The 2009 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este took place April 24-26th on the grounds of the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este and Villa Erba on Lake Como in Cernobbio, Italy.
An Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Berlinetta Touring claimed victory in the coveted Trofeo BMW Group, awarded “Best of Show” by the judges at the Concorso. And it was not only the Jury who were won over by the 1938 Alfa – the two prizes awarded by public voting, the tradition-rich Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este and the Trofeo BMW Group Italia, also went to the car owned by American Jon Shirley. In the Concorso d’Eleganza Design Award for concept cars and prototypes, the public voted for the Aston Martin Lagonda One – 77.
As in recent years, the car enthusiasts from all around the world were treated to glorious sunshine on Saturday. Although the sun was replaced by grey skies and continuous rain on Sunday, nothing could dampen the spirits of the more than 2,600 visitors who flocked to the grounds of Villa Erba in Cernobbio.
“The great response from the public despite the poor weather shows how this event has become a firm fixture on the calendar of car aficionados from both this region and countries around the world,” said Karl Baumer, President of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and Director of BMW Group Classic. “The weather on Sunday could have been better for the 80th anniversary of the Concorso, but a sunny Saturday with this selection of cars provided a more than worthy setting for our anniversary Concorso,” added Jean-Marc Droulers, President of Villa d’Este S.p.A.
2009 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este Award Winners
Best of Show – Public Referendum and Committee, 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B, Jon Shirley, United States
Concorso d'Eleganza Design Award, Aston Martin Lagonda One-77 Coupe, Dr. Ulrich Bez, United Kingdom
Class A - Prewar Open Cars, 1938 Lancia Astura Cabriolet Boneschi, Klaus Edel, Germany
Class B - Prewar Closed Cars, 1938 Bugatti 57S Atalante, Gil Noble, United Kingdom
Class C - Prewar Sports Cars, 1936 Auburn 852SC Speedster, Andrew Pisker, United Kingdom
Class D - International Prestige, Closed, 1949 Alfa Romeo, 6C 2500 SS Coupe Touring, Giuseppe Spiller, Italy
Class E - Modena's Thoroughbreds, 1964 Lamborghini 350 GT Coupe Touring, Paul Roesler, United States
Class F - International Prestige, Open, 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Series I Pinin Farina Cabriolet, Peter McCoy, United States
Class G - Racing Cars from the Early Fifties, 1953 Fiat 8V Berlinetta Zagato, Jan De Reu, Belgium
Class H - Italian Style Becomes International, 1970 Iso Grifo Targa Bertone, Alexander Wiesner, Germany
Trofeo FIVA - To the Best Preserved Car, 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GTC Cabriolet Castagna, Gabriele Artom, Italy
Trofeo Rolls-Royce - To the most elegant Rolls-Royce , 1925 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Sports Saloon Hooper, Norbert Seeger, United States
Trofeo Auto & Design - To the most exciting design, 1938 Bugatti 57S Atalante, Gil Noble, United Kingdom
Trofeo Girard-Perregaux - Special Prize, 1950 Abarth 205 A Berlinetta Vignale, Mark Gessler, United States
Trofeo BMW Group Classic - To the most sensitive restoration , 1955 Ferrari 250 GT Europa Pinin Farina Coupe, Kenneth Roath, United States
Trofeo Banque Baring Brothers Sturdza and Trofeo Automobile Club di Como - To the car driven from farthest away, 1931 Bentley 8 Litre Sportsman Coupe Gurney Nutting, Frans van Haren, Netherlands
2009 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este Photo Gallery
1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B won Best of Show at the 2009 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este
1950 Abarth 205 A Berlinetta Vignale won the Trofeo Girard-Perregaux at the 2009 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este
Alfa Romeos at 2009 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este
1955 Maserati A6G/54 GT
1959 Ferrari 400 Superamerica
[Source: Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este]
Oh my, what a show. The little 1950 Abarth 204 A Berlinetta Vignale is new to me. Stupendous.
I have only seen pictures, but it was a Pebble Beach several years ago. It is beautiful! You just don’t see cars with such smooth flowing lines any more.
What happened to Ralph Lauren’s Bugatti? Wasn’t it scheduled to be a featured car?
Jamie
Hands down, the 1950 Abarth 205 A Berlinetta Vignale has my vote, any way you slice it.
That little car is gorgeous. I believe I have the Road & Track Salon story on it in my clippings.
Cheers!
Paul
That 205 is the Ex Scott Emsley car. Emsley restored the car after it had been burnt and crushed! He did a beautiful job and had the car for many years before reluctantly selling it recently. There is only one other 205 known and it is being restored now. You can see pictures of both on my Abarth page:
http://www.ferrariexperts.com/abarth.htm
-cliff reuter
Cliff
Thanks so much for the info. That is exactly what I remember from the R&T feature.
Thanks also for your website link. That could be a huge resource for me in my illustration research … that is a great site!
Cheers!
Paul
Great review, great pix, wonderful cars, a slice of heaven thank you!
The side profile of the little Abarth looks quite similar to the Maserati A6G/54. Must be the Vignale influence. I want both…
The Ralph Lauren Bugatti was withdrawn before the event as was a Ferrari 250 GT Vignale Coupe. Both presumably because of the economic crisis.
More information and 200 pictures can be found here:
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/event/195/2009-Concorso-d-Eleganza-Villa-d-Este.html
What? A car is burnt and crushed and then restored, from what, piece of scrap metal? Is not the term recreation more appropriate?
Tazio Nuvolari
Laguna Beach, CA
If memory serves, the old car, badly deteriorated, had been stored in the basement of a San Diego (?) warehouse which burned. The upper floor collapsed into the basement, crushing the body shell. Although horribly damaged, the remains were salvaged and rebuilt at great expense by Scott. “Re-creation” suggests crafting a replica. Since the aluminum alloy body was beyond repair, a new body was built, but the drivetrain and other components are largely original. The car was shown in a special Abarth display at Pebble Beach. The most interesting thing about the 205 is how tiny it is, a fact not immediately apparent in photographs. The giveaways are the size of the wheels and tires compared to the body, and the size of the driver if one is present. It’s very difficult to build a really beautiful small car, but this is one of the best.
Peter Linsky
Founder, The Abarth Register (1973)
Tazio Nuvolari’s statement above is entirely misleading. Although my (then) Abarth 205 was very badly damaged in the fire of a private museum in San Diego, 100% of the aluminum body and fabricated steel chassis and substructure was saved. All of its original components: drivetrain, suspension, aluminum body, seats, dash/gauges. steering wheel, hardware, etc. etc. were restored. In essence, the fire annealled the aluminum which allowed handwork to do the required restoring. No filler was used. A remarkable piece of aluminum restoration and paint work by Nihle Parker.
Scott Emsley
Thank you Scott. Interesting to hear about the restoration details.
Your Abarth 205 is impeccable and we thank you for sharing it with others.
Best,
SCD