It has become a mainstay in the social calendar, more exclusive than Goodwood, but still an event than some car makers choose to display their latest concepts and prototypes. Held in the grounds of the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este on Lake Como, Italy and now in its 12th running, more than 5,000 people attended yesterday’s concours day where awards are handed out for the most prized and meticulously maintained historic cars.
The event was first held in 1929 – the same year in which BMW began producing automobiles and since its revival in the 1990s has celebrated the design, originality and perfect preservation of the world’s most important and collectible cars. BMW are patrons of the event and used it for the the world premiere of the BMW 328 Kamm Coupé.
The event was also the venue for the “100 Years of Alfa Romeo” special exhibition, which saw the premiere of the spectacular Zagato TZ3 Corsa, inspired by the ‘Tubolare Zagato’ racing cars. Powered by by the Alfa 8C Competizione’s V8 engine, the TZ3 sports a familiar Alfa racing ‘breadvan’ profile and was commissioned by German collector Martin Kapp as a special celebration of 100 years of racing from Scuderia Ferrari, Alfa Corse, Autodelta, and Scuderia Zagato.
“Once again the Concorso has borne impressive testimony that cars have lost none of their fascination,” commented Karl Baumer, President of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and Director of BMW Group Classic.
Jean-Marc Droulers, President of Villa d’Este S.p.A., looked back on two extraordinary days: “The Concorso is ruled by a constellation that could hardly be bettered: heritage, elegance and a passion for cars create the perfect foundation for a weekend such as we have been privileged to experience once again.”
Later on Sunday, the cars moved to the nearby Villa Erba with its adjacent park, where there was more space available to enable the public to get a closer look at the cars.
We’ve got a gallery of images from the event below, however if you’re interested in a more in-depth review together with a host of exclusive photos then take a look over at the article on Ultimatecarpage.com.
Photo credit: BMW Group Classic
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