CORRIERE D'ELEGANZA IIIConcorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2023

Dear Friend of the Concorso,

We now have some 100 days until the weekend of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2023.

Once again, the Selecting Committee has excelled itself and curated a host of automotive gems for the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.

But what is the process for applicants and their vehicles to enter the contest? Who are the people who passionately discuss each and every vehicle that has been put forward behind closed doors and in front of their laptop screens?

The application period for participation usually starts at the beginning of November. Owners can submit their automotive treasures for potential participation on the home page of the event. A discussion about the cars then takes place at the (virtual) meetings of the Selecting Committee. The Committee is headed by Helmut Käs, Head of BMW Group Classic and President of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. He is joined in this role by Davide Bertilaccio, CEO Villa d’Este Hotels.

They are both advised by a group of distinguished appraisers whose lives are deeply involved with the world of vintage cars.

First there is Simon Kidston, ‘The Voice’ of the Concorso since 2000 and a member of the SC since 2011, therefore our Senior Selecting Advisor. Simon has lived and breathed historic cars since his childhood growing up in Tuscany in a British motor racing family. He started his career at 21 in a small London mews auction house, moving to Geneva in 1996 to co-found Brooks (now Bonhams) Europe in Geneva, and spent a decade developing high-profile auctions around the globe. In 2006 he left to start Kidston SA with his team, the consultancy that has since become synonymous with the sale of rare and exceptional motor cars- and of course producing the emotional films to match!

Since 2019, Emmanuel Bacquet has been a member of the Selecting Committee. He started out working in the world of luxury hotels. However, the Monte Carlo Rally and the Formula 1 Grand Prix exerted a profound influence on his future career trajectory. From 2002, Emmanuel directed the French National Automobile Museum. In parallel with this responsibility, he took over management of the French National Railway Museum and the Battlefield of Waterloo in Belgium from 2009. In 2013, he joined the Saulius Karosas Collection in Germany, which houses the world’s largest collection of Erdmann & Rossi coaches.

Chris Kramer joined the team in 2022. His abiding passion was originally IT but he has been a collection advisor and consultant since the late 1990s, initially in North America. Since 2010, Chris has concentrated on his role as a FIVA scrutineer, value appraiser and restoration supervisor, with the primary focus on European pre-war and post-war vehicles.  Indeed, he may well be the most active concours judge of classic cars, officiating at around a dozen events every year.

2023 is Paul Russel’s first year supporting the Selecting Committee. He has been involved with classic cars since 1973.  He founded Gullwing Service Company in 1978, evolving into Paul Russell and Company in 1988.  The ethos of quality, authenticity and attention to detail he developed has been awarded with 49 Best of Shows and three “Best of the Best” awards. He is a Chief Class Judge at Pebble Beach and Cavallino Classic; is National Advisory Board Chair for the McPherson College Automotive Restoration Program; and is an active member of the International Chief Judge Advisory Group, International Advisory Council for the Preservation of the Ferrari Automobile, and the Society of Automotive Historians. In 2016 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Applied Arts from McPherson College.

This year, Hugo Modderman also joined the Selecting Committee. His daily business focuses on all financial aspects of passenger ships, with the main focus on cruise ships, large yachts and ferries. His principal hobbies are photography, and veteran and vintage cars. He first participated in a vintage car rally back in 1956, when he entered his father’s Lancia Lambda. This was the starting point for a long career in restoring and driving cars ranging from a 1904 Gardner Serpollet steam-powered car to a 1996 BMW 840 CI and a Ferrari 456 GT. Hugo’s main interest is in cars manufactured between 1925 and 1935, focusing on Italian makes such as Lancia and Alfa Romeo. However, he also has a 1933 Horch straight 8, and is an admirer of Hispano Suiza and Bugatti. Hugo has been a judge in many Concours d’Elegance events but he also takes an active role as a participant in the Pebble Beach Motoring Classic. In addition, he has competed in a number of Mille Miglia races driving his Alfa 1750 GS Touring.

Our best greetings,
Your Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este Team