Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2021

IT’S NOT UNUSUAL... WELL, IT KIND OF IS.

When it is late May, there only is one place to be in the automotive world. On this beautiful Sunday we all meet at Villa Erba... but wait. It is not May, it is early October. It is Sunday, but we are not at Villa Erba, we are at the beautiful Villa d’Este in Cernobbio. The only thing that did not change is the fact, that it really is the place to be, if you are an automotive fan.

The pandemic flipped the world upside down and even though fortunately the situation changes for the better with vaccinations and the virus seems to be getting under control, certain events needed to be moved from early spring to later in the year. So did Concorso d’Eleganza, hosting two days at Villa d’Este in a closed event for guests and the press. Given the 2020 edition got completely cancelled returning to the premises of Como lake seems like a blessing, despite the pouring rain on Sunday morning.

EARLY MORNING SHOWER BATHES THE BEAUTIES

There was a time when Concorso d’Eleganza, the regular one in May was rainy. It even poured. But spring is a completely different vibe to autumn and the fortunately quickly passing shower left behind a very climatic fog. Such a scenery was simply magical and many cars just got themselves a very photogenic background. One of them was the Ferrari 512 BB LM presenting its racing glory next to exclusive umbrellas and still wet deck chairs. What a scenery change to the three times racing the Daytona and once the Sebring. What if I told you it still has its original paint and is powered by the factory-installed engine?

Next to it one might find a very unusual car. Or maybe an aircraft? Or a car? It really is hard to judge if the subject we are discussing is powered by a gas turbine and called Howmet TX. One of the two pieces ever built, born in 1968 it also raced at many famous venues, including the aforementioned Daytona and Sebring, but also adding Le Mans and Brands Hatch. It is powered by a lightweight gas turbine originating from a helicopter design, weighing in at just 77 kilograms and reaching a whopping 57 (yes, fifty-seven) thousands RPMs! No wonder it sounds like a jet and the driver has protective headset. An aircraft. Or a car?

WHEN THE FOG IS COMING UP

With every minute it was getting warmer and warmer and more cars started to crawl out from the underground garage of Villa d’Este, including the ones from likely my favourite class. Granturismo all’Italiana explores Italian GTs and certainly does it in style. How could you imagine any different?

The first in line is Isotta Fraschini 8C Monterosa, proudly backing up the reputation of the producer releasing the most luxurious automobiles in Italy at their time. The majestic cruiser has a V8 engine installed behind the seats, enabling a tunnel free construction. One of the two survivors, bodied by Boneschi it has a long relationship with Villa d’Este. It contested here for the first time in 1949.

The champagne dress proudly bears the number 400, linking to its 1955 Rallye Monte Carlo plate.

The second car, very likely my personal favourite of the weekend is the 1953 Alfa Romeo 1900C Sprint Supergioiello. It was a love relationship from the get-go when I saw her passing through the tight city roads of Cernobbio on Thursday before the event and the emotions were even stronger standing close to it. Directly translated to Super Jewel links to the fantastic coach it bears, produced by Ghia in only six or seven pieces, with about ten more bodied by Touring in different clothing. The champagne dress proudly bears the number 400, linking to its 1955 Rallye Monte Carlo plate.

PININFARINA’S 90TH ANNIVERSARY AND MORE ALUMINIUM

An entire class was dedicated to commemorate a what was called Pininfarina’s Passion for Perfection. The listing was impressive and included a Fiat 500 Abarth followed by three Ferraris: 250GT California SWB, 275 GTB/4 and… 400 Superamerica.

It was the latter that hit my automotive taste the most even without knowing all the peculiarities about the car itself. The beauty on display was born in 1961 and was one of only 35 Superamericas ever made. One of 17 of them in short wheelbase. One of 7 with factory-installed headlights covers. One of one with an aluminium body. Do you want to discuss exclusivity now? Such a car is able to win Concourse of Elegance even before it reaches its first owner. This one claimed “Best of Show” in Rimini before it brought even more joy on the road to Count Volpi di Musurata. In its noble Tropical Black it made for a perfect royal vehicle.

