Cernobbio, Villa d’Este, 26 – 27 April 2008
April in Italy doesn’t get much better than the idyllic setting of the Villa d’Este Concorso
d’Eleganza in Cernobbio on the western shore of Lake Como, where the spring sun glints on a
magnificent array of superbly selected automobiles. The selection ranges from splendid rare
classic cars to the latest concept offerings from major manufacturers and design studios, with
the villa’s picture postcard architecture, carefully manicured gardens, complete with wisteria
blooming on the pergola over the boat ramp, providing an splendid backdrop to the proceedings.
As is the normal practice, the Saturday concours at the Villa d’Este is by invitation only, with the
public showing taking place on the lakeside lawns of Villa Erba, a few hundred metres south on
the other side of the town centre.
The 2008 edition, once again run under the patronage of the BMW Group, maintained the
standards of previous editions with a stunning collection of rare cars displayed on the lawns and
terraces between the hotel and lake. It is all credit to Urs Paul Ramseier, the Selecting Adviser,
that each year he manages to find a mouth watering selection of rarities and gems, that cannot
fail to raise the pulse rate of any true motoring enthusiast. The gathering may not be the largest
in terms of numbers, but the quality of the entries is second to none, and as already mentioned
the setting is postcard perfect.
Patrons since 1999, The BMW Group, always provide something special from their heritage
division, and this year it was a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Giorgio Giugiaro
designed M1 model There were a number of the original models on display and the
announcement of a modern concept car bringing back the M1 designation, they also presented
its CS Concept alongside the range of prototypes and concept cars from other manufacturers.
These included the resurrection of the Carrozzeria Touring name, with their Maserati Quattroporte
based Bellagio fastback concept car, and on the Sunday at Villa Erba their Maserati A8GCS
Berlinetta. Others cars in this part of the display included the Bugatti Veyron Fbg Hermes, the
Morgan Life Car Coupe, the Lexus LF-A Roadster, Zagato’s interpretation of the Bentley
Continental GT, the Mercedes-Benz F700 large saloon with its tiny (relative to the car size) 1.8
litre “DiesOtto” 4 cylinder engine, the Renault Mégane Coupé Concept and the Cadillac CTS
Coupe.
The counterpoint to these concept cars and prototypes were the classic cars, of which there were
over fifty examples ranging in age from a 1925 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Brewster Pall Mall
Tourer, to a 1973 De Tomaso Pantera 7X/Montella, designed and owned by Tom Tjaarda, which
never made production as the Pantera successor. The public vote on Saturday saw the Best of
Show Award go to the spectacular black 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540 K of Arturo & Deborah Keller,
whilst the Jury vote, announced on Sunday, went to the 1950 Mille Miglia winning Ferrari 166 MM
Touring Berlinetta of Jack Croul. Every car on display was worthy of a story in its own right,
whether it be the central driving position mid-engine 1935 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Jankovits, the
1968 Bizzarrini P 538 Manta show car, or any of the others, but suffice to say that the images will
speak volumes for the wonderful display that visitors could enjoy in this sublime setting.
Keith Bluemel
04/2008
Awards
Trofeo BMW Group
Best of Show by the Jury
Ferrari 166 MM Berlinetta Touring, 1949
Entrant: John Croul (USA)
Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este
Best of Show by Public Referendum at Villa d’Este
Mercedes-Benz 540 K Autobahnkurier Coupé Mercedes-Benz, 1938
Entrant: Arturo Keller (MEX)
Trofeo BMW Group Italia
By Public Referendum at Villa Erba
Delahaye 135 M 2-seater roadster Figoni & Falaschi, 1937
Entrant: Peter Mullin (USA)
Concorso d’Eleganza Design Award
By Public Referendum at Villa Erba
Bugatti Veyron Fbg Hermès Bugatti, 2008
Entrant: Georges Keller (DUE)
Class Winners and mention of Honour
Class A
“TOURING TITANS – Status Symbols of the 1920s & '30s”
Class Winner:
Daimler Double Six Sport Saloon Martin Walter, 1932, J. Peter Ministrelli (USA)
Mention of Honour:
Hispano-Suiza J 12 Berline Fernandez & Darrin, 1936, Jorge Fernandez (AUS)
Class B
“KINGS OF THE ROAD High Performance Models of the 1920s & '30s”
Class Winner:
Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Cabriolet Pinin Farina, 1940, Marc Caveng (CHE)
Mention of Honour:
Delahaye 135 M 2-seater roadster Figoni & Falaschi, 1937, Peter Mullin (USA)
Class C
“STREAMLINED - Style and speed”
Class Winner:
Mercedes-Benz 540 K Autobahnkurier Coupé Mercedes-Benz, 1938, Arturo Keller (MEX)
Mention of Honour:
