A lookback on Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este

With a daring choice, the Villa d’Este jury awarded Best of Show in the Concorso d’Eleganza to an unrestored 1932 Figoni-bodied Alfa Romeo 8C 2300. A McLaren F1 was voted as the crowd’s favourite.

And yes, this year’s Concorso winner is a race car. It’s rare, only ten of the 8C 2300 Alfa Romeos received a Spider body from the workshop of Parisian coach builder Joseph Figoni. The first owner, known only as a Mr. Weinberg, ordered it with competition in mind, it has a reinforced chassis and Joseph Figoni created this Spider bodywork for it, one of just ten he made.

The car was intended for the 1933 and 1934 Paris – Nice rallies. In 1935, Count François de Bremont used it on the Grossglockner hill climb. The Alfa survived World War II, hidden in a barn, and was used only occasionally right up until the seventies. It stayed with its owner Henri d’Autichamp for an incredible 77 years, being serviced but otherwise remained untouched.

Jury’s choice

The Alfa, currently in the care of a Belgian owner, won the ‘Cars that the Outside World forgot’ class and wowed the jury for overall Concours victory. It’s a rare occasion seeing an unrestored car win one of the world’s most prestigious Concours.

Mille Miglia 1957

After last year’s Le Mans bonanza, race cars where a little less popular on the Concours field bordering Lake Como this year. Other entries included the 1922 Alfa Romeo RL Sport, a 1952 Ferrari 225 S Tuboscocca that competed at Sebring in 1953, the 1957 Ferrari 335 S that Wolfgang von Trips drove to second place in the infamous 1957 Mille Miglia and another unrestored racer in the form of a 1928 Bugatti T35 that ran for the works squad that same season. It raced in private hands for a long time afterwards.

The 1963 Abarth Simca 1300 GT was also prepared to racing standards by the factory.