We are all privileged to look back on a weekend full of spectacular automobiles representing their era. The dreamlike flair of the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este on the shores of Lake Como offered the perfect stage to experience the magic of mobility at this year´s edition of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in all its fabulous diversity. The world’s arguably most exclusive and traditional heritage festival for automobiles captivated a host of visitors from 24th May to 26th May at the venue. The Jury selected the ultimate stellar winner from the participants campaigning in the eight glamorous classes.
An Alfa Romeo 8C 2300, styled in the coachwork design of a spider by Figoni from the 1930s, won the contest. On Sunday the proud owner of the HM Collection from Belgium, received the prestigious winner’s prize Trofeo BMW Group – Best of Show. It was presented by Helmut Käs, Head of BMW Group Classic and President of the Concorso d‘Eleganza Villa d´Este, and Wilhelm Schmid, CEO of A. Lange und Söhne. Alongside the stunning trophy, the winner selected by the Jury also received a unique model of the 1815 Chronograph in white gold. The exclusive watch was created by A. Lange und Söhne especially for the winner of the Best of Show.
This year’s winner of the Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este selected by Public Referendum was the McLaren F1 from the year 1995. A supremely successful supercar in the form of the racing car presented by Tony Vassilopoulos from Great Britain gained the highest number of votes from visitors to the event.
The BMW Group Cocktail started the official program in glamorous fashion with the presentation of the 20th BMW Art Car designed by Julie Mehretu. For the start of a festive first night BMW kicked things off with two stunning world premieres: the BMW Concept Skytop, influenced by its historic ancestors the BMW Z8 and BMW 503, and the BMW R 20 concept, a daring homage of the Big Boxer Roadster by BMW Motorrad. Rolls-Royce not only celebrated the 120th anniversary of the brand with a historic class at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, but also presented the Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II, a bold evolution of the world´s pre-eminent super-luxury SUV.
BMW Group Classic captivated a diverse public audience on both Public Days. At Wheels & Weisswürscht – Amici & Automobili held on the Saturday, a large number of BMW automobile clubs and clubs from other marques in North and Central Europe celebrated the automobile diversity of different brands from the 1930s to the present day. They joined together to salute over 150 models from this period.
The Concorso d´Eleganza Villa d´Este Public Day – il Festivale and its numerous highlights attracted an audience of nearly 12,000 visitors and was already sold out in the early afternoon. The exhibition in the Rotunda set in the park of Villa Erba featured the 20th BMW Art Car styled by Julie Mehretu, alongside additional iconic BMW Art Cars with Le Mans racing history.
The sporty, elegant BMW Z8 was a real crowd-pleaser on the shores of Lake Como to mark its 25th anniversary. At the BMW Group Innovation Isle, the company provided information about new drive systems and technological innovations in its current model portfolio. A special tribute was dedicated to the great Marcello Gandini – master of modern Italian automobile design – who passed away recently. Young visitors and game fans were able to have fun on the Carrera Track and Sim Racing simulator, pitting their skills against pro Bruno Spengler. The Public Day also enabled the spectators to celebrate their common fascination for automobility as they watched the spectacular parade of all the Historic Cars competing in the award classes of the Concorso d´Eleganza Villa d´Este 2024. This cavalcade presented an impressive show spanning the arc from past to future.
After the conclusion of the Parade held on Sunday, Helmut Käs (Head of BMW Group Classic and President of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este), Carlotta Fontana (Board Member of Villa d´Este) and Massimiliano di Silvestre (President of BMW Italy) presented the income from ticket sales on the Saturday and an additional amount from BMW Group Classic as a donation totalling € 50,000 to Matteo Monti (Mayor of Cernobbio) for the local authority’s children’s nursery in Cernobbio.
“The Concorso d´Eleganza Villa d´Este 2024 enables us to highlight the fascination of mobility in all its facets and connect the iconic automobile past with the present and the future. We see this not simply as creating an exclusive event but most importantly also as forging an event on the Public Days for all aficionados of Historic Cars,” explained Helmut Käs (Head of BMW Group Classic and President of the Concorso d´Eleganza Villa d´Este).
“Villa d’Este is proud to honour the timeless elegance, class, and passion for automobiles that have characterised the Concorso d’Eleganza since 1929. The success of the event lies in the unique cars showcased but also in the emotion and passion shared by generations of motor enthusiasts. We are thankful to BMW Group for the long-lasting partnership and the great collaboration with Villa d’Este,” commented Davide Bertilaccio (CEO Villa d´Este Hotels).
