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Events29 May 2024 by Andreas 369 Viewed

Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2024: All Winners

Cernobbio, Italy – The stunning backdrop of Villa d’Este hosted another extraordinary edition of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, where historic cars and concept vehicles enchanted the audience and judges alike. This year, the “Best of Show” title was awarded to a 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 bodied by Figoni, while the public bestowed the “Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este” upon a 1995 McLaren F1.

Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Figoni 1932 - Best of Show

Trofeo BMW Group – “Best of Show by the Jury”

Máté Boér Photography

The 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300, owned by the Belgian HM Collection, won the judges’ hearts with its timeless elegance and captivating history. Bodied by Figoni, this two-seater spider is one of ten built on a short-wheelbase chassis, featuring an 8-cylinder, 2.3-liter engine producing at least 142 HP. Today, this masterpiece is valued at over 3 million euros.

McLaren F1 1995 - Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este

Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este – “Best of Show by Public Referendum”

Máté Boér Photography

The audience at Villa Erba crowned the 1995 McLaren F1, brought to the event by British owner Tony Vassilopoulos, with the “Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este”. This hypercar, capable of reaching 384 km/h, remains the fastest naturally aspirated road car in history. The winning model, ordered in a two-tone gray by Motokatzu Sayama, is valued at around 20 million euros.

Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2024: All the Winners

Concorso d’Eleganza Design Award For Concept Cars & Prototypes by Public Referendum

Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, 2022
Owner: Stellantis Europe S.p.A.

CLASS A – The Dawn of the Performance Age

Class Winner: Bentley 4 ½ Litre Blower, Two Seater Drophead Coupé, Gurney Nutting, 1930 (The Lee Collection, United States)

Mention of Honour: Bentley 3 Litre, Open Tourer, Van den Plas, 1927 (Michael Dacre, United Kingdom)

CLASS B – Shaped by the Wind: The Evolution of Aerodynamics

Class Winner: Cadillac V16, Coupé, Fleetwood, 1934 (Donald Ghareeb, United States)

Mention of Honour: Delahaye 135 M, Cabriolet, Faget & Varnet, 1948 (Teresa & David Disiere, United States)

CLASS C – “The Best Car in the World” for 120 Years: Rolls-Royce Celebrates an Historic Birthday

Class Winner: Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Phantom II Continental, Fixed Head Coupé, Freestone & Webb, 1933 (Lord Bamford, United Kingdom)

Mention of Honour: Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, Torpedo Grand Luxe, Van den Plas, 1914 (Terence George Bramall, United Kingdom)

CLASS D – “Faster!”: The Arms Race on the Road

Máté Boér Photography

Class Winner: Ferrari 335 S, Spider, Scaglietti, 1957 (Brian Ross, United States)

Mention of Honour: Ferrari 250 GT SWB, Berlinetta, Scaglietti, 1960 (Bernard Lezaire, Netherlands)

CLASS E – The Best of Italian Grace and Pace: Maserati at 110

Class Winner: Maserati A6G/54, Berlinetta, Zagato, 1956 (Roberto Quiroz, Mexico)

Mention of Honour: Maserati 3500 Spider Vignale Prototipo, Spider, Vignale, 1959 (Phil White, United States)

CLASS F – Gentleman Drivers: Style for the Fortunate Few

Class Winner: Ferrari 275 GTS, Spider, Pininfarina, 1966 (Christopher Stahl, Germany)

Mention of Honour: Mercedes-Benz 300 SC, Coupé, Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen, 1955 (Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani, Qatar)

CLASS G – Time Capsules: Cars that the Outside World Forgot

Class Winner: Alfa Romeo 8C 2300, Spider, Figoni, 1932 (Private Collection, Belgium)

Mention of Honour: Bugatti Type 35C, Grand Prix, Bugatti, 1928 (Auriga Collection, Germany)

CLASS H – The Need for Speed: Supercar Stars of the Video Generation

Class Winner: McLaren F1, Coupé, McLaren, 1995 (Tony Vassilopoulos, United Kingdom)

Mention of Honour: Lamborghini Diablo GT, Coupé, 1999 (Jose Cobian, Mexico)

Máté Boér Photography

Additional Trophies Awarded

  • Presidents’ Trophy: Ferrari 335 S, Spider, Scaglietti, 1957 (Brian Ross, United States)
  • BMW Group Classic Trophy: Bentley 3 Litre, Open Tourer, Van den Plas, 1927 (Michael Dacre, United Kingdom)
  • Rolls-Royce Trophy: Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, Torpedo Grand Luxe, Van den Plas, 1914 (Terence George Bramall, United Kingdom)
  • Vranken-Pommery Trophy: Bugatti Type 35C, Grand Prix, Bugatti, 1928 (Auriga Collection, Germany)
  • ASI Trophy: Fiat Dino Aerodinamica Berlinetta, Pininfarina, 1967 (Lee Hower, United States)
  • Auto & Design Trophy: Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato, Coupé, Touring Superleggera, 1960 (Andreas Halvorsen, United States)
  • Il Canto del Motore Trophy: Lamborghini Countach LP400, Coupé, Bertone, 1976 (Christine Schams, United Kingdom)
  • Automobile Club Como Trophy: Ruf CTR “Yellowbird”, Coupé, Porsche, 1987 (Alois Ruf, Germany)
  • Poltrona Frau Trophy: Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport – Prototype, Cabriolet, Graber, 1953 (Kaspar Fleischmann, Switzerland)

