Concorso d'Eleganza Villa D'Este 2012
- A celebration of Beauty
and Passion
Cernobbio, Italy - The Concorso d’Eleganza
invited once again the world’s most attractive classic
automobiles to Lake Como for this highly traditional
automotive beauty contest.The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este is the world’s most
tradition-laden beauty contest for automobiles. Held for the
first time at this venue in 1929, the Concorso
d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, the event stays under the patronage
of the BMW Group since 1998.
The weekend
from May 25-27, 2012 just gone the town of Cernobbio on
the banks of Lake Como reprised its status as the centre of
attention for all car enthusiasts – and this year motorcycle
fans also had much to admire. The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa
d’Este brought together a selection of classic models and
new concept cars to the acclaim of the assembled audience.
Appearing out of competition
in this year’s line-up was the BMW Zagato Coupé, making a
high-profile world debut. The time-honoured Milanese
coachbuilder Zagato teamed up with BMW to unveil the result
of a unique collaboration: the BMW Zagato Coupé.
Adrian van Hooydonk,
Director BMW Group Design
Zagato has worked in close
collaboration to create an exciting and emotionally charged
coupé in the finest tradition of automotive workmanship. The
BMW Zagato Coupé embodies the unbridled fascination of cars
and fuses the design DNA of the two companies into a fresh
and desinctive whole. This one-off model is the product of
many hours of skilled hand-craftsmanship and breathes new
life into the tradition of coachbuilding.
Karl Baumer, President
of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and Director
of BMW Group Classic
The participants in this year’s Concept Cars &
Prototypes competition have been announced at the
Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este press conference in
Milan. “We’re delighted to see a steady rise in the
number of entrants for the Concept Cars & Prototypes
concours,” said Karl Baumer, President of the
Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and Director of BMW
Group Classic. “The contrast between the historical
façade of the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este and the
automotive design of the future holds a very special
fascination for our visitors,” observed Dr Jean-Marc
Droulers, member of the Supervisory Board at Villa
d’Este S.p.A and Honorary Chairman of the Concorso
d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. The winner of the
competition is chosen not by a jury, but by the
visitors to the concours at Villa Erba on the Sunday
of the event.
The winners of the Concorso
d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2012
Alfa Romeo, 6C 1750 GS, 6th
Series Coupé, Figoni of 1933
The judges and the public were
of one mind: the Alfa Romeo, 6C 1750 GS, 6th Series Coupé,
Figoni of 1933 claimed the Trofeo BMW Group presented by the
jury, and thus the Best of Show accolade, while also
securing the public prize, the Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este. In
the Concept Cars and Prototypes category, meanwhile, the
winner was the Alfa Romeo 4C.
Alfa Romeo 4C
“We experienced a high-calibre
event with a unique field of competitors,” said Karl Baumer,
President of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and
Director of BMW Group Classic, reviewing the 2012 Concorso
with obvious satisfaction. “We are particularly delighted at
the splendid turnout of almost 6,000 visitors on Sunday,” he
added. Danilo Zuchetti, President of Villa d’Este S.p.A.,
was equally pleased with the weekend’s success: “We
witnessed a Concorso that is second to none in terms of
sheer class and quality.” The Trofeo BMW Group in the second
Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este for motorcycles was awarded
to the Italian Gilera 500 Rondine from the Museo Piaggio.
Hendrik von Kuenheim, Director of BMW Motorrad, took stock
after the second edition of the motorcycle Concorso: “This
Concorso reflects the enthusiasm and sheer passion we have
been pouring into our motorcycles for almost nine decades
now.”
Text:
Friedrich Major/UWM
Photos: Automotive
Intelligence/BMW
