Concorso D’Eleganza Villa d’Este Written by Bridget Williams
Ogling a hand-picked gathering of the world’s most desired vintage and concept automobiles is certainly a covetable experience on its own, but take this same assemblage and scatter it throughout the grounds of the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este in the town of Cernobbio, Italy, on the banks of Lake Como, and you have a car show without reproach. Held for the first time in 1929 and under the patronage of the BMW Group since 1999, the event draws entrants and onlookers from around the globe. New this year was the addition of a motorcycle competition, a Saturday evening auction of 32 extraordinary cars by RM Auctions and a second public viewing day at nearby Villa Erba. “Our aim was to take this long-established event into new territory while preserving its character,” said Karl Baumer, president of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and director of BMW Group Classic, outlining the reasons behind the changes. “The main initiative we introduced to give people extra opportunity to visit the Concorso was the addition of a second public day,” continued Baumer. Dr. Jean-Marc Droulers, president of Villa d’Este S.p.A., also declared himself pleased with the weekend: “We’ve seen cars and motorcycles which
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made our hearts beat a little faster – both within the small, exclusive environs of the Villa d’Este and together with the wider public at the Villa Erba.” During the Saturday exhibition, as Riva yachts and J Craft boats bobbed at their moorings near Villa d’Este’s floating swimming pool – their ultra-lacquered mahogany decks glassier than the wind-chopped lake surface – music from a jazz quartet provided the afternoon’s soundtrack, interrupted only occasionally by the whooshing of helicopter blades that announced the arrival of a VIP guest. Fashionably dressed owners and a few pampered pooches meandered the grounds, seeking solace from the midday sun under the leafy canopy of a mature tree or the hotel’s covered terrace. Following lunch, a narrated parade of automobiles allowed guests to appreciate the beauty and history of each example. Te weekend’s only glitch – a brief afternoon rain shower just before the awards presentation on both Saturday and Sunday – sent patrons scrambling for cover and owners rushing to seek shelter for their vehicles, some of which are never washed with traditional soap and water.
