PressClub Canada · Article.
Dazzling beauties at Lake Como: the winners of the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2008.
Mon Apr 28 15:45:00 CEST 2008 Press Release
Munich/Cernobbio. It would be hard to find another event where beauty, elegance and technical perfection come together as spectacularly as during the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. The atmosphere surrounding the Grand Hotel Villa d'Este on the shores of Lake Como, moreover, has turned this beauty contest into a unique experience for all visitors since its inauguration in the year 1929. On the last weekend in April, more than 50 classic cars along with 12 concept cars and prototypes once again accepted the invitation from the Grand Hotel and the BMW Group to line up before the expert gaze of the public and the Jury.
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Author.
Barb Pitblado
BMW Group
This year the BMW Group Design team took up the time-honoured tradition of
designing cars exclusively for the Concorso d'Eleganza and unveiled its BMW M1
Homage. This design study, inspired by the BMW M1 and BMW Turbo, embraces
tradition and modernism to give an insight into BMW's own vision of a
historically inspired automotive future.
Voted "Best of Show" by the Jury to take the Trofeo BMW Group was the Ferrari
166 MM Berlinetta Touring from the year 1949. Count Giannino Marzotto had
acquired the Ferrari 166 MM from Enzo Ferrari, which was then given an
aerodynamic coupé body by Touring based on their trademark superleggera, or
lightweight, construction method. This model was exhibited at the 1950 Geneva
Motor Show. The Ferrari was then equipped with a new V12 Colombo Type 195
engine and went on to win the 1950 Mille Miglia. In the late 1950s the Ferrari
was deployed in small-scale racing events in the USA before being sold with its
original 1949 engine to an American collector in 1965, who kept it until 2001.
Its present owner, John Croul, acquired the car in 2003 and had it completely
restored to its original condition.
Visitors to Villa d'Este on Saturday elected the winner of the Coppa D'Oro,
with the largest number of votes going to the Mercedes-Benz 540 K
Autobahnkurier dating from 1938. Just two streamlined coupé bodies were built
onto the chassis of the Mercedes-Benz 540 K. The car on show was purchased in
1938 by Dr Ignacio Barraquer and remained in family ownership until 2004. The
Autobahnkurier then went to Deborah and Arturo Keller, who had it completely
restored.
For the Trofeo BMW Group Italia, visitors voted the 1937 Delahaye 135 M by
Figoni & Falaschi the winner. The roadster was presented at the 1937 Paris
Motor Show and bought by an Indian maharaja. 50 years later the Delahaye left
India and was restored in England. Its present owner, Peter Mullin of the USA,
acquired the car in 1993.
Electing the most beautiful model in the Concept Cars and Prototypes class,
visitors at Villa Erba on Sunday cast their votes in favour of the Bugatti
Veyron Fbg Hermès of 2008. With the Bugatti Veyron Fbg, Hermès has taken its
cue from the erstwhile collaboration between car-crazy saddle-maker Emile
Hermès and horse-loving car designer Ettore Bugatti to build a Hermès special
based on the Bugatti Veyron.
All the results of this year's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este can be found in
the attached list.
Visitors can find further information at www.concorsodeleganzavilladeste.it.
For media representatives, further information and high-res images are
available at www.press.bmwgroup.com. Please use the search term "Concorso".