Amici e Automobili 2023 – Villa Erba

I COULD NOT MISS IT TWICE IN A ROW

Ever since the 2022, Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este has taken a slightly different twist. After complete cancellation of public days during the pandemic, the usual all-weekend long open house at Villa Erba was replaced with a special public event with rather a complex name. Amici & Automobili – Wheels & Weisswürscht is a happening dedicated to celebrating automotive passion in a form of a casual come-together.

I missed it last year and was full of regrets when my good pal Piotr showed me some rather captivating photographs from the premises. Learning from my mistakes I hopped on a vintage motorboat and waved Villa d’Este goodbye… even if just for an hour to get a glimpse of what the other Villa had to offer. Let’s take a stroll!

LE MANS CLASSIC TEASERS

Despite the rainy weather the gardens of Villa Erba were packed with visitors all day long. Luckily, just as I arrived, the organisers started announcing the closure of the event in half an hour. I knew I did not have much time, but at least the grounds were clearing for some less crowded photos. Passing a line-up of vintage BMW motorcycles I found myself in front of the Villa, surrounded by various organised exhibitions.

Doubtlessly the most interesting was the display focusing on the upcoming Le Mans and its Classic edition, commemorating the centenary later this year. Automotive legends such as Alfa Romeo, BMW and Ferrari brought their iconic racers, whetting the appetite for classic racing.

Oh, and what a selection it was! The brand from Arese pulled out the Tipo 33TT12, where TT stands for Telaio Tubolare – a tubular chassis. This 1975 World Championship winning car was powered by a flat twelve 3-litre engine generating a staggering 500HP… with the car being only 670kg light! On display Alfa Romeo paired it with T33/2, which also had quite a few wins under its belt. The other Italian racer that stole my heart was the mighty Ferrari 512BB LM in Charles Pozzi racing team livery. I knew the Berlinetta Boxers will be one of the themes at this year’s Fuori Concorso, so it was especially good to see a specimen at this event, too!

BMW did not disappoint either. Rocking a classic DTM-style livery was a Le Mans participant from 1981 – the M1 Procar “München” of Hemut Marko’s RSM Motorsport. Piloted by the German trio of Danner, Oberndorfer and von Bayern it did not finish its original race, but that does not prevent it from partaking in Le Mans Classic this year, hopefully with more luck! Its pair was a McLaren F1 GTR Long Tail, entrant at Circuit de la Sarthe 16 years later. Similarities? It also scored a DNF.

THE RENNMEISTER SHOW

Closely connected with the Amici & Automobili concept is Rennmeister – a brand built around the iconic Jägermeister racing cars. Gaining lots of traction over the past year with its increasingly growing presence, the orange cars made an appearance at Como, too! Whilst the tiny Abarth 695 EsseEsse provided for a delicious starter, just around the corner parked was the main dish.

Strikingly low and extraordinarily aerodynamic was a resurrection of a long forgotten project – the BMW M1 ‘Procar’ Turbo. After the idea sparked at BMW more than four decades ago it was abandoned for unknown reasons until… The concept was picked up by Fritz Wagner who brought it to completion from scratch. Wagner took on a journey of re-building the Bavarian beast part by part, bolt by bolt and detail by detail. After a tremendous work, the ultimate M1 eventually made its way to a racetrack for the very first time. Given its 1090kg bodyweight paired with a 1000HP engine, a circuit is a right place for it to be.

CLUBS AND INDIVIDUALS

The stars of the megabrands were shining bright, but the core part of the event is actually a gathering of car clubs and ordinary enthusiasts. Countless vehicles of all kinds arrived from various Italian clubs, as well as from farther away in Europe. The selection of cars was still impressive. Vehicles ranged from more typical classic Alfa Romeos, through a bit more exclusive vintage Porsches all the way through to some recent Instagram stars such as Schaltkulisse’s Ferrari F40. This iconic prancing classic was Enzo Ferrari’s last baby and sold almost only in Rosso Corsa. How crazy does it look here painted in Verde Pallido and rocking a red interior?!

Nearby, Villa Erba’s Centro Congressi hosted an exhibition related to the RM Sotheby’s auction happening the same night. The building was open to the public and its interior very popular, given the wet aura. Yet, some of the cars were exposed to the elements and amongst them was the original all-black Testarossa, 512TR an 512M collection. I stopped by and wondered which would I take home, if I could? A difficult choice, but I’d settle on Testarossa!

GREAT CONCEPT UNLUCKY WITH THE WEATHER

Amici and Automobili is definitely one of the up and coming concepts at Como Car Week, trailing behind similarly young Fuori Concorso. Preceding the public day of Concorso d’Eleganza it prepares the scene for unique, world-class vehicles, whist still leaving the room for sheer passion of those who cannot afford a multimillion dollar car.

The staggering crowd who decided to visit despite the dreadful weather conditions forecasts nothing but sensational success, when the usual Italian sun makes a reappearance… hopefully next year! Ciao Amici, ciao Automobili… a presto!

Text & Photos: Adam Pekala ©