Bugatti 57 SC Atalante 2-door Coupé Gangloff, 1937, Antonius Meijer (NLD)
Class D
“RIVIERA CRUISING – Post-War European Cabriolets”
Class Winner:
Maserati A6 G54 Cabriolet Frua, 1956, John Bookout jr. (USA)
Mention of Honour:
Bentley S1 Cabriolet Graber, 1956, Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen (DUE)
Class E
“SPEED AND STYLE – Sports Cars in Italian Suits”
Class Winner:
Ferrari 250 GT Serie 1 Spider Pinin Farina, 1958, Peter S. Kalikow (USA)
Mention of Honour:
Fiat 8V Coupé Ghia, 1954, Jan De Reu (BEL)
Class F
“THOROUGHBREDS – The Golden Age of the Granturismo”
Class Winner:
Bentley S1 Continental 2-door Saloon Mulliner, Fred Kriz, 1959 (MCO)
Mention of Honour:
Ferrari 250 Europa Coupé Pinin Farina, 1954, Johan Van Puyvelde (BEL)
Class G
“ITALIAN DREAMS – Show Cars by Italian Designers”
Class Winner:
Lancia Stratos Coupé Bertone, 1970, Chris Hrabalek (GBR)
Mention of Honour:
Ferrari 206 S Dino Competizione Berlinetta Pininfarina, 1967, James M. Glickenhaus (USA)
Class H
“ENDURANCE LEGENDS – Racing Greats of the 1950s ”
Class Winner:
Ferrari 166 MM Berlinetta Touring, 1949, John Croul (USA)
Mention of Honour:
Ferrari 500 TRC Spider Scaglietti, 1957, Gabriele Artom (ITA)
Special Prizes by the Jury
Trofeo “FIVA”
To the best preserved car by the Jury
Jaguar XK SS 2-seater sports Jaguar, 1957, Gary Bartlett (USA)
Trofeo Rolls-Royce
To the most elegant Rolls-Royce by the Jury
Rolls-Royce Phantom III Sport Saloon Barker, 1937, Heinz Eymann (CH)
Trofeo Auto & Design
To the most exciting design by the Jury
Pegaso Z-102 “Thrill” Berlinetta Touring, 1953, Roland D’Ieteren (B)
Trofeo Girard-Perregaux
Special Prize of the Jury
Bugatti 57 SC Atalante 2-door Coupé Gangloff, 1937, Antonius Meijer (NL)
Trofeo BMW Group Classic
To the most sensitive restoration by the Jury
Bentley S1 Cabriolet Graber, 1956, Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen (D)
Trofeo Automobile Club di Como
To the car driven from farthest away
Bentley S1 Continental 2-door Saloon Mulliner, 1959, Fred Kriz (MC)
Entered Automobiles
002 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Pall Mall Tourer by Brewster 1925
004 Bentley 3 litre Tourer by Van den Plas 1925
006 Mercedes-Benz 680S Open Tourer by Erdmann & Rossi 1928
008 Isotta-Fraschini 8A Roadster by Castagna 1928
010 Bentley 4.5 litre Blower Tourer by Van den Plas 1930
012 Daimler Double Six Sport Saloon by Martin Walter 1932
014 Voisin C24 factory Saloon 1934
016 Hispano-Suiza J12 Berline by Fernandez & Darrin 1936
018 Hispano-Suiza H6C 2-door Coupe by Van Vooren 1927
020 Mercedes Benz 680S Cabriolet by Erdmann & Rossi 1928
022 SS Cars Ltd. SS90 factory Open Two Seater 1935
024 Bugatti 57 Cabriolet by Graber 1936
026 Mercedes-Benz 320 Cabriolet A
028 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Sport Saloon by Barker 1937
030 Delahaye 135M Roadster by Figoni & Falaschi 1937
032 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Cabriolet by Pinin Farina 1940
036 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Spider by Jankovits 1935
038 Bugatti 57SC Atalante by Gangloff 1937
042 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 B Pescara Berlinetta by Pinin Farina 1937
044 Mercedes-Benz 540K Autobahnkurier 1938
046 Delahaye 135M Cabriolet by Graber 1948
048 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Cabriolet by Pinin Farina 1949
050 Bentley Mark VI Cabriolet by Ramseier 1949
052 Bentley S1 Cabriolet by Graber 1956
054 Lancia Aurelia B24 Spider by Pinin Farina 1955
056 Maserati A6 G54 Cabriolet by Frua 1956
058 BMW 507 factory Roadster 1958
060 Ferrari 166 Inter Berlinetta by Stabilimenti Farina 1949 sn.037S
062 Fiat 8V Coupe by Ghia 1954
064 Jaguar XK 140 Coupe by Ghia 1955
066 Ferrari 250 GT Spider S1 by Pinin Farina 1958 sn.0813GT
068 Triumph Italia 2000 Coupe by Vignale 1959
070 ATS 2500 GT Coupe by Allemano 1963
072 Lamborghini Miura SV Berlinetta by Bertone 1971
074 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Coupe by Pinin Farina 1949
076 Ferrari 250 Europa Coupe by Pinin Farina 1954 sn.0349EU
078 Facel Vega FV Limousine by Facel Metallon 1955
080 BMW 503 factory Coupe 1957
082 Bentley S1 Continental 2-door Saloon by Mulliner 1959
084 Lamborghini 350 GT Coupe by Touring 1964
084 Lamborghini 350GT Coupe by Touring 1964
086 Pegaso Z-102 "Thrill" Berlinetta by Touring 1953
088 Jaguar XK 150 Coupe by Ghia-Aigle 1958
090 De Tomaso Pantera 7X Montella Berlinetta by Ghia 1973
092 Ferrari 206S Dino Comp. Berlinetta by Pininfarina sn.10523
094 Bizzarrini P538 Manta Coupe by Ital Design 1968
096 Lancia Stratos Coupe by Bertone 1970
098 Ferrari 166MM Berlinetta by Touring 1953 sn.026M
100 Aston Martin DB3S sn. DB3S/117
BMW M1
BMW M1 Art Car Andy Warhol
BMW M1 Hommage
BMW M1 Procar-Series
Ferrari Entries
Model Colour Chassis # Entrant
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