As if last year's cancellation wasn't enough, the Concorso d'Eleganza in the gardens of Villa d'Este was postponed from May to October this year due to the pandemic. However, after a delay of five months, the traditional beauty contest finally took place again from October 1 to 3, 2021 after a break of over two years.
However, the public was not yet allowed to attend, so things were a little quieter than usual on the lakeshore. Nevertheless, 47 cars were once again vying for the coveted trophies and awards this year, accompanied by five modern concept studies that were presented outside of the competition. In addition to the external beauty and technical perfection, it was above all the stories of the cars that were particularly fascinating.
Germany versus England
Englishman Ian Maxwell-Scott made the 1000 kilometer journey to Cernobbio in his Aston Martin DB5 Convertible on his own wheels. The Sierra blue convertible is only in its second ownership. The first owner was an English surgeon whose patients included Queen Elizabeth. His official car was therefore allowed to be a little faster. However, it is not known whether he also used the 286 hp for house calls and drove the 240 km/h on the way there.
The DB5 competed in the "Showroom Showdown - Britain and Germany Battle for Luxury Supremacy" class, in which English and German classics from the post-war period were grouped together. In the end, however, the Germans won (as always) in the style of Gary Lineker; the class victory went to the white Mercedes-Benz 300 SL with aluminum bodywork. However, the second-hand Aston still received an "honorable mention".
Prevented racing cars and big little ones
The Austrian Gräf & Stift SR4 SP from 1924 was built especially for the hill climb on the Semmering Pass in Austria. Unfortunately, the organizers ran out of money for 1925. The car disappeared into the company's attic and was only rediscovered in 1980 when the company building was demolished. The boat-tail roadster was then sold to a collector who actually wanted to restore the car. But after it was dismantled, the Gräf & Stift fell into a deep slumber again for more than 20 years.
It was only after it had changed hands again that life was breathed back into it. Just under two weeks before the Concorso, for which it had already been entered (still under reserve), the restoration was completed and the never-used racing car left its home country for the first time for a weekend in neighboring Italy. Nevertheless, it was not enough to win the "Developing the Theme - Space, Pace and Grace" class. That went to the 1938 Delage D8-120 S with breathtakingly beautiful roadster bodywork by De-Villars.
The Fiat 508 CS Balilla Aerodinamica in the style of a shrunken Bugatti Atalante, which also tried its hand in the "Developing the Theme - Space, Pace and Grace" category amidst all the heavy pre-war cars from Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Delage, received a lot of attention (but no trophy). In a wooden box almost as big as the car, its life and restoration history from 1935 to the present day was documented with photos and original parts.
Fiat, Ferrari and Fraschini
In the class of Italian post-war cars "Granturismo all'Italiana - Finding the Perfect GT Formula", victory went to a Fiat 8V, which, however, did not wear the often award-winning Supersonic dress from Ghia, but an elegant coupé body from Vignale. Among others, it prevailed against an Isotta Fraschini 8C Monterosa with a convertible body by Boneschi. Presented at the Paris Motor Show in 1947, the car with a Hemi V8 in the rear was intended to herald a new beginning after the war, but never made it past the prototype stage.
The red Ferrari F40 was only at first glance an F40 like any other of the 1315 cars built. On closer inspection, it turned out to be one of eight prototypes. It was probably even one of the two cars that Ferrari used for the press presentation on July 21, 1987. This prototype differed in various details from the later series, for example in the chassis design, the fixed headlights and a different rear grille. Ferrari sold it to a private owner in 1992.
But even for this very special F40, it was "only" enough for an honorary mention. First place in the category "The Birth of the Supercar - Latin Style Landmarks" went to the Lamborghini Countach Walter Wolf Special, which was created in 1975 at the suggestion of the Austrian-born oil millionaire and anticipated the look of the 1978 LP 400 S with its large rear wing and fender extensions. With the five-liter engine from the LP500 study and 448 hp, it was also more powerful than any previous production Countach.
From the Turbine to the Tour de France
The most sonorous car was probably the Howmet TX in the class with the fitting name "Big Band '40s to Awesome '80s - Five Decades of Endurance Racing". The GT, which looks like a Chaparral, is powered by a helicopter turbine. It drowned out everything with its infernal screeching sound and thrilled the audience with its smell of burnt kerosene. In 1968, the Howmet competed in the 24-hour race in Daytona for the first time, set the seventh-fastest time in qualifying and worked its way up to third place in the race thanks to the competitors' refuelling stops, before flying off the track on lap 34.
He also came away empty-handed here and today. The honorary mention went to the Methuselah of the category: the OSCA MT4 Siluro from 1949. The class victory went to the Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France from 1956.
