NO BESTING BUGATTI
A Bugatti 57 S wins Best of Show at the 2022 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este Written by Andre James / Photos courtesy of BMW Group Classic The Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, held on the shore of Lake Como in Italy, is heralded as the world's most traditional beauty contest for historic cars. In the 16th century, Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio had a palace designed to serve as his private residence; in 1873, it became one of the most luxurious hotels in the world, the Villa D'Este. The hotel has been hosting the Concorso d'Eleganza since 1929, with the majestic Villa d'Este palace, gardens in the style of the Italian Renaissance, and the glittering waters of Lake Como serving as a stunning backdrop for the exceptional automobiles on display. At the culmination of the three-day festival this past May, an international jury of experts selected a 1937 Bugatti 57 S, owned by Andrew Pisker of Monaco, as the overall winner out 52 slmag.net
of a field of 51 outstanding classic cars from different eras of automobile history. With seven different classes on display, the Bugatti Type 57S competed in class A, 'The Golden Age of Elegance: The Art Deco Era of Motor Car Design.' The technical excellence comes from Bugatti, while the elegant convertible body is the work of Vanvooren, based in Courbevoie in the suburbs of Paris. The convertible still makes an impression nowadays with its proportions and clear lines. It is the first of just four Bugatti Type 57S cars built with a Vanvooren convertible body. One of its previous ten owners, a Vice President of General Motors, swapped the Bugatti inline eight-cylinder powerhouse for a Buick V8 for test purposes. Following some extensive research, the original straight eight-