The 2024 edition of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este once again confirmed the timeless excellence and beauty of vintage cars, alongside the innovation and cutting-edge design of the latest concepts, creating an unforgettable event for all car enthusiasts.

the author

Andreas

Italian classic car enthusiast with German roots. Renowned as a respected figure in the classic car community, he serves as a jury member at various international concours d'elegance, including the Classic Gala Schwetzingen and Mantova. As a content creator, Andreas passionately shares his profound knowledge and appreciation for vintage automobiles. His heart beats for cars designed by Giovanni Michelotti, showcasing his discerning taste and dedication to preserving the timeless elegance of automotive history.

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In this exclusive interview, Andreas Scheidl sits down with Michael Robinson, former Design Director at Bertone, to discuss the fascinating story behind the creation of the Alfa Romeo Pandion. This concept car, unveiled in 2010 to celebrate Alfa Romeo’s centenary, became an iconic blend of cutting-edge technology, bold design, and artistic innovation. Robinson shares the challenges of designing a groundbreaking prototype in just four months, the inspirations behind its unique features, and how the Pandion marked a pivotal moment in his career and for Bertone. This is the untold story of how one of the most daring concept cars of the 21st century came to life.

The Alfa Romeo Centenary

In 2009, Bertone was in a very challenging position: there were no projects, no active design team, nothing. The priority was to find an opportunity to restart creativity and the company itself. So, I decided to call a friend, Sergio Cravero, who was then the CEO of Alfa Romeo. It was early October 2009.

I said, “Hey Sergio, how’s it going?” Without hesitation, he replied, “Mike, we’d love for Bertone to design a car to celebrate Alfa Romeo’s centenary.” I was thrilled and immediately responded, “Fantastic! When would you like it?” His answer, however, left me stunned: “For the Geneva Motor Show.”

Geneva was in March, just four months away. I thought it was impossible. When I was director of the Lancia design center, it took us 24 months to develop the Dialogos concept car. I replied, “We can’t do it; four months is far too short for a prototype of this significance.” But the head of the workshop calmly reassured me: “Don’t worry, we’ll make it happen.”

I accepted the challenge and returned to the office to announce the news to the team: “We have an incredible project ahead of us! But there’s one rule: no drawing cars right away. First, we must research.”

The Importance of Research

I wanted my 30 designers to understand the essence of Alfa Romeo: what made its cars iconic, what defined a sports car, and how to envision the future of the brand. Only after this in-depth study could we start designing. This approach allowed us to create something truly original, untainted by preconceived ideas.

One of the tools that inspired us was the use of algorithms. Architects use them to simulate natural growth patterns, such as how plants grow or how trees form. We applied the same concept: we would run the algorithm, analyze the results, and select the most interesting solutions. This method, which today we might call artificial intelligence, was something we were already experimenting with over 15 years ago.

The Pandion’s Aesthetic: A Design Inspired by Nature

For the Pandion’s exterior, we drew inspiration from quartz, creating sharp, razor-like growths and a futuristic, edgy design. For the interior, we turned to the roots of trees, generating organic, almost random shapes that were not dictated by human designers.

The rear of the car, with its intricate lattice of elements, was so complex that it would have been impossible to produce using traditional molding techniques. It was pure sculpture, an unrestrained expression of design.

A Visionary Illuminated Interior

Another unique innovation of the Pandion was its illuminated interior. The seats were made of three layers: a sheet of carbon fiber, an illuminable fabric layer, and a gel layer, with a total thickness of just three centimeters. When the lights were turned on, the cabin glowed in a brilliant, hypnotic pool-blue hue. Amazingly, the film Avatar; which shared a similar aesthetic; came out a year later, but the color felt like a perfect anticipation of its world.

“Transformer” Doors

One of the most spectacular features of the Pandion was its doors. To draw attention at the Geneva Motor Show, we designed a full side-opening system, with doors that extended 3.6 meters high. This meant that, even from a distance, anyone could spot Bertone’s stand simply by seeing those towering open doors.

To make this happen, a complex mechanism was needed: the rear panel had to slide backward to allow the doors to open, which then moved downward in a smooth, robotic motion, reminiscent of Transformers. The workshop engineers, who had worked on the legendary Countach doors, made this extraordinary innovation a reality.

A Special Project

The Pandion was a one-of-a-kind project, full of challenges and innovations. For me, it remains the most exciting car of my career; not only for its design but because it was my first prototype for Bertone and marked the company’s return to the Geneva Motor Show after a two-year absence.

It will always hold a special place in my professional journey and will remain an unforgettable example of the creativity and teamwork that defined that experience.

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