BMW announced yesterday the 2008 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este winners. The Best of Show award went to the 1949 Ferrari 166 MM Berlinetta Touring, owned by Count Giannino Marzotto, who acquired it from Enzo Ferrari. This Ferrari 166 MM Berlinetta Touring was on display at the 1950 Geneva Motor Show and then it was equipped with V12 Colombo Type 195 engine with which it won the 1950 Mille Miglia.
The BMW M1 Homage was also on display at this year's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the BMW M1.
BMW Press Release:
DAZZLING BEAUTIES AT LAKE COMO: THE WINNERS OF THE CONCORSO D'ELEGANZA VILLA D'ESTE 2008
This year the BMW Group Design team took up the time-honoured tradition of designing cars exclusively for the Concorso d'Eleganza and unveiled its BMW M1 Homage. This design study, inspired by the BMW M1 and BMW Turbo, embraces tradition and modernism to give an insight into BMW's own vision of a historically inspired automotive future.
Voted "Best of Show" by the Jury to take the Trofeo BMW Group was the Ferrari 166 MM Berlinetta Touring from the year 1949. Count Giannino Marzotto had acquired the Ferrari 166 MM from Enzo
Ferrari, which was then given an aerodynamic coupé body by Touring based on their trademark superleggera, or lightweight, construction method. This model was exhibited at the 1950 Geneva Motor Show. The Ferrari was then equipped with a new V12 Colombo Type 195 engine and went on to win the 1950 Mille Miglia. In the late 1950s the Ferrari was deployed in small-scale racing events in the USA before being sold with its original 1949 engine to an American collector in 1965, who kept it until 2001. Its present owner, John Croul, acquired the car in 2003 and had it completely restored to its original condition.
Visitors to Villa d'Este on Saturday elected the winner of the Coppa D'Oro, with the largest number of votes going to the Mercedes-Benz 540 K Autobahnkurier dating from 1938. Just two streamlined coupé bodies were built onto the chassis of the Mercedes-Benz 540 K. The car on show was purchased in 1938 by Dr Ignacio Barraquer and remained in family ownership until 2004. The Autobahnkurier then went to Deborah and Arturo Keller, who had it completely restored.
For the Trofeo BMW Group Italia, visitors voted the 1937 Delahaye 135 M by Figoni & Falaschi the
winner. The roadster was presented at the 1937 Paris Motor Show and bought by an Indian maharaja. 50 years later the Delahaye left India and was restored in England. Its present owner, Peter Mullin of the USA, acquired the car in 1993.
Electing the most beautiful model in the Concept Cars and Prototypes class, visitors at Villa Erba on Sunday cast their votes in favour of the Bugatti Veyron Fbg Hermès of 2008. With the Bugatti Veyron Fbg, Hermès has taken its cue from the erstwhile collaboration between car-crazy saddle-maker Emile Hermès and horse-loving car designer Ettore Bugatti to build a Hermès special based on the Bugatti Veyron.
