31 superb classics in Italy last weekend

Delightful sun-kissed classics

The glorious Palazzo di Varignana resort complex that looks over Italy’s famous Motor Valley hosted its first concours on 13-15 October 2023, drawing a seductive selection of classic cars to just south of Bologna from Italy and further afield.

This year’s concours was a prelude for what promises to be an even bigger event next year, but the quality of entrants, plus unseasonably warm weather for mid-October, made for a glorious sun-kissed weekend.

Here, in no particular order, are our favourite cars from the inaugural Concorso d’Eleganza Varignana 1705, taken from both within the concours and from the cars brought by visitors.

1. 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Touring

Alfa Romeo had tasted success with the 6C 1500, but the 1750 really accelerated the Italian marque’s ambitions.

Designed to carry larger and heavier fixed-head bodies, it was strong. The introduction of a twin-cam version of the straight-six engine gave the chassis considerable oomph – combining the two together, with a much lighter body than originally intended, made for a formidable racing machine.

The Gran Sport, with its supercharged engine and shorter chassis, was the one to have, however, especially when bodied in lightweight form by Zagato, or in the case of this car, Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera.

2. 1937 SS Jaguar 100

Named after the car’s theoretical top speed of 100mph, the SS Jaguar 100 used a development of the 2.5-litre Standard engine, but switched from sidevalve to overhead-valve configuration, augmented with a revised cylinder head.

This took power to 100bhp, but over time and with increases in displacement, this grew to 125bhp.

It was also the first time the Jaguar ‘leaper’ mascot appeared on a car.

3. 1929 Lancia Lambda VIII Serie Berlina GT Cabriolet

Lancia has a reputation for technical advancements throughout its history and the Lambda, which celebrates its centenary in 2023, is a great example.

Not only was it the first car to feature a load-bearing unitary body, it was the first to use independent suspension.

It was also the first to have shock absorbers, as designed by Vincenzo Lancia himself, plus the braking performance was much greater than that of its contemporaries.

This is an eighth-series model, built between 1928 and 1930, featuring a 2.6-litre version of the V4 engine.

4. 1965 Ferrari 275GTB/2 short nose

The Ferrari 275GTB was a revolution for the brand.

It was the marque’s first road car to feature double-wishbone independent suspension at each corner.

This innovation was developed from Ferrari’s racing cars by British engineer and racing driver Mike Parkes.

The 275GTB also used Dunlop disc brakes, as well as Koni shock absorbers and coil springs.

The short-nose version was produced between 1964 and 1966.

5. 1993 Porsche 964 Speedster

This first running of the Concorso d’Eleganza Varignana 1705 was limited to cars from before the mid-1970s, but this lovely Porsche 964 Speedster was allowed to sneak in.

Justifiably, too. While the first 964 Speedster of 1989 owed more to the 930 Carrera 4, the later model of 1993 was a much more hardcore, properly 964-based model, with a stripped-out interior and a more focused driving experience.

Porsche had intended to build 3000 examples, but ended up shifting a little under a third of that figure.

6. 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster

With sales of the 300SL Gullwing starting to wane, Mercedes-Benz looked to the glamour of drop-top driving to keep the project moving.

Of course, the Gullwing doors were gone, but the rear axle set-up favoured by the Gullwing’s engineering team but dismissed on cost grounds was made available, improving handling despite the topless car weighing 125kg (276lb) more.

This particular example has the hardtop option.

7. 1964 Alfa Romeo TZ

Based on Alfa Romeo’s Giulia, the presence of ‘TZ’ in its name makes this classic car very special – it stands for Tubolare Zagato.

Purpose-built for racing, this model used a tubular spaceframe chassis and a lightweight aluminium Zagato body, along with disc brakes and independent suspension.

The 1.6-litre Twin Cam may not have been hugely powerful, but the whole car weighed just 650kg (1433lb), meaning it could reach a top speed of 134mph.

On its racing debut at Monza in 1963, it stormed to the top four placings in its class.

8. 1972 BMW 3.0 CSL

Built to homologate BMW’s racing cars, the CSL used thinner steel, less soundproofing, Perspex side windows and other measures to trim the fat from the E9 recipe, while the 3-litre straight-six was later boosted to 3.2 litres.

The effort was worth it. The CSL won the Group 2 class of the European Touring Car Championship six times between 1973 and 1979.

9. 1962 Lancia Flaminia Zagato 3C

The Flaminia was Lancia’s top-of-the-range model, developed greatly from the Aurelia, but with double-wishbone front suspension, coil springs and telescopic dampers.

The rear suspension retained the Aurelia’s set-up, and the new car used an evolution of the innovative V6.

The Pininfarina Coupé outsold the four-door by a significant margin, but the platform proved useful for independent coachbuilders.

Zagato produced two models, the Sport (as seen here) and the Super Sport, on a short-wheelbase GT chassis with an aluminium body.

10. 1952 Ermini 1100 Sport Internazionale

Ermini was a small company that customised Fiats for racing, and eventually built its own cars.

One of these was this, the 1100 Sport Internazionale, with its Alberto Massimino-built four-cylinder engine of 1096cc capacity.

