Auto Channel

Spring is in the air for those that dwell in the northern hemisphere and with spring comes dry, warm sunny weather. Most classic car enthusiasts will already be preparing their beloved machines for the new season ahead. Generally, valuable classic cars are taken out of commission during the cold winter months to preserve the mechanicals and the body work from corrosion and deterioration.

Heightened activity in classic cars means an equal gain in activity for classic car event organisers as the next 6 months is their peak season. One of the first major events is the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este to be held near Lake Como.

More than fifty exotic pieces of machinery will be brought out into the spring sunlight from various marques. Vehicles such as the 1967 Pininfarina Dino 206 Competizione from Ferrari, a 1938 540 K Autobahnkurier from Mercedes (one of only two ever made) and the 1950 Mille Miglia winning Ferrari 166 MM Touring Berlinetta will make an appearance. The calibre of vehicles is extremely high which makes it even more of an honour that this event is to be BMW’s showcase for celebrating the 30th birthday of it’s iconic M1 sportscar.

The M1 was BMW’s answer to the all conquering Porsche 935 which was dominating the Group 5 series back in 1976. Essentially the M1 was a homologation special, the rules of which dictated that BMW would have to build 400 vehicles over a two year period to qualify. During the gestation period, the BMW M1’s design flirted with Lamborghini chassis builders before financial difficulties at the Italian automaker forced BMW to bring much of the work back in house. Guigiaro’s Ital design came up with the M1’s timeless shape. BMW’s M88 3.5L twin cam 24 valve straight 6 churned out an impressive 277hp from its mid engined position which gave the M1 huge cross- continental potential with 160+mph performance available.

The ironic twist in the M1’s tale is that homologation rules deemed that all 400 vehicles be built and sold to the public before it could race in the group 5 category, something BMW never achieved until 1981. By this time the game had moved on and BMW’s M1 was outclassed by more modern machinery.

Nevertheless this vehicle is still an icon for the Bavarian brand and was the first of many “M” vehicles to grace our roads and thirty years on it still cuts a distinctive edge amongst the more modern pack of supercars.

The Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este will held over the weekend of the 25th to 27th of April.



Press Release

Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2008: select classics and rare beauties.

The Concorso d'Eleganza once again invites the world's most attractive classic automobiles to Lake Como on the last weekend of April (25-27.04) for this highly traditional automotive beauty contest. "Our commitment to the event underscores the high regard in which we hold an automotive aesthetic that goes far beyond the bounds of brands and models," says Karl Baumer, Chairman of the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este and Director of BMW Group Mobile Tradition, of the BMW Group's longstanding patronage of the Concorso d'Eleganza. Jean-Marc Droulers, President of Villa d'Este SpA, also looks back with satisfaction on the collaboration with the BMW Group since 1999: "The Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este today ranks as one of the outstanding events of its kind. I believe we can all be a little proud of that."

Milestone of a longstanding tradition
This Bavarian-Italian partnership, as cultivated in the Concorso d'Eleganza, enjoys a longstanding heritage at BMW. One milestone of this tradition is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year - the BMW M1. It has prompted BMW to devote its 2008 Concorso exhibition to the iconic sports car that came from the drawing board of Italian stylist Giorgio Giugiaro. Alongside the production model, the various racing versions will also be on show at Lake Como.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé
The unique ambience of Villa d'Este will once again provide the stage for a Rolls-Royce heading straight from its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show to the shores of Lake Como. The 101EX Experimental Car had already given a foretaste here of a potential new coupé model to come; now the fully-fledged Phantom Coupé is ready for presentation this year. The fourth member of the Phantom family is the latest, driver-oriented Rolls-Royce to emerge from the fold. In it the timeless proportions of a Rolls-Royce are combined with modern lines, cutting-edge materials and the finest interior finishes. A driving experience such as this enables long distances to be covered in relaxed yet pacy style.

Classic beauties
Once again, more than 50 stunning classics covering six decades of motoring history have been selected for the Concorso d'Eleganza. Urs Paul Ramseier, the Selecting Adviser responsible for choosing the vehicles that take part in the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, already provided a few tasters from this select field of participants in Geneva.

Streamlining: Mercedes-Benz 540 K Autobahnkurier (1938)
Just two streamlined coupé bodies were mounted on the chassis of the Mercedes-Benz 540 K. In 1938 this model was acquired by Dr. Ignacio Barraquer and remained in family ownership until 2004. Then the Autobahnkurier was purchased by Deborah and Arturo Keller and subsequently underwent complete restoration before being presented again in 2006. 70 years after its world premiere, the Mercedes-Benz 540 K Autobahnkurier makes its reappearance in Europe at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este.

Winning type: Ferrari 166 MM Touring Berlinetta, 1949
Count Giannino Marzotto bought the Ferrari 166 MM from Enzo Ferrari. Touring provided it with an aerodynamic coupé body in Touring Superleggera construction. The car had been presented at the 1950 Geneva Motor Show, and Count Marzotto's aim was to drive it to victory in the 1950 Mille Miglia. He was not happy with the output of the 166 MM, however, and so Ferrari gave him with a new V12 Type 195 Colombo engine. This proved a resounding success: Count Giannino Marzotto and co-driver Marco Corsaro in car no. 724 swept to victory in the 1950 Mille Miglia. Sporting the spurs of this challenging "1,000-mile race", the Ferrari was exhibited at the Turin Motor Show that immediately followed. Whereas Raymond Sommer had been less successful in the 1950 Le Mans race, Marzotto went on to win the Rome 3-hour race in 1950 as well. In the late 1950s the Ferrari was deployed in smaller races in the USA before being sold to an American collector in 1965 along with its original engine of 1949. The new owner kept the car until 2001. Today's owner acquired it in 2003 and had it completely restored to its original condition.

Ahead of its time: the ATS 2500 GT (1963)
The mid-engine sports car built by Carlo Chiti and designed by Franco Scaglione must have caused a minor sensation at the 1963 Paris Motor Show. The ATS was not destined to be a commercial success, however, and only very few examples left the ATS automobile factory before it closed its gates permanently. After the Paris Show, the ATS 2500 GT went to a French collection, where it remained until 1984. Its current owner managed to obtain the car in 2003 and will present it at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este with its original odometer count of just 1,300 kilometres.

Pininfarina's yellow masterpiece: the Dino 206 Competizione (1967)
The Dino Competizione Pininfarina was unveiled for the first time at the 1967 Frankfurt Motor Show. This concept car, built on the basis of the Ferrari 206S chassis, remained in the Pininfarina Collection until 2007 - more than 40 years. Ferrari enthusiast James Glickenhaus succeeded in purchasing this exquisite one-off and, as its first owner, will present the car in complete original condition at Lake Como.

Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2008
Over the weekend of 25-27 April 2008, the splendid grounds of the Grand Hotel Villa d'Este and the Villa Erba in Cernobbio on Lake Como will once again be transformed into a unique backdrop for the most beautiful cars from eras past and the most flamboyant concept cars of today. First staged in 1929 at this same location, the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este today ranks as the world's most tradition-steeped event of its kind.

After the event opening on Saturday for invited guests, Sunday sees the Concorso offering all car fans another chance to experience these dreams on wheels in the adjoining parkland of Villa Erba. In addition to the models presented the previous day, there will also be numerous other prestigious classics on display in special exhibitions. Admission to Villa Erba, which is located in Cernobbio on Lake Como, is 10 euros (single), 20 euros (family ticket) or 8 euros (concessions).

The main sponsor of this year's Concorso d'Eleganza is Girard-Perregaux.