The silver coupé also secured the overall victory of the Concorso d'Eleganza: the coveted "Coppa d'Oro" and thus the title of "Best of Show". This was the seventh time in a row that an Italian-made vehicle had won the most important award. The endurance racing car, built in 1956 and owned by the US American Brian Ross, owes its name to the Tour de France Automobile, the stage race on French roads that was won by a Ferrari 250 GT in 1956. The award-winning car was built as the second model in the series subsequently launched by Ferrari and competed in another famous endurance race on the day of its first registration: the Mille Miglia. In the following years, it achieved several more victories in hill climbs.
A 50-year-old new build
The special show of design studies offered another surprise at the end. Even if it didn't seem like it at first glance, all five concept cars on show were from the 21st century, even from the last three years. This is because the Lamborghini Countach LP500, which stood between the Bugatti Centodieci, Giugiaro Vision 2030, Hispano Suiza Carmen and Pininfarina Battista, is a faithful replica of the 1971 study, built in 2021. The original fell victim to a crash test in 1972.
Even if the break between the last two editions of the Concorso d'Eleganza was particularly long, it also has a good side. Thanks to this year's postponement, it will only be a good six months before the Parco della Villa d'Este is transformed into Italy's most expensive parking lot again in May 2022.
Participants and prizes
| Class / No. | Vehicle | Year | Prizes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A02 | Hispano Suiza H6 B Dual Cowl Bligh Tourer | 1926 | |
| A04 | Bentley 3 Litre Speed Red Label | 1927 | |
| A06 | OM 665 Sport Superba MM Zagato | 1927 | |
| A08 | Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GTC Spider Zagato | 1931 | Honorary mention |
| A10 | Armstrong Siddeley Special Six Sports Tourer | 1933 | |
| A12 | Lancia Astura Torpedo GS Viotti | 1934 | Class winner |
| A14 | Lagonda LG45 Rapide | 1937 | |
| B16 | Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost 40/50 High Speed | 1920 | |
| B17 | Gräf & Stift SR4 SP | 1925 | |
| B18 | Lancia Dilambda Series 1 Carlton Drop Head Coupé | 1930 | Honorary mention |
| B20 | Fiat 508 CS "Balilla Aerodinamica" | 1935 | |
| B25 | BMW 328 | 1938 | |
| B26 | Delage D8-120 S Cabriolet de Villars | 1938 | Class winner |
| B28 | Steyr 220 Gläser sports convertible | 1939 | |
| C30 | Bentley Mk VI Franay Convertible | 1947 | |
| C32 | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (aluminum) | 1955 | Class winner |
| C34 | Bentley S1 Continental Park Ward Drop Head Coupé | 1956 | |
| C36 | BMW 507 | 1959 | |
| C38 | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster | 1963 | |
| C40 | Aston Martin DB5 Convertible | 1965 | Honorary mention |
| D42 | Isotta Fraschini 8C Monterosa | 1948 | |
| D46 | Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Supergioiello Ghia | 1950 | Honorary mention |
| D48 | Lancia Aurelia B53 Balbo Coupé | 1952 | |
| D50 | Alfa Romeo 1900 C Sprint Supergioiello Ghia | 1953 | |
| D52 | Fiat 8V Vignale | 1953 | Class winner |
| D54 | Moretti 1200 GS | 1954 | |
| D56 | Siata 208 CS Coupé Bertone | 1954 | |
| E60 | OSCA MT4 Siluro | 1949 | Honorary mention |
| E62 | Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France | 1956 | Class winner, Best of Show |
| E64 | Alpine M64 | 1964 | |
| E66 | Howmet TX | 1968 | |
| E70 | Ferrari 512 BB Le Mans | 1981 | |
| F74 | Fiat 500 Abarth Berlinetta Pininfarina | 1957 | |
| F76 | Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder SWB | 1960 | Class winner |
| F78 | Ferrari 400 Superamerica | 1961 | |
| F80 | Ferrari 275 GTB/4 | 1967 | Honorary mention |
| F81 | Ferrari 365 GTB/4 | 1973 | |
| G82 | Lamborghini Miura P400 S | 1970 | |
| G84 | Lamborghini Countach LP 400 S Walter Wolf Special | 1978 | Class winner |
| G89 | Aston Martin V8 Volante Zagato | 1989 | |
| G91 | Ferrari F40 | 1989 | Honorary mention |
| H94 | Isdera Commendatore 112i | 1993 | Class winner |
| H96 | Bugatti EB 110 Super Sport | 1994 | |
| H98 | McLaren F1 | 1995 | Honorary mention |
| H100 | Ferrari F50 | 1996 | |
| H102 | Porsche 911 GT1 | 1996 | |
| H104 | Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR | 1998 | |
| P02 | Pininfarina Battista | 2019 | |
| P04 | Bugatti Centodieci | 2019 | |
| P06 | Giugiaro Vision 2030 | 2020 | |
| P08 | Hispano Suiza Carmen "Boulogne" | 2020 | |
| P10 | Lamborghini Countach LP500 | 1971 |
