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From YourSITE.com Villa D' Este Concorso Any person who is passionate about the automotive world, is also passionate about historical stepping stones of automotive style, and those rare examples. Many people who are actually "car nuts" have never heard of, or attended the Villa d' Este Concorso D'Eleganza. On the shores of beautiful Lake Como in northern Italy. Also unknown to many is that the origins of Villa d' Este's Concorso goes all the back to 1929. The winner that year a Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8a. This was when the idea of a concorso was avant garde, in that you were really hosting the future not the past!
Villa d'Este's Concorso was held every year until 1937. Then resumed in 1947, and again in 1949. Many situations and events surronding Villa d'Este prevented another concorso event until 1986. Again the winner was again a 1927 Isotta Fraschini 8a.This was a "SS"Torpedo Cesare Sala. It was not until 1995 that the Concorso d' Eleganza was reborn and became a annual event. BMW Group & Credit Suisse are the main sponsors. This has given the event a real foundation for the future.
Before we get all wrapped up in the many layers of automotive delights at this years 2003 concorso. We should devote a little time to apperciate the enchanted setting that is the Villa D' Este. The Villa is trully on of the great hotels of the world. Located on the shore of the beautiful Lake Como north of Milano. The hotel is a stunning place to stay any time. The food and serivce are to say the least, excellent. As someone who has visited the hotel many times on business it is always joy to return. The gardens and lake provide a real decompression chamber from stress. During the late 1980's the formula one teams would stay at Villa d' Este when racing at Monza. It was a short trip to the track and also a great way to beat the heat of September in Monza. The grounds are very large with the lake running the length of the estate.
Our goal in this special series on the Concorso d' Eleganza is not to identify every car located on the grounds. But rather to allow our readers to get a intimate tour of the event. If your a real automotive historian or car junky. This will serve as the next best thing to actually attending. The Villa D' Este is really now all about the rediscovery of the master skills of coachbuilders from the past. Stated more directly it is the apperciation of "purity or design" that transcends time.
Villa D' Estes is not about who has done the best restoration. The Villa D'Este has grown into a very complex event. That deals with the passion for car designs, designers and coachbuilders. So to have a car invited to Villa D' Este is based on the special themes of each years show. This years Concorso had several themes. The first you have seen in our coverage of our friends at ITALDESIGN, and it's 35th anniversary. Another revolved around the BMW M1 program. So specific cars, with specific examples of coachwork, by a specific designer or coachbuilder are invited. This year saw the largest group of BMW M1's that I know of in a long time.
In the following segments of our coverage we will go into more detail on the many of the historical automotive icons that were invited to this years 2003 event. Each segment will be image intensive built on exclusive images provided to us by our friends at Villa D'Este.
All of the image files are about 75kb to 85kb and so allow time to download these images. These image are about 735 pixles wide and anything larger is just not pratical for collecting. Remember these images are only for personal use. Use of these image requires the written permission of Villa D' Este Concorso management. © Copyright 2001 by YourSITE.com |
