I seem to have forgotten the concept cars, which I show today.
The Tesla Electric
The Lexus
BMW's offering
From Ford
And Bertone
And a cheeky comparison between one of these small cars and the lead car for the Concorso...the magnificent Rolls Royce from the Peterson Museum...a real monster of a car! More on this magnificent car in a later post.
Looks like a nice vintage BMW...and as this was photographed on the grounds of Villa D'Erba on the public day of the Concorsa D'Eleganza 2012, not really unusual. Until....
What's that? A beer bar in the boot? Yea! Nice for some cold beer on a nice sunny day.
A look at the rear seat compartment reveals the beer containers...properly fitted with nice leather, of course! Afterall this is THE Concorso!
Pull me a cold one, bartender...um, driver...um...
So what does BMW stand for again? Beer Motor Works, of course!
This 1939 example, entered as car no 12 in the Concorso d'Eleganza della Villa D'Este 2012 is a magnificent specimen. Looking almost brand new, with glistening paintwork, superb interior and a beautifully sounding engine.
The motor car is powered by an 8 cylinder, 5401cc, Roots supercharged engine develops 180hp, allowing the car can accelerate to 180 kph. This Spezial Roadster was created in the MB workshop in Sindelfingeen on a short wheelbase with a 5 speed gearbox is a unique piece, custom built for Alfried Krupp von Bophlen und Halbach.
The car went to the USA after the war, and changed owners several times, till it was professionally restored at the end of the 1980s by the current owner Berthold Albrecht of Germany.
Still immaculately roadworthy, and featuring a beautiful interior, the car is quite, quite magnificent.
Powered by a 156kW, 6 cylinders, 2995cc with injection and a top speed of 260 kph. The coachwork is by Coupe Gullwing, Mercedes Benz. Entered into the Concorso D'Eleganza della Villa D'Este 2012 by a collector from France.
Based on a sports car, this automobile was based on the Type 300 saloon that Mercedes used in 1952 for racing. Mercedes achieved numerous success with this coupe, including the Mille Miglia, Le Mans and the Carrera Panamericana in Mexico.
The owner decked out in period dress and matching leather covered helmet and gloves.
The car was popular, particularly in the US market.The boot lid, engine bonnet, sill and door panel were made out of aluminium as standard.
This magnificently restored car features a standard six cylinder inline engine with a
displacement of 1752cc. This type was originally developed by Vittorio Jano and was
presented in Rome in 1929. And presented to the 2012 Concorso by its current owner David
Cohen from Canada.
This car is a particularly rare Alfa Romeo 1750 with a unique coupe body by Italian
coachbuilder Figoni.
This car is fone from the sixth and last series of the Type 1750 and was presented at
the Paris Motor Show in 1933. Later the car won several beauty contests and winning in
its class at the 24 hour Le Mans in 1935.
The beautiful sweeping lines of the car is amazing. And the immaculate paintwork!
As is the wonderfully immaculate interior....note the interesting dashboard.
As winner of the Coppa Doro, the car also won a special prize from this Concorso's new
partner - the fine watchmaking firm of A. Lange & Sohne, who presented the winner with a
special edition of the Lange 1 Timezone. This watch has a special city indication on the
timezone dial which indicates Como instead of the customary Berlin. And features a semi-
hunter caseback with the coat of arms of the Concorso D'Eleganza engraved by hand at the
engraving workshops in Glashutte.
This is a premier event for vintage cars...showing the most elegant, the most beautiful examples on the planet. Held annually since 1929, and only stopped...like the Olympic Games during the war years in Europe, this Concorso is where the creme de la creme...the best of the best vintage cars are shown. I attended as a guest of A. Lange & Sohne, one of the new sponsors of the Concorso.
Here is a selection of my favourites. More on each car to follow...
The lead Rolls Royce...not entered in competition, but by special request from the Peterson Museum in Los Angeles. Magnificent car...comments ranging from Batmobile to Darth Vader's car abount...but this is a masterpiece. Magnificent, massive, imposing.
The rest of the cars...in the order they were presented to the judges and jury.
Rolls Royce Phantom 1 (1925)
Packard Twelve 15th Series (1937)
Delahaye 145 (1937)
Mercedes Benz 540k (1939)
Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS 6th Series (1933). This car won the Jury Prize, the Public Prize of Best of Show Prize...the prestigious Coppa d'Oro Villa d'Este. And special for this year, the additional prize from the newest sponsor to this event: the fine watchmaking house of A. Lange & Sohne who presented a special edition of the Lange 1 Timezone to the winner. This piece unique has the city of Como engraved on the timezone disk instead of the customary Berlin. And features a hunter caseback, with a hand engraved motif of the coat of arms of the Concorso.
Porsche 550/1500 RS (1954)
Mercedes Benz 300SL (1956)
Maserati A6G 2000 (1956)
Ferrari 250GT Europa (1955)
Lamborghini Miura SV/J (1972)
Jaguar D Type (1956)
Ford GT40 Mk3 (1968) and Porsche 914/K (1969)
