BMW Group
The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este is the oldest and most exclusive classic car fair in the world. The show has been held regularly on the shores of Lake Como since 1929 – a researched Italian vacation destination since the time of the Roman Empire – and gathers only about 50 cars. Each is a member of a small class with a mysterious name that generally indicates an era and some other discursive parameters.
Although the event usually takes place in late spring, it was canceled last year and then postponed until this fall. Since we are more intrepid (or perhaps more prone to risky behavior) than most, we traveled to Italy to see the show. Every car on the property was drooling, and unlike Pebble Beach or Amelia Island, the selective nature of the event really made everyone shine. But decisions have to be made. Here are our picks for the best in the class – or at least the most fascinating in the class – in each category.
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Class A – 20th century style: from touring torpedo to classy roadster
Before being taken over by Aston Martin in the late 1940s, Lagonda was a separate brand. Founded in the UK in 1906 by a former American opera singer and motorcycle manufacturer, it was named after a defeated settlement in Shawnee that would become Springfield, Ohio after the colonization of Europeans. This aerodynamically flowing beauty was considered to be the fastest car in the world at the time of its production, with a 4.5 liter inline six-cylinder engine developed by none other than WO Bentley, who was lured from Rolls to Lagonda, scooping 100 mph Hour reached. Royce (who had acquired his auto company of the same name). This particular car was reportedly ordered by Hollywood superstar Clark Gable, who would have placed it in a garage with one of only two Duesenberg SSJs. (We drove the other that belonged to his contemporary Gary Cooper.)
Class B – Developing the theme: space, pace and grace
The famous and independent French brand was founded in 1905 and produced some of the most elegant and fastest racing cars of the early automobile era. But the Great Depression hit the luxury market hard and the brand was taken over by a competitor, Delahaye. This Delage is powered by a 4.7-liter Delahaye in-line eight without lazing around. Its convertible body by French expert De Villars embodies sumptuous Art Nouveau styling with an incredibly low body that is almost swallowed up by curved, tapered aerodynamic fenders that rise improbably above the bonnet and trunk lines. The adventurous wife of a Parisian Delage dealer collected the car in time and showed it at various concours events.
Class C – Showroom Showdown: Great Britain and Germany battle for supremacy in luxury
Surrounded by mid-century blue-chip stars like a pair of Mercedes-Benz 300SL, a BMW 507, and an Aston Martin DB5, this post-war Bentley felt almost anachronistic. But that didn’t stop us from falling in love with her. It is one of only two Mk VIs built by the French company Franay, famous for graceful Duesenbergs, Rolls-Royces and Bugattis. He shared a garage with half a dozen other Bentleys and Rolls-Royces from the same year that were ordered by a wealthy gentleman from Basel, Switzerland. His 4.3-liter in-line six-cylinder purred. But we were really impressed with the brownish-brown body, which was draped in layers over a silver metal base, like it was lifting the hem of the pant legs to reveal her chic socks. We found his peekaboo act irresistible.
Class D – Granturismo all’Italiana: Find the perfect GT formula
Norma Desmond, the fictional former silent film star in the center of Billy Wilder’s 1950 masterpiece Sunset Boulevard, is known not to appear in “one of those cheap things made of chrome and spit”, but in her great Isotta Fraschini, a car from the heyday of the Italian automaker’s classics . At the end of the Depression and World War II, the brand was in ruins. As Hail Mary, she developed a brand new luxury car with a 3.0 liter V-8. Terrifyingly, the engineers placed the engine in the rear, creating a spacious passenger compartment that could accommodate six people without a transmission tunnel. About half a dozen prototypes were produced, including this wondrous streamlined Boneschi convertible that was shown at Villa d’Este in 1949. Unfortunately, this model never went into production and was the last attempt to revive the brand that soon faded.
Class E – Big Band ’40s to Awesome’ 80s: Five Decades of Endurance Racing
This class of endurance racing cars was littered with famous Ferraris and Porsches and even featured a stunning French-blue Alpine M64. But we were drawn to this stranger entry from Howmet, a Pittsburgh aerospace company. Like many other vehicles of the time, it was developed to test the functionality of gas turbine engines in automotive applications. This car had a centrally mounted Continental Aviation and Engineering mill that came from the production of military helicopters. The engine put out around 350 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque and spun at an outrageous 57,000 rpm. Because of this massive push, the car only had one gear and no reverse. (A small electric motor enabled the car to go backwards.) The Howmet has the special honor of being the only turbine-powered car to ever win a race and take two victories at SCCA events during its year-long competition.
Class F – A passion for perfection: We are celebrating 90 years of Pininfarina
A masterpiece of Italian flair and packaging, the Fiat Cinquecento ushered in decades that saw the country rise to the forefront of affordable international industrial design in almost every category, from fashion to furniture to housewares. This little coupe represents perhaps the culmination of such synergies, combining the industrial megalith Fiat with the hyper-talented coachbuilder Pininfarina and adding – for the first time in a 500 – the rising power of the Scorpio-branded Abarth. This particular car has been in the same family since its modern era, with the original owner taking direct possession of the car from Pinin Farina in 1958, driving the car for 10 years, driving only 4,350 miles, and storing it where it was for 50 years. This is the first time the public has seen the car since then and we are grateful for the family stewards who have kept it and brought it back to life.
Class G – The Birth of the Super Sports Car: Landmarks in Latin American style
The V8 Vantage of the 1970s and 1980s was an amazing accomplishment from a company that was constantly on the verge of bankruptcy. Its potent 5.3-liter, quadruple-carburetor V8 produced 390 horsepower in the basic configuration, incredible performance for the day and enough to beat the Ferraris of the era in a straight race. And its body was emblematic of its designation as a British muscle car. Towards the end of its run in the late 1980s, Newport Pagnell commissioned a limited edition Vantages with bodies from Carrozzeria Zagato, with which it had a history that stretches back to converted DB4 GTs. These straightforward redesigns were intentionally inelegant, with almost brutalist accents. With its darkened paintwork, throwing star wheels, angular body and stocky overall proportions, this convertible – one of only 37 produced – could almost be a Japanese supercar of that era, which perhaps explains why this particular specimen is in the land of the rising sun and why we like it are enthusiastic.
Class H – the next generation: hypercars of the 1990s
This class included almost all hero vehicles of the Slacker generation, including the Bugatti EB 110, Ferrari F50, Mercedes CLK GTR, Porsche 911 GT1 and McLaren F1. But those are the obvious decisions compared to this weird German one-off piece from the engineering office for styling, design and racing (Isdera). With a Mercedes-Benz 408 hp 6.0-liter V-12 in the middle, a Getrag six-speed gearbox from a Porsche 911 Turbo, chassis and brake components from a Porsche 928, headlights from a Porsche 968, golden BBS -Wheels, u handcrafted bodywork and a ridiculous periscopio rearview mirror, this outrageous kit is said to go 210 mph. Unfortunately, prohibitive development costs prevented the car from going into production, and this is the only one ever built.
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