19 stunning classics at Villa d’Este 2023

The cream of the crop

As one of the most prestigious and highly anticipated events in the classic car world, Lake Como’s annual car festival, Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, attracts some of the most rare, expensive and jaw-dropping cars ever built.

Founded in 1929 and revived in the 1990s by BMW, the concours is held in the stunning grounds of the beautiful Villa d’Este in Italy.

While a panel of scrupulous judges was charged with awarding the coveted Best in Show prize, here are the classic cars that turned our heads at the 2023 edition last weekend, on 19-21 May.

1. 1981 Ferrari 512BB LM

A hugely competitive endurance racer in period – and class winner at the 1981 1000km of Monza – the 512BB LM remains a formidable and hugely powerful beast, with nearly 550bhp from its roaring 5-litre V12.

One of only five examples to race twice at Le Mans, number 27 has barely been touched since retiring with gearbox problems at La Sarthe in 1984.

2. 1979 Porsche 935

Based on the legendary 930-generation Porsche 911 turbo and evolved from the screaming 2.1 Carrera RSR, the outlandish 935 is known for stunning victories at Le Mans, Sebring and the Nürburgring, to name but a few.

Number #0 is one of the most famous of them all. It won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1979, but crossed the line at just 20mph with turbo damage.

3. 1922 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Silver Ghost

V12s are often thought of as the loudest and brashest engines of them all – unless, of course, you’re talking about Rolls-Royce.

The Silver Ghost was named, not just for its paintwork, but for the noise (or lack thereof) it made on the move.

His Majesty the Maharaja of Mayurbhanj in eastern India had this example modified for game hunting, fitting gun holders and special emergency seats.

4. 1953 Chrysler Ghia GS-1 Special

Commissioned by Chrysler to inject some 1950s panache into its relatively staid line-up, Ghia reworked the New Yorker into a gorgeous, imposing touring coupé to rival the likes of Maserati and Alfa Romeo.

Just 18 GS-1 Specials were built, and this example is fresh from a recent nut-and-bolt restoration.

5. 1964 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS

The 904 is a little-known hero from the early days of Porsche.

Stuttgart only needed to build 100 examples to satisfy Group 3 homologation rules, and it sold just 106, but demand far outstripped supply and it’s thought that the mid-engined sports car could have been much more popular in its day.

Although this 1964 car had a busy few years in hillclimbs and races at the start of its life, today it’s still powered by its original flat-six.

6. 1968 Ford GT40

As if it needs any introduction…

The Ford GT40 was the car that played Ferrari at its own game – and won.

The car at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2023 was number 6, the very car that crossed the line first at Le Mans in 1968.

And it would do it again a year later, wearing its unmistakable blue-orange Gulf livery, making it the only car to ever win twice at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

7. 1959 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa

Is ‘Testa Rossa’ still as cool a name when you know it is just the nickname for the red cylinder heads? Probably.

The 250 TR was the diminutive replacement for the 166, and earned its status as a motorsport legend when it won Le Mans in 1960.

8. 1952 Mercedes-Benz 300SL

Ultra lightweight, super slippery and engineered cunningly to meet strict racing parameters at minimal cost, Mercedes’ 300SL is underpinned by a wire frame which weighs just 60kg.

Placing first and second at Le Mans in 1952, the 300SL was one of many pioneering Mercedes that cemented the firm’s legacy as one of the most innovative and successful car companies upon the planet.

9. 1937 Peugeot 302 Darl’Mat Sport

Emile Darl’mat was a Peugeot dealer and diehard car enthusiast who developed a sideline in selling gorgeous, low-volume coachbuilt creations based on underpinnings from the French manufacturer.

This stunning two-seater is one of the best-known of his works, and the idea – pairing the Peugeot 302’s short-wheelbase chassis with the meaty 2-litre engine from the larger 402 and cloaking it in a rakish, streamlined body – was reportedly inspired by no less than the BMW 328 roadster.

10. 1928 Mercedes-Benz 680S

With its 6.8-litre straight-six boosted from 118bhp to 178bhp courtesy of a chunky supercharger and a top speed of more than 105mph, the 680S was one of the most rapid cars of its time.

No coincidence that one Mr F Porsche was employed as a chief engineer at Mercedes during its development…

This pristine four-seat example, wearing a coachbuilt body designed and built in house by Mercedes, is in remarkably original condition for its age.

