Elegance at Villa d’Este Sees New & Old Ferraris
The Grand Hotel Villa d’Este is one of the world’s most iconic hotels and is located on the shores of the equally beautiful Lake Como. For the Concours d’Elegance Villa d’Este the grounds and parkland offer guests and visitors the opportunity to admire some 50 historic cars built between the 1920s and 1980s.
From Friday 25th May to Sunday 27th May 2018, the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este and also Villa Erba were the exclusive and unique setting for this traditional event where guests admired the finest historic cars and motorcycles of their eras. The theme chosen by the organizers (BMW Group Classic) for 2018 was: “Hollywood on the Lake”.
The tradition continued with approximately 50 Historic Cars being presented in eight classes:
A. The Titans: Dirt, Dust and Danger B. From Manhattan to Mayfair: The Golden Age of Motoring Opulence C. Shaped by the Wind: Grandes Routières of the Art Deco Era D. New World, New Ideas: The Story of the GT E. Speed Meets Style: The Flowering of the Sports and the Racing Car F. 80 Years of Automotive Archeology G. Hollywood On The Lake: Stars of the Silver Screen H. When Sex Was Safe and Racing Was Dangerous: Formula One!
Five of these classes covered the entire spectrum of automobile history including pre-war racing, through pre-war luxury to post-war sports beauties. In 2018, three special classes completed the field: The Motto Class with vehicles known from famous Hollywood productions, a Formula One Class with cars that defined the top league of motorsport history, and the Preservation Class with exceptionally well-preserved cars.
An exclusive panel of jury members led by Jury President Lorenzo Ramaciotti selected all the historic cars and they also awarded the Best of Show prize – the BMW Group Trophy. This was conferred for an extraordinary automobile which expressed beauty, passion and uniqueness and was won by the 1958 Ferrari 335 Sport Spyder Scaglietti, owned by Andreas Mohringer of Austria. Austria. (A complete history of this amazing racer was covered recently in Cavallinos 220 and 221.)
The public gets to choose their favorite cars by public referendum on Sunday at Villa Erba. The winner of the Concorso d’Eleganza Design Award For Concept Cars & Prototypes went to the brand new Ferrari SP38 Coupé, designed by Ferrari designer Flavio Manzoni, and entered by Loris Kessel Auto SA on behalf of its new owner.
The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este owes its special status among the world’s prestigious heritage events for historic vehicles to a number of unique attributes. They include the elegance of the event, its long and illustrious tradition, its unrivalled flair at the stunning Grand Hotel Villa d’Este on the shores of Lake Como, and the small and select groups of participants.
Images from Marcel Massini.
A compete report on the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, with a chart of all Ferrari entrants, including model, owners, results and the all-important chassis numbers, will be in the August 1 issue of Cavallino #226. Subscribe today!
