The tenth edition of Passione Engadina, which took place from August 27 to 29, 2021, featured a magnificent array of Italian classics that came together in the Grisons region of St. Moritz. Ferrari was the guest of honor and thanks to a close collaboration with Ronnie Kessel, the selection of sports cars with horses was certainly impressive. The historic cars were joined by 30 modern Ferraris, including absolute rarities such as two Monza SPs.
A new car called the Kimera EVO37, which was presented by company founder Luca Betti as the spiritual successor to the Lancia 037 Rallye of the 1980s, also attracted a lot of attention at the Passione.
Impressive field of participants
Those who watched the Julius Baer Rally pass by on Saturday could almost take in the "best of the best" of Italian car history.
Starting with pre-war vehicles from Lancia, Fiat and Alfa Romeo, it was mainly the sporty post-war cars from Maserati, Ferrari and Alfa Romeo that passed passers-by, with some Lamborghini and special Lancia cars providing variety.
Special show of Ferrari rarities
In front of the Kulm Hotel in St. Moritz, the headquarters of Passione Engadina, the public was able to admire some unique cars: a Ferrari 512 M Prototype, a Ferrari 206 S and a Ferrari 206 SP.
Only the event participants were then able to view the Ferrari 250 GTO (330 GTO) in all its beauty (for safety reasons) while it was parked in the Suvretta hall, where the guests dined on Friday evening.
The new generation and the women
The growing number of women attending the event were able to take part in the Bvlgari Ladies' Cup in Samedan. On the landing strip, the very young Emilia Eyring and Franzisca Walti won the women-only competition in their classic car.
Thanks to the "Next Generation" project developed together with Julius Baer, more and more young pilots are taking part in the Passione. And, as shown in the Ladies Cup, they can also hold their own against the more experienced participants.
Over the passes around St. Moritz
On the new route of the Julius Baer Rally on Saturday, August 28, the couple Stefano Valente and Charlotte Magaraggia were able to prevail aboard their magnificent 1935 Fiat Balilla Berlinetta.
Right behind them came the pairing of Filippo Sole and Umberto Galloni in the fresh Pebble Beach winner, the 1930 Lancia Dilambda 227 Cabriolet, whose interior was customized by Serapian. The same team also won the Challenge Cup, which was held at Samedan Airport on Sunday morning.
Third place in the Julius Baer Rally went to Marino Pastore and Manuela Pastore with their 1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider.
Many familiar faces
Among the many familiar faces was two-time world champion Miki Biasion, who competed this year in a 1991 Lancia Delta Evo 1. However, the rally champion was not the only well-known driver at the rally.
Luca Betti, Simona De Silvestro, Jerôme D'Ambrosio, Katarina Kyvalova and Walter Röhrl's long-time co-driver Christian Geistdörfer also did the honors.
Beauty in a new and excellent way
In addition to the already established Luigini Della Santa Concorso di Eleganza, in which the public jury selected their favorite car, the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS by Corrado Lopresto, as the winner, a new competition concept was presented for the first time: Eleganza in Movimento. This is not a Concours d'Elegance like any other.
The cars and their owners are not judged according to criteria of authenticity, restoration, originality, with lists of details to be checked and points deducted, but according to the style of their cars and the passion with which they maintain and use them.
The judges, who supported the initiator of this new concept, Lorenzo Ramaciotti (former head of design at Pininfarina and FCA), were Philip Ratghen and Stefano Pasini. The judges, all of whom have extensive experience of international Concours d'Elegance, awarded prizes in various categories.
In the category "Colpo di Fulmine - the car I would take home", the winner was a breathtaking 1962 Ferrari 250 SWB by Caspar Stürm, which was awarded a work of art by Roman artist Stefano Notargiacomo.
CO2-neutral
At the end of the event, the new CO2 compensation project was presented together with Enrico Uffer (owner of Uffer AG Savognin). This is an issue that is very close to Passione Engadina's heart. The project called "Pigna Verde", which is completely new in terms of CO2 compensation certificates, is under the auspices of a foundation that has set itself the goal of erecting protective barriers along the many cantonal roads in Graubünden, which currently only exist in a few places. These barriers are intended to prevent landslides caused by climate change and thawing permafrost, thereby preserving the integrity of the roads.