11. 1963 Porsche 901 Prototyp ‘Quickblau’

It was always going to be called the 901, until Peugeot reminded Porsche politely that it had the trademark for X0X model numbers, and so the 911 was born.

These early, original-name cars are highly prized pieces of automotive history nowadays, but only those in the know will be able to tell them from the later models. 

This is one of 13 pre-production prototypes, and the first car to be fitted with a distinctive five-dial instrument cluster, which remains a Porsche hallmark to this day. 

12. 1937 BMW 328

This is, in many respects, the car that made BMW a global sports car powerhouse.

Quick, compact and highly advanced mechanically, the 328 was a successful racer and an undeniably alluring flagship model for the nascent manufacturer.

This example’s original owner was ‘Racing Baron’ Huschke von Hanstein, a master of the hillclimb in his day and, later, Porsche’s racing boss.

13. 1938 Delahaye 145 Coupé Chapron

The underpinnings of this opulent brute were originally built in 1938 by Delahaye for the Curie Bleue Grand Prix racing team.

They were left to gather dust after the war and acquired by coachbuilder Henry Chapron, who set about creating an ultra-luxurious coupé harking back to the early 1930s.

A race-bred V12 with three carburettors was fitted as part of the recreation, but in more recent times the original Type 165 motor has been tracked down, restored and reinstalled. 

14. 1950 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Berlinetta Riva ‘La Serenissima’

It is not hard to see why this caught our eye.

A product of two of the great automotive minds of the 1950s, flamboyant racer/designer Count Giovanni Lurani Cernuschi and engineer Guido Cattaneo, ‘La Serenissima’ is powered by the Alfa Romeo 6C’s 2.5-litre straight-six, while its Riva bodywork clothes a tubular frame constructed by Ferrari supplier GILCO.

Following a ground-up restoration, this one-off objet d’art made its first European appearance since 1950 at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2023.

15. 1963 ATS 2500 GTS Berlinetta Allemano

Automobili Turismo e Sport, or ATS, is an Italian sports-car marque born from one of the most highly publicised fall-outs in motoring.

Having been relieved of their roles at Ferrari by Il Commendatore himself, designers Carlo Chiti and Giotto Bizzarrini conceived ATS in a bid to give their former employer a headache on the road and at the track.

A brief foray into Formula One and a string of production cars followed, but the venture was short-lived.

The mid-engined 2500 GTS was one car that did make the light of day – although only 12 were built, and this is one of just three to wear an aluminium body.

16. 1980 BMW M1

The original M car is like none that have followed, but has exacted a towering influence over everything BMW’s performance division has produced in the decades since.

This car was bought by soft rocker Christopher Cross to celebrate winning five Grammies in 1981, and was acquired by its current owner in 2008 with few miles on the clock.

He drives it regularly and even took to the track at Monza the day before displaying the car in Como, but it looks for all the world like it was painstakingly restored just recently.

There is perhaps no better testament to its condition than the approval of the man who designed the M1 in the 1970s, and no doubt this car’s owner is delighted to have had its door sill signed by none other than Giorgetto Giugiaro himself at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este this year.

17. 1953 Cadillac Series 62 Ghia

The Series 62 Ghia is one of the best examples of the Italo-American spirit of collaboration which birthed some of the most visually arresting cars of the 1960s.

Here, a Cadillac chassis is cloaked in aeroplane-inspired coachwork from legendary design house Ghia, and many of the styling cues on display would go on to become hallmarks of American car design.

18. 1961 Ferrari 250GT Spider California

Instantly recognisable as the star of cult classic film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, this stunning V12 roadster was designed by Pininfarina and has become one of the world’s most coveted collector cars.

This is one of just 55 of its type, bought new in 1961 by celebrated French author Françoise Sagan, famed for her motto: “Whisky, gambling and Ferraris are better than housework...”.

19. 1938 Lagonda V12 Rapide

The hallowed Lagonda V12 engine was the work of none other than WO Bentley, who had been persuaded by Lagonda owner Alan P Good to leave his previous post at Rolls-Royce and join the rival firm as a designer.

Said to be capable of surging from 7mph to 105mph in top gear, the 4.5-litre unit developed nearly 200bhp and was one of the most powerful of its era.

It found a home in the 17 Rapides Lagonda produced in the late 1930s, and this is one of only two such cars designed as a drophead coupé.