles.

BMW Concept 8 Series

Rolls-Royce Sweptail

The event began with a welcome reception on the evening of the 26th.

At the reception, BMW Group Chairman Harald Krüger unveiled two concept vehicles. One was the BMW Motorrad Concept Link, an electric scooter envisioned for future urban mobility, and the other was the BMW “Concept 8 SeriesConcept 8 Series.” The latter is a preview of the new 8 Series scheduled to debut in 2018. According to Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design, who spoke with this writer, the brand’s new design language is “cleaner, sharper, and more sophisticated.”

The following morning, on the 27th, Rolls-Royce, part of the BMW Group, also made the world premiere of the “Sweptail.” This one-off was created at the request of a specific high-profile client. Its bespoke realization required four years of discussion with the owner, recalled the person in charge.

With a Stylish Title

Let us turn to the main stars: the historic cars.

There were eight classes, judged by twelve jurors. As in previous years, the majority of the judges were composed of former automotive brand design directors and experts. This year, however, Yasmin Le Bon, wife of Duran Duran vocalist Simon Le Bon and a model herself, also joined the panel.

The theme for 2017 was “Around the World in Eighty Days.” This was inspired by the fact that 1873, the year Jules Verne’s novel of the same name was published, was also the year Villa d’Este, previously a cardinal’s villa, was converted into a grand hotel.

At that time, the educated elite and nobility, intrigued and romanticized by the idea of “how quickly one could circumnavigate the globe,” eventually became captivated by speed and record-breaking as automobiles emerged, awakening to travel unbound by timetables.

This year’s event primarily gathered cars that carried forward the spirit of that era into later years.

YASMIN LE BON

Lurani Nibbio

The Best of Show, selected by the judges, was the 1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SS Prototipo, brought by Corrado Lopresto, one of Italy’s foremost collectors, in the “Little Toys for Big Boys” class. It is a mythical design by the legendary genius Franco Scaglione.

Meanwhile, the “Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este,” chosen by invited guests’ votes, went to the 1935 Lurani Nibbio, entered in the “Devils of Speed” class. This little racer was designed by Count Giovanni Lurani Cernuschi, a gentleman driver, journalist, and engineer. This year, the Count’s grandson steered the car in the parade, having retrieved it from his grandfather’s garage.

Entries from Emerging Nations Like Romania and Thailand

The class named “Playboy’s Toys” yielded the most interesting cars.

The 1962 Ghia L6.4 was formerly owned by actor Dean Martin. It was built via what could be called the “world’s longest production line”: the chassis, made in Detroit, was shipped to Italy, where Ghia in Turin fitted the body, before it was shipped back.

The 1968 Lamborghini Miura was first owned by Adrian Conan Doyle, son of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of “Sherlock Holmes,” known as a prodigal son or playboy.

GHIA L 6.4

Lamborghini Miura P400

This year, unrestored vehicles, or “dans son jus” (in its original state) as the French say, were also notable.

At the RM Sotheby’s auction held at Villa Erba on the day open to the public, a 1993 Porsche 911 RSR with only 10 km of mileage, which had been kept in a garage since shortly after delivery and was covered in dust, was put up for auction and sold for the equivalent of approximately 2.52 million USD. This boom in unrestored cars is likely to remain a topic of debate among enthusiasts for some time, regarding its merits compared to excessive restoration.

Maserati A6G/2000 Gran Sport

Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.8

On the other hand, compared to previous years, participation from emerging nations such as Romania and Thailand was particularly striking. This suggests the budding of historic car culture alongside economic development.

One such car, a 1934 Tatra 77, was brought by a Czech owner, from the brand’s home country. Its rear-mounted air-cooled V8 engine, despite its massive 3-liter displacement, produced only 60 hp. However, its aerodynamic body was extremely advanced for its time.

The owner’s family was remarkably humble and openly expressed their joy at participating in Villa d’Este for the first time. When the Best Interior award was presented during the parade, the gallery erupted in applause, just as enthusiastic as that given to the regular participants.

Incidentally, this Tatra participated in the class for cars from the 1930s, titled “Goodbye Jazz, Hello Radio.”

Tatra 77

As with “Playboy’s Toys,” Villa d’Este always bestows stylish titles upon its classes.

The Reason for Its Enduring Brilliance

Inside the Grand Hotel, A. Lange & Söhne, the timepiece brand that partners with the event alongside BMW Group, maintained its usual booth.

When I asked a young craftsman demonstrating assembly there, “What brought you joy in learning your craft?” he replied, “It was discovering that every single part of a watch has meaning.”

A.LANGE & SÖHNE

Lancia Dilambda

Compared to American concours, which can have nearly thirty classes, Villa d’Este is exceptionally compact. Yet, each car holds a deep history. It is precisely like a mechanical watch.

At the same time, I recall something a member of the vehicle selection committee told me not long ago: “Choosing the participating cars each year feels like painting a picture.”

Villa d’Este is a painting. That is precisely why this event continues to shine in the world of historic cars.