Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2023 Corriere d’Eleganza XII
Dear Friend of the Concorso,
After a weekend with unique high points and a large number of spectacular automobiles, the overall winner of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2023 has been selected. Ultimately, the Duesenberg SJ convinced the distinguished Jury headed by Lorenzo Ramaciotti with its impressive appearance. The car’s huge, elegant boattail speedster body was built by London-based coachbuilder Gurney Nutting in 1935.
On Sunday evening, its owner, William Lyon from the United States, was presented with the coveted Trofeo BMW Group – Best of Show. He was also delighted by the second award the overall winner receives as a special prize. The 1815 CHRONOGRAPH in white gold is one of a kind, which A. Lange & Söhne produces exclusively for the occasion with intricate artisan craftsmanship. The prizes were presented at the gala finale celebration by Helmut Käs, Head of BMW Group Classic and President of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, and Wilhelm Schmid, CEO of A. Lange & Söhne.
The award-winning Duesenberg SJ – fiendishly expensive even at the time – was the last of just 36 chassis built in this exclusive range of fast models produced by the small American manufacturer in Indianapolis. Its first owner was the 28-year-old Maharaja Holkar of Indore. At the tail-end of the 1980s, the current owners, the family of General William Lyon, incorporated this speedster in their collection after it had undergone a restoration.
The public audience had already selected the winner of the Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este on the Saturday. The traditional heritage award went to the Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California built in 1961 and brought to Lake Como from Hong Kong by the Keybridge Collection. The Concorso d’Eleganza Design Award for Concept Cars & Prototypes was also awarded by Public Referendum and was conferred on the Pagani Huayra Codalunga from 2022 on Sunday.
A host of guests came to Cernobbio for the exquisite weekend of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. The Public Day at Villa d’Este was a sell-out long before the beginning of the festive weekend but Wheels & Weißwürscht – Amici & Automobili held on Saturday offered around 6000 visitors in the parkland of Villa Erba a multifaceted and varied get-together with more than 160 vehicles.
The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este Public Day – Il Festival once again held on Sunday was a resounding success. Alongside a large number of unusual vehicles and some astounding attractions, the Historic Cars taking part in the contest – more than 50 – were presented here to over 9000 visitors.
An array of additional prizes was awarded in the context of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, as presented in the overview below. The new Trofeo Il Canto del Motore for the most imposing acoustic engine sound was especially spectacular. The trophy was handed over by Jonas Kaufmann, one of the greatest tenors of our time. Victory in this extraordinary category went to the Porsche 917 K, presented by Christophe Count d’Ansembourg (Belgium) – against fierce competition.
We wouldn’t like to bid farewell to you without drawing your attention to our social media channels. You can find us on Instagram and Facebook, and we will also be displaying numerous impressions of the past weekend on our Website.
With very best wishes,
Your Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este Team
TROFEO BMW GROUP Best of Show by the Jury
Duesenberg SJ Speedster, Gurney Nutting, 1935 (William Lyon, United States)
COPPA D’ORO VILLA D’ESTE Best of Show by Public Referendum – Perpetual Challenge
Scaglietti, 1961 (Keybridge Collection, Hong Kong)
CONCORSO D’ELEGANZA DESIGN AWARD for Concept Cars & Prototypes by Public Referendum
Pagani Huayra Codalunga, 2022 (Pagani Automobili, Italy)
Class Winners
of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2023
Class Winners and Mentions of Honours by the Jury
CLASS A THE FAST AND THE FORMAL: PRE-WAR HIGH SPEED LUXURY
Class Winner:
Custom Imperial CL Convertible Sedan, LeBaron Carossiers Inc., 1933 (Jack Boyd Smith Jr., United States)
Mention of Honour:
Lagonda V12 Rapide Drophead Coupé, James Young, 1938 (Adrian Burr, Great Britain)
CLASS B GRANDE VITESSE: PRE-WAR WEEKEND RACERS
Class Winner:
Delahaye 145 Coupé Chapron, Henri Chapron, 1938 (Peter & Merle Mullin, United States)
Mention of Honour:
BMW 328, BMW, 1937 (The May Collection, Germany)
CLASS C INCREDIBLE INDIA: THE DAZZLING MOTORING INDULGENCES OF THE MIGHTY MAHARAJAS
Class Winner:
Duesenberg SJ Speedster, Gurney Nutting, 1935 (William Lyon, United States)
Mention of Honour:
Rolls-Royce Sports Phantom Prototype, Experimental, Jarvis of Wimbledon, 1928 (Alexander Schaufler, Austria)
CLASS D PORSCHE AT 75: DELVING INTO THE STUTTGART LEGEND’S ICONIC AND ECCENTRIC BACK CATALOGUE
Class Winner:
Porsche 901 Prototyp “Quickblau ”, Karmann, 1963 (Alois Ruf, Germany)
Mention of Honour:
Porsche 356 Pre-A Cabriolet, Reutter, 1954 (Al Barbour, United States)
CLASS E GRANTURISMO: EXPERIMENTING WITH THE POST-WAR EUROPEAN GT
Class Winner:
Ferrari 330 GTC Speciale Coupé, Pininfarina, 1967 (William E. Heinecke, Thailand)
Mention of Honour:
Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Berlinetta Riva “La Serenissima”, Carrozzeria Riva, 1950 (Stephen Bruno, United States)
CLASS F THAT ‘MADE IN ITALY’ LOOK: STYLES WHICH CONQUERED NEW WORLDS
Class Winner:
Maserati A6G/54, Berlinetta, Zagato, 1956, (Jonathan & Wendy Segal, United States)
Mention of Honour:
Ferrari 212 Export Berlinetta, Vignale, 1951 (Brian Ross, United States)
CLASS G A CENTURY OF THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS: HEROES OF THE MOST FAMOUS RACE IN THE WORLD
Class Winner:
Ferrari 250 GTO, Scaglietti, 1962 (David MacNeil, United States)
Mention of Honour:
Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, Fantuzzi, 1959 (Peter Goodwin, United States)
CLASS H HERE COMES THE SUN: ’TOPLESS’ DONE DIFFERENTLY!
Class Winner:
Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California, Scaglietti, 1961 (Keybridge Collection, Hong Kong)
Mention of Honour:
Citroën SM Espace Heuliez, Henri Heuliez, 1971 (Thierry Dehaeck, Belgium)
Special Prizes of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2023
TROFEO BMW GROUP CLASSIC For the most sensitive restoration by the Jury
Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Drophead Coupé James Young, 1949 (Yohan Poonawalla, India)
TROFEO ROLLS-ROYCE For the most elegant Rolls-Royce by the Jury
Rolls-Royce Sports Phantom Prototype Experimental, 1928 (Alexander Schaufler, Austria)
TROFEO VRANKEN-POMMERY For the best iconic car by the Jury
Porsche 901 Coupé Prototyp “Quick Blau”, 1963 (Alois Ruf, Germany)
TROFEO ASI For the best preserved post-war car
Aston Martin DB2 Coupé, 1950 (The Golden Age Collection, Germany)
TROFEO AUTO & DESIGN For the most exciting design by the Jury
Ford GT40, 1968 (Rob Walton, United States)
TROFEO IL CANTO DEL MOTORE For the best engine sound by the Jury
Porsche 917 K, 1970 (Christophe Count d’Ansembourg, Belgium)
TROFEO AUTOMOBILE CLUB COMO For the car driven from farthest away
Alvis Speed 25 SC Roadster Offord & Sons, 1937 (James Sprague, United States)
TROFEO BMW GROUP RAGAZZI by Young People’s Referendum
Ferrari 288 GTO, Scaglietti, 1985 (Horst Koester, Germany)
TROFEO DEI PRESIDENTI by the President of Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, Chairman of Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Chairman of Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance
Ford GT40, Coupé, J.W. Automotive Engineering, 1968 (Rob Walton, United States).