The Concorso d'Eleganza Italiauto was held for the third time on May 7, 2017 in the idyllic St. Urban monastery in Pfaffnau. And for the third time in a row, it rained. The weather forecasts had not promised anything better, but organizer Urs Vogel hoped to the last that for once Peter would take pity on the beautiful classic cars of Italian origin that had registered for the Concorso.
But it was not to be. "Now we're postponing," said Vogel, somewhat annoyed and saddened, as more than a third of the expected cars were missing due to the weather.
Come anyway
The owners of those rare Italians who nevertheless made the journey to St. Urban and didn't shy away from getting wet had to be congratulated. For example, the attractive Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Spyder Corsa Tipo 256 from 1939 arrived open-top; the flat pre-war sports car does not have a roof anyway.
Even the Fiat 501 from 1926, the oldest participating vehicle, was certainly at least damp, as it has no windows at all.
Staying dry
There were also fewer spectators in St. Urban than expected. And they would have had to do without some of the classics that had registered but not arrived, including the Lancia Flaminia Sport Zagato, Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider, Ferrari 400i, Fiat 131 Abarth Stradale, Alfa Romeo Giulia TI Super, Fiat 850 Familiare, Alfa Romeo 1900 C Cabriolet, Ferrari 365 GTC 4 Michelotti Beach Car and Alfa Romeo Giulietta SS, to name just a few examples.
Beads of water on the elegant bodies
Despite the lack of vehicles, the offerings in the monastery garden were impressive. And the fact that rain makes you beautiful was demonstrated by the raindrops beading up on the well-kept paintwork. Vehicles from the Carlo Abarth kitchen were particularly well represented. Early Fiat 500 derivatives were on display, as well as the famous Coupé Record Monza, the rare Allemano cabriolet and a later example based on the Fiat 850 Coupé.
The vehicles on which coachbuilder Zagato had left its mark were also well represented, including an Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ, a Lancia Flavia Sport and an Alfa Romeo Junior Zagato.
A rare 1940 Artena IV politician's limousine and a 1960 Appia Vignale Cabriolet from the Lancia brand were also on display.
And sports car fans also got their money's worth with the white Lamborghini Countach LP 400 S from 1979, which Ferruccio Lamborghini is said to have once driven himself.
errari was not only represented by a 275 GTB from 1966, but also by an entire club with mostly newer vehicles, which were shown outside the Concours in a special exhibition. The Ferrari 330 P4 on display was also impressive in terms of form, although it was openly declared to be a replica with an eight-cylinder engine.
Of course, the former bread-and-butter cars were not neglected either, with various Fiat 500 and 600, Alfa Romeo Giulia, Fiat 128 and so on gathered in St. Urban.
Many prize winners
The chances of winning one of the thirteen trophies awarded naturally increased for the participants due to the lower turnout. The jury also had a little less work to do, but it had to be done in wet shoes.
In the afternoon, the prizes were ceremoniously presented and went to the following cars:
| Category | No. | Vehicle | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 20 | Lancia Artena IV Series Ministeriale | 1940 |
| B | 1 | Fiat 600 D | 1963 |
| C | 48 | Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato | 1960 |
| D | 37 | Fiat-Abarth 1300/124 Coupé | 1969 |
| E | 45 | Lombardi Grand Prix | 1972 |
| F | 64 | Fiat 130 Berlina 3200 | 1974 |
| G | 27 | Maserati Mistral | 1966 |
| H | 51 | Lamborghini Countach LP 400S | 1979 |
| I | 39 | Lancia Appia Cabriolet | 1960 |
| J | 38 | Alfa Romeo Spider 2000 | 1975 |
| K | 42 | Fiat-Abarth Record Monza | 1959 |
| L | 49 | Ferrari 275 GTB | 1966 |
So at least for these the journey was certainly worthwhile!
The most beautiful with the prancing horse
The Ferrari 275 GTB from 1966 was voted "Best of Show" by the jury, a classic beauty and naturally presented in very good condition. In times when these cars are traded in the seven-figure range, it must be particularly appreciated that the owner did not let the bad weather stop him from taking part.
However, he too would certainly have wished for sunshine and the promised picnic in the monastery garden, but unfortunately that didn't happen. So let's hope that it will finally work out in 2018 when the Vogel team invites you to the 11th Italiauto.