This car, one of just three built, was campaigned in 1952 at the Mille Miglia, at the Targa Florio where it claimed first in class, and at the Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti where it finished second in class.

It also took part in the Mille Miglia in 1953, but without success.

11. 1955 Fiat 8V Zagato

Fiat might be best known for its tiny-engined city cars, but once upon a time, it produced a V8 sports car that became a successful racer.

The 2-litre V8 was originally intended for a luxury saloon-car project that never came to fruition, but instead of putting the work to waste, 114 coupés styled by Luigi Rapi were built.

However, Zagato produced around 30 lightweight bodies – including this one.

12. 1955 Lancia Aurelia B24 Spider

The sports-car market in America was booming in the 1950s and Lancia wanted a part of it.

The concept was to shorten the B20 Aurelia chassis and, after some struggles to get the 2.5-litre six-cylinder engine to fit under the low, Pininfarina-penned nose, unleash it as a feisty sports machine.

This being Lancia, there was some particularly clever thinking: the cockpit was in the middle of the car lengthways, to provide better weight distribution.

However, perhaps its enduring legacy is a star turn in the 1960 film, La Dolce Vita.

13. 1959 Ferrari 250GT Pininfarina

Though Enzo Ferrari’s priority was always the Scuderia, he found he needed a good solid base within his road-car production to provide ongoing funds.

Pinin Farina had an expanded factory and this was the result, with a 3-litre Colombo V12.

Produced for just two years, the project yielded more than 350 examples and would help to solidify the Pinin Farina and Ferrari collaboration.

14. 1965 Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada

This certainly stood out.

Giotto Bizzarrini was quite the chap. He played a key role in the development of Alfa Romeos, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, with some of the most iconic engines and cars from each manufacturer bearing his imprint.

A born racer, the cars that carried his name came from a dispute with Iso, and this, the 5300 Strada, was the first fruit of that labour.

It shared the shape and body with the initial Iso Grifo, and was powered by a 5.3-litre or 7-litre Chevrolet engine.

Just 133 were built, and at the first Concorso d’Eleganza Varignana 1705, this one was making its first public appearance since the late 1960s.

15. 1950 Fiat 1100 E Vistotal

This rare machine is one of the last projects to emerge from the Carrozzeria Castagna outfit, using a Fiat 1100 as its basis.

Essentially it is a cabriolet with a windscreen erected from the dashboard without side posts.

The Visotal part of the name is a variation of Vutotal, a patent from French engineer Joseph Vigroux and first implemented in 1935 by coachbuilder Jean-Henri Labourdette that developed the frameless windscreen.

Vutotal essentially means ‘total view’. Inside, there is also a transparent steering wheel.

16. 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 SS

The Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 SS – or Super Sport – was available in either naturally aspirated or supercharged form.

Built between 1928 and 1929, just 25 were ever made.

This particular example at 2023’s Concorso d’Eleganza Varignana 1705 comes from the Patron collection, and was battling in the Corse Eroiche (Historic Races) class.

17. 1939/1946 HRG 1500 Le Mans

HRG Engineering came about between two fellow Brooklands racers, Ron Godfrey and Major Edward Halford, and a desire for a new car.

The new company, HRG, was formed in 1936 with Guy Robins. HRG made its name with potent but inexpensive racing cars; one undercut the Aston Martin 1.5-litre by half.

HRG claimed a class victory at the 1939 Le Mans 24 Hours, with Peter Clark and Marcus Chambers behind the wheel.

The car pictured was manufactured in 1939 and served as the company’s aerodynamic prototype, and indeed was 10mph faster than the standard model.

It was first road registered in 1946, and now forms part of the Mazzola collection.

18. 1927/1935 Bugatti Type 37/44 Grand Prix

The Bugatti Type 37 shared its chassis and bodywork with the Type 35, but featured a new 1.5-litre straight-four engine.

After a terminal engine fire, this car was sold for scrap to a Bugatti racer, Jack Lemon Burton, in the 1930s. He chose to fit a supercharged 3-litre straight-eight engine from a Type 44, something which he later admitted was ‘hard work’.

The larger engine meant a modified bonnet, engine mounts, wider front axle from a 43/44 and larger brakes. The gearbox and rear axle were sourced from a Grand Prix Bugatti, and a monocoque body fitted.

It was used in hillclimbing successfully, with and without the supercharger, via several owners up to the end of the 1980s. It was restored to Burton’s specification by marque expert Ivan Dutton in the 1990s.

19. 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing

Dark grey with a red-trimmed interior, this Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing didn’t fail to turn heads at Concorso d’Eleganza Varignana 1705.

The model’s winning blend of lightweight construction, grunty 3-litre straight-six and aerodynamically honed body made it the fastest production car in the world when launched in 1954, with a top speed of 163mph.

Mechanical fuel injection helped raise performance to these heights, but if you fancied something slightly more sprightly you could order an aluminium-bodied version, built by the marque’s motorsport department in Untertürkheim. This shaved 80kg (176lb) from the car and just 29 were built.

20. 1951 Fiat 750 GT MM 

The Fiat-Abarth 750 reached its Zagato zenith later in the decade, but four years prior Zagato bodied a handful of 750 MM models, which weighed as little as 520kg (1146lb).

The resulting car was competitive in motor racing thanks at least in part to its aluminium body.

This particular example, brought to the first Concorso d’Eleganza Varignana 1705 by a Japanese collector, was campaigned in several Mille Miglias.

21. 1963 Ferrari 250GT Lusso

Faced with a gap in the Ferrari product line-up between the 250GT SWB and the luxury-focused 250GTE 2+2, the Lusso more than fulfilled the brief with its spacious interior, though the non-adjustable seatbacks meant the pedals were adjustable instead.

The car’s looks soon garnered a celebrity following, with Steve McQueen and Eric Clapton both owning 250GT Lussos.

This example definitely turned heads in Italy last weekend.

22. 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 S Berlinetta Touring

Hailing from the famous Lopresto collection, this Alfa Romeo 6C 2500, bodied by Carrozzerria Touring Superleggera, was originally sold to Prince Camillo Caetani in Rome, the son of the famous musician Roffredo.

The Prince would die in Albania during the Second World War just a year later, and over the next four decades the car changed hands four times, remaining in Rome, before joining a Milanese collection, and later moving to its current custodian.

23. 1926 Maserati Tipo 26

Maserati’s first car couldn’t have performed much better. On its debut race, the 1926 Targa Florio, it finished first in the Grand Prix class with Alfieri Maserati himself behind the wheel.

Just 11 were ever built, with a crankshaft-driven, Roots-supercharger-fed, twin gear-driven, overhead-cam 1.5-litre straight-eight engine.

24. Porsche 356 Speedster

Away from the concours itself, the allure of the classic cars on show and the good weather meant many visitors brought along their own.

This 356A 1600 Speedster was one such car. Built between 1956 and 1958, the Speedster was intended to be a stripped-out road racer for the US market, and in 1600 form boasted a flat-four engine derived from the 550, with dual overhead camshafts, roller bearings and dry-sump lubrication, plus two twin-choke Solex carbs.

25. Ferrari 360 Spider

This Ferrari was one of the younger cars at this event.

The 360 marked a sharp change in styling direction for Maranello. The Fioravanti wedge shape first pioneered in the 1970s and kissed goodbye with the F355 was swept away with a curvier, more modern look designed by Pininfarina’s Goran Popović.

The engine was new, too, the Tipo F131 V8 had a naturally aspirated 3.6 litres, and combined with a new aluminium spaceframe chassis that was 28% lighter and 40% stiffer than the F355, work which pushed the performance game on – the 0-60mph sprint takes just 4.7 secs.

26. Alfa Romeo GT Junior

The GT Junior is one of the most beloved Alfa Romeos, though the same could be said for most of the models to share the 105-series chassis.

The GT Junior was penned by a youthful Giorgetto Giugiaro, and powered by various versions of the famed Alfa Romeo twin-cam engine.

The car would become a highly competent racing and rallying car, and many are still campaigned to this day.

27. Porsche 911 T

This rally-style Porsche 911 certainly caused a stir when it rolled into the car park.

The 911T – or Touring – was launched in 1967 as a replacement for the 912 model.

It served to homologate the car for Touring Car racing, and was the entry point to the 911 range. Production ran until 1973.

28. Datsun 240Z

Though the Japanese motor industry had produced sports cars before the Datsun 240Z, it was this car that really broke new ground in terms of worldwide popularity.

Competitive pricing against the MGB GT in the United States, plus a chunky straight-six and elegant lines from Yoshihiko Matsuo, made the car a hit in America, upsetting the European sports-car hegemony.

29. Alfa Romeo 2600

The 2600 represented the flagship model in the Alfa Romeo range, but sadly those looking to trade up from the Giulia found the 2600 lacked the same sporting verve.

However, with Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera’s stunning 2+2 convertible, it made for an elegant cruiser with room for four – well, two plus a slightly cramped two more.

The 2600 also represents an interesting point in Alfa Romeo’s history, because it was the last use of a straight-six engine by the marque.

30. Porsche 911 S

Introduced in 1969, the S model represented the pinnacle of the mainstream Porsche 911 range.

From 1971, all 911s received a bigger-displacement engine marked 2.4, but actually closer to 2.3 litres.

Mechanical fuel injection, as fitted to this 2.4 S, helped boost power, plus if you look closely, you can see a spoiler under the front bumper on this S model, there to aid high-speed stability.

31. Ferrari 365GT 2+2

The 365GT 2+2 marked an important point in the evolution of Ferrari’s big GT offerings, replacing the 330GT 2+2’s live rear axle and leaf-spring set-up with independent rear suspension.

The model’s elegant Aldo Brovarone styling and a 4.4-litre Colombo V12, allied to such luxury items as electric windows, power-assisted steering and brakes, and the option of air conditioning, helped make this Ferrari’s biggest seller to date – over four years, around 800 365GT 2+2s found homes.

Like what you see? To learn more about the inaugural Concorso d’Eleganza Varignana 1705, click here.