Porsche x Fuori Concorso 2023 – Villa Olmo
A FOGGY START TO THE WEEKEND
Yearly trips to Como are without a doubt not ‘just’ a visit to Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este anymore. Alike its counterpart in Monterey, the ‘Como Car Week’ is packed with attractions and since a few years features a handful of well-established events. One of those is doubtlessly Fuori Concorso, which already for the second time utilises the premises of the magnificent Villa Olmo as an open to the public, plain-air museum.
Atypical was only the weather, opening the weekend with a steady drizzle on a rather cold Saturday morning. Fortunately, such an aura makes for very picturesque scenery, with clouds hanging close to lake’s water table. However, as soon as the rain started to cease, organisers unfolded the carefully curated exhibition prepared in partnership with Porsche.
75TH ANNIVERSARY, CELEBRATED EVERYWHERE
Throughout the year, it would be extremely hard to find an automotive event which does not pay any tribute to the milestone that Porsche is celebrating this year. Fuori Concorso was no different, and the 75th anniversary of the brand from Zuffenhausen totally dominated the charming lakeside in front of Villa Olmo. Visitors could admire vehicles normally hidden behind the doors of Porsche Museum, ticking the boxes of almost every single category.
The centrepiece on display was Porsche Studie Gruppe B, presented at the Frankfurt IAA in 1983. It was designed as a homologation model and it immediately attracted the spotlights. The car had electronically controlled all-wheel drive powered by a biturbo engine, based on the legendary 935 and 956. All that technology was hidden under incredibly sleek body with drag coefficient of just 0.32. The end product is known as the mighty 959, produced only in 292 pieces proving victorious in many motorsport events.
A little closer to the villa stood a collection starting with one of the first Porsches I knew – the 356 Speedster. I remember the car from the Need For Speed computer game and it is still one of my favourite roadsters. Here, it was accompanied by almost all Speedsters ever made. The original 356 in red paved the way for the 930, then the 964, wrapping it up with the 997 painted in a stunning ‘Pure Blue’. Which one would you choose?
RACING LEGENDS
Porsche’s racing heritage is doubtlessly one of the aspects that elevated the brand to new automotive heights. The exhibition underlined it very well. The vehicle that appealed to me the most was Herbert Müller’s Porsche 917/30 bearing the chassis number 001. Presented in striking 1975 turquoise livery advertising central heating sponsor Vaillant, this racing beast was restored in 2019. A well-deserved fate of a multi-race winner bolide, including an amazing 5 out of 6 Interserie winning streak in 1974.
A very close runner-up in my personal racing legends concours was the Porsche 908/02 Spyder. A virtually unbeatable in its era, the car swept over fifty major victories and hundred podiums at events such as Sebring, Targa Florio, Brands Hatch or at the famous Nürburgring. The car was innovative to the bone. It featured a cutting-edge aluminium space frame filled with compressed air to detect damage, ultra-lightweight body weighing in at 13 kilograms only, titanium axles, lightweight gearbox and even a racing ABS – technology unseen at the tracks. Overall, it looks pretty handsome, too!
There were many more! Right beside the 908 stood much more modern 911 GT1 from 1998, of which five specimen were build. Most remarkable achievement of the presented typology is no less than a double Le Mans win. On the other side of the plaza stood a brand new Formula E single seater, providing insight into how the racing technology developed. Pretty thought-provoking exhibition, if you ask me.
ALL THE WHITE CROWS
Whilst all the exhibits were noteworthy, some were more rare than others. One of the classic ‘hate it or love it’ designs was worn by the Porsche 356B 2000GS Carrera GT “Dreikantschaber”. Translating as “wedge blade”, this aluminium body racer was built only as two units. Lighter than its road-going base and with more powerful engine it was a worthy competitor at Targa Florio, Le Mans, Daytona or Sebring and the first GT to clock in under ten minutes at Nordschleife.
Yet another silver arrow was the famous 550 Spyder. What is very special about this particular car is the story from the 1954 - fifth and last La Carrera Panamericana. Over the gargantuan 3077-kilometre distance Porsche competed with two 550s piloted by Hans Herrmann and Jaroslav Juhan. Although it is hard to believe, after five days of racing those two were separated by only 36 seconds. It was Herrmann in front of Juhan, 3rd and 4th for Porsche and a class victory. Oh, and let’s not forget it is because of this car that all Porsches with Carrera motors are designated with this well-recognised badge.
I would have a very tough choice to choose my favourite - 917/30, 908/02 Spyder and the 550 Spyder are all on the podium, though!
A little less obvious vehicle from the modern era was standing closer to the Villa. Produced in 2017 and finished in allegedly Ferry’s favourite ‘Irish Green’ over pepita interior, this iconic sportscar can easily slip under your radar. One thing is for sure – making the millionth 911 relatively vanilla is to me one of the classier moves that Porsche executed.
ANOTHER EDITION, ANOTHER SUCCESS
At Villa Olmo I spent two weekend mornings before heading to Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este and to the main Fuori Concorso themed Aero. My time was limited, but I imagine myself wandering around these superb products from Zuffenhausen for hours. 911 Dakar, 935 ‘Moby Dick’ Recreation, newest GT3 RS and many other stunning cars will make one discover something new every single time.
Summarising, it is with sheer pleasure that I observe concepts such as Fuori Concorso develop with time. Initiated with love and driven by passion for the automotive world, Guglielmo Miani with his brand Larusmiani manage to create remarkable partnerships. Those, consequently, produce marvellous results. What is even more important, they are not shy to share it with general public. Chapeau bas and see you soon!
Text & Photos: Adam Pekala ©