Few steps away there is another extraordinaire. If you passed by it you would never be able to notice, unless you knew it. 300 SL in a coupe body. You have seen it before. A Gullwing. All the answers are yes and the true rarity of this exhibit lies in its chassis number, 043, which indicates one of only 29 ever built aluminium Gullwings. It was ordered in June 1955 by a Swiss aviation entrepreneur as white on blue combination, with central locking Rudge wheels. A configuration worth the skies!

LET’S GO PRE-WAR FOR A WHILE

You might know from my previous articles I am not a huge fan of pre-war cars. They are exceptionally large, usually quite boxy and technology and emblem aside, all follow similar designs. As with every rule though, there are exceptions. This year, for me, there were two.

The first one is from 1926 and was signed by the Spanish-Swiss collaboration. Hispano Suiza H6 Dual Cowl is a unique car. With its very aesthetically pleasing body, designed by the Bligh Brothers in England, it was also a technology beast, powered by aero-inspired, inline-six engine displacing 4500 cubic centimetres.

Twelve years older, bearing two more cylinders in line and a tad more capacity is the Delage D8-120S. In its early days the car served as a rally vehicle and an elegance exhibit owned by a wife of a Delage dealer in Paris, to then make its way to the United States in 1956. It now returned to Switzerland after a thorough restoration, brining joy to its eight owner. Parked at Villa d’Este, it could convert me to actually liking the pre-war automobiles much more than I do!

DREAMING OF THE FUTURE – IN THREE DIFFERENT WAYS

The three different ways have a similar recipe, with two of them actually being from the same cookbook. How do you create a legend? Well, it is either through a spectacular design, a great history or a uniqueness of a model. Or three of those at the same time.

The 1974 Lamborghini Countach LP500 Prototipo was presented at Villa d’Este for the very first time after the original was destroyed. It is a reproduction of the very first car that Marcello Gandini designed, what was later to become a wedge-shaped supercar childhood dream of many. Lamborghini Polo Storico devoted more than twenty thousand hours to re-building the vehicle and it would be a lost opportunity not to devote it a separate article. Read about it here.

Next car is also a Countach and also a Prototype. The LP400S Walter Wolf Special comes from 1978 and originated from an idea of an F1 team owner and sports car enthusiast Walter Wolf. With some support from the designers he developed a few special versions of the Countach, including the displayed number three. Navy blue with blue interior it featured an bored 5 litre engine linked to an optimised clutch and brakes. Brought to Villa d’Este by Shinjiro Fukuda it looks surreal with its Japanese plates. What a collectible!

Brought to Villa d’Este by Shinjiro Fukuda the Countach LP400S Walter Wolf Special looks surreal with its Japanese plates. What a collectible!

Lastly, who else than Phillip Sarofim could surprise the audience with the one and only Isdera Commendatore 112i. The one-off hypercar features a long tail body, measuring only 104 centimetres low, resulting in drag coefficient of only 0.306. That, together with a 400 horsepower Mercedes-Benz V12 resulted in the Isdera being able to go as fast as 340 kilometres per hour. Incredibly impressive as for 1993 and relatively low power, when compared to todays hypercars.

THE RED CARPET MOMENTS

The highlight of the day, as per the usual Sunday at Concorso d’Eleganza is the parade. Since the actual contest happened already on Saturday, only winners and special mentions chosen by the 12-persons jury appeared once again in front of the crowd and the press.

Simon Kidston curated these special moments as per the usual tradition, leading many interesting conversations with the car owners and providing the audience with facts and curiosities about the vehicles. The atmosphere was very intimate, as the plaza in front of Villa d’Este is much smaller than the Grand Stand at Villa Erba.

There were many special moments. Children celebrating winning the trophy from the interior of Lancia Dilambda Serie I, Philip Rathgen vigorously discussing the cars with Laura Kukuk, Devon MacNeil carrying the class trophy when sitting underneath one of the gulllwing doors or Valentino Balboni driving the Walter Wolf’s Countach. Incredible and hard to describe – just try to feel the vibe from the photos!

FAREWELL AND SEE YOU SOON

After a year of absence Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este did not disappoint. It never does, but this year it seems like there was even more emotions, even more hunger for classic automobiles and even more special cars. It is over way too quickly but check this out – this time, the wait is hopefully less than twelve months!