Held from May 19-22, 2023, the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, commonly known as the "Villa d’Este Concours," took place on the shores of Lake Como, a world-renowned luxury resort in northern Italy. Akio Lorenzo Oya, a journalist based in Italy, reports on what is the world's oldest existing concours d'elegance.

The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, the world's oldest and Europe's premier concours d'elegance, was held in Como, Italy, from May 19 to 22, 2023.

This year, 53 cars were entered across eight classes. From the lake, watercraft took off with roars that occasionally drowned out the announcer's commentary, flying overhead. Magnificent luxury cars lined the Grand Hotel by the lake.

One can't help but imagine that this was the kind of scenery that moved the Italian Futurist artists, whose creativity was ignited by the dynamism of all motorized machines in the early 20th century.

The oldest participating car this year was the 1920 Swiss vehicle "Piccard Pictet R2," entered in the class named "Pre-War High-Speed Lakshmi."

The car, also known as "Pic-Pic," was produced by a car company founded by engineer Paul Piccard and Lucien Pictet, a member of the founding family of the private bank "Pictet Bank," which still exists in Geneva today. Pic-Pic came from PICard and PICtet.

The jury president was Lorenzo Ramaciotti, formerly of Pininfarina, who was celebrating his 20th year in the role in 2023. Among the 14 judges was new member François Melcion, a distinguished organizer of the Paris "Rétromobile" show for many years.

During the morning judging, owners were successively instructed to start their engines, confirming operational status, and to present their documentation. While this is the usual procedure, it's a tense time not only for the owners but also for the spectators.

The "Best of Show" winner was a 1935 "Duesenberg SJ," one of six cars entered in the class titled "Incredible India: The Dazzling Automotive Pleasures of a Mighty Maharaja."

The Duesenberg, affectionately nicknamed "Doozy" and favored by stars like Gary Cooper and Greta Garbo, faced financial difficulties with the onset of the Great Depression.

The company sent the final chassis of the 36 Model SJ chassis manufactured to the British coachbuilder John Gurney Nutting. There, a magnificent boattail speedster body was fitted to the chassis.

It was acquired by the Maharaja of Indore, Holkar, then only 28 years old. However, the international situation worsened daily. He sent it to his home on the West Coast of America in preparation for a potential Japanese invasion, and later transported it to India once the situation stabilized.

The vehicle returned to the United States in 1959 and has been with its current owner, William Lyon, since the late 1980s.

Meanwhile, the "Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este," awarded by guest vote on invitation day and a tradition of Villa d’Este, went to a 1961 "Ferrari 250 GT Spider California" from the class featuring open-top models, titled "The Sun Has Come! 'Topsless' is Different Every Time!"

Its first owner was the French writer Françoise Sagan. After achieving fame with her 1954 novel "Bonjour Tristesse," she famously said, "Whiskey, gambling, and Ferraris are more fun than housework."

This car was likely the inspiration for that statement. It is currently part of a collection in Hong Kong.