Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2016 combines tradition and modernity.

 

BMW Group Classic and the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este present a
journey through time on the shores of Lake Como from 20th to 22nd
May 2016, covering different eras of mobility +++ The motto “Back to
the Future – the Journey continues” creates the arc between the
initial years of the event to the present day +++ 52 rare
automobiles and 30 historic motorcycles will line up at the start
+++ Special exhibitions: “Hommage Vehicles” to celebrate the
landmark centenary of BMW and “80 Years ago – BMW R 5 – the new
Sporting Image”.

 

Munich/Milan. The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este is
the world’s most exclusive heritage event for historic automobiles and
motorcycles. The event has a long tradition extending back to the year
1929, when the first exhibition entitled “Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este”
was held in Cernobbio, Northern Italy, as a showcase for new launches
in the automobile sector. This was followed by decades of changing
fortunes. In 1999, the BMW Group became the patron, and since 2005,
BMW Group Classic has joined forces with the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este
as the organiser of this pageant of rare beauties, which several
thousand enthusiasts and participants come to see from all over the
world each year.

 

The motto of this year’s classic weekend is “Back to the Future – the
Journey continues” and it reflects BMW’s centenary motto “The Next 100
Years”. The world’s most successful premium automobile manufacturer is
this slogan using for its activities in this anniversary year. The
concept of the event and the exhibited vehicles encompass an
impressive combination of tradition and vision. This aura is augmented
by the award class Concept Cars Prototypes, which is unique and
not replicated in any of the world’s other classic events. The
vehicles presented express the creative passion of leading designers
in our time, along with their perspective on the future. The focus is
on the current visions for automobile design in tomorrow’s world, as a
counterpoint for the retrospective show of important historic
vehicles. The decision on allocation of the Concorso d’Eleganza Design
Awards is taken by a public referendum.

 

BMW Group Classic is presenting the special exhibition “Hommage and
Concept Vehicles” in the Padiglione Centrale at Villa Erba. The show
demonstrates how closely history and the present day are intertwined.
The Hommage and Concept Vehicles of the brands BMW, MINI and BMW
Motorrad are presented side by side with their historic counterparts,
a juxtaposition which highlights the importance of traditional values
for the development of pioneering design. The spotlight continually
reflects the company’s 100 years of history and falls on vehicles
which have exerted a significant impact on individual mobility in
their time. The BMW Hommage Vehicles embody the motto of this year’s
Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in a very special way. As in previous
years, the BMW Group will once again surprise visitors in 2016 with
new concept vehicles that have never been presented before.

 

Some of the pairings in detail:

BMW 328 Touring Coupé – BMW Concept Coupé Mille Miglia 2006

BMW 328 – BMW 328 Hommage

BMW M1 – BMW M1 Hommage

BMW R 90 S – BMW Concept Ninety

BMW 3.0 CSL – BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage

Mini Cooper S – MINI ACV 30

 

Impressive history, fascinating future

The very special attraction of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este
is provided by the unusual combination of selected historic vehicles
on two and four vehicles together with the presentation of the latest
concept cars and prototypes. The beauty contests are the centre of
attention in the stylish environment of Villa d’Este and Villa Erba.
These pageants set the stage for the display of rare and unusual
vehicles from different eras. The automobile contest sees 52 vehicles
of outstanding class and with fascinating histories competing in nine
categories for the favours of the Jury and the public audience. 30
motorcycles in five categories provide a blue-riband field of
competitors. The different award classes define thematic focuses for
reviewing the history of vehicle construction.

 

The nine automobile classes

Unforgettable rarities from the pre-war era are presented in two
classes. The category
“Pre-war decadence – Flights of automotive fantasy”
highlights vehicles which reflect the decadent luxury of the 1920s and
1930s.
“Pre-war supercars – The Fast and the Flamboyant”
represent the ambition to achieve peak performance and the
exhilaration of speed, which were equally typical of this era.

 

Unique specials that were primarily produced in the period from the
1920s to the 1950s by renowned manufacturers or coachbuilders for
particularly sophisticated customers are waiting to be discovered
under the title “Sur mesure et haute couture – One-offs for
the connoisseur”
.

 

The class “Petite Performance – Pretty Pocket
Rockets”
reflects the enthusiasm for sporting characteristics
and dynamic bodywork contours. The demand for compact two-door cars
with open or closed bodies was particularly high during the 1950s and
the 1960s.
The headline “Daring to be different – Design
that pushed the envelope”
encapsulates the bold statement
made by vehicles that are often the subject of significant controversy
while representing ground-breaking innovations from the areas of
design and technology.

 

The class “Cars of the stars – From the silver screen to the
studio lot”
presents vehicles with a history closely linked
with movie history. Automobiles are shown which once either played a
leading role in famous films or were owned by heroes of the silver
screen like Steve McQueen or Marcello Mastroianni.

 

The category “GT Man is back – The golden era of sports car
design, 1950 – 1975”
exhibits exclusive representatives of
the Gran Turismo family of vehicles, which were popular especially in
Europe.
The class “Driven by excess – from Glam Rock to
New Wave”
showcases the automobiles from the disco era
defined by extravagant technology and design.
The category
“Rally cars – Heroes of the special stage, 1955 –
1985”
includes spectacular rally vehicles from campaigns in
three decades of rally racing.

 

The Selecting Committee has once again expanded the range of vehicles
presented at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este with the award
classes reserved for comparatively young entrants. The aim is for
these vehicles to attract and enthuse new target groups among the
participants and visitors.

 

The five motorcycle classes

For the sixth time, the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este held on the
shores of Lake Como in Northern Italy will also rank among the world’s
most exclusive highlights of the year for owners of historic
motorcycles. The heritage beauty contest for classic vehicles from
different eras provides the backdrop for grand performances on both
event days for the rare gems on two wheels. On the Saturday, the
motorcycles will line up in a parade for the Concorso di Motociclette.
They will go on a street run along the roads of Como and Cernobbio
before finishing with a ride through the grounds of the park at Villa
Erba and arriving in front of Villa d’Este. On the Sunday, the
two-wheelers will be arrayed there for appraisal by the expert
international Jury.

 

The award classes defined for the beauty competition enable visitors
to experience the important staging posts in the development of the
motorcycle and its most important representatives. The following
classes have been defined to focus the attention of the public
audience on particularly fascinating types of vehicle and historical phases.

 

The categories of “Daring to be different” and
“Pre-war Decadence” were selected on the basis of
two award classes in the automobile competition with the same
designations. The two-wheeler exhibits are therefore also presented as
protagonists of bold and often pioneering innovation in vehicle
design, and provide a two-wheeled dimension for the celebration of
extravagant and sophisticated engineering from the 1920s and 1930s.

 

The key concept of “Off-road” will recall the early
stages of the trend towards motorcycles with off-road capability for
the biker community on the west coast of the USA. The category of
“Private Racer” represents particularly impressive
specials on two wheels.

The class “Temporada Romagnola” is reminiscent of
the atmosphere at road races for motorcycles held in different Italian
cities during the springtime season between 1945 and 1971.

 

Alongside the five award classes, there is also the special class “80
Years ago – BMW R 5 – the new Sporting Image”. This class is dedicated
to the BMW R 5 presented 80 years ago. The model was powered by a
flat-twin Boxer engine with a completely new design generating 24 hp.
This was based on a machine that had already campaigned successfully
on race tracks during the previous year. The BMW R 5 featured an
innovative arc-welded tubular frame with twin down tubes, and the
gearbox was controlled by a foot lever for the first time. Another
innovation enabled the rear brake to be operated with the top of the
rider’s foot to yield a particularly sporty riding experience.

 

Programme schedule

The most important programme items of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa
d’Este 2016 are concentrated on the two weekend days. The various
special exhibitions like “Hommage and Concept Cars” and “80 Years ago
– BMW R 5 – the new Sporting Image” are open to the public throughout.
Visitors on the Public Days can follow the start of the Motorcycle
Street Run from 14.00 on the Saturday and see the 30 competing
motorcycles in five classes. In the afternoon, the “Coppa d’Oro Villa
d’Este” public prize will be the first important award to be
presented. On the Sunday, the 52 competing automobiles will be
presented, and the presentations for the winners of the individual
award classes start in the Sunday afternoon. These include the public
prizes “Concorso d’Eleganza Design Award” and “BMW Young People’s
Award”. On Sunday evening, the international Jury of experts will
confer the title “Best of Show” as the high point for the automobiles.

 

Media representatives will find additional information under www.concorsodeleganzavilladeste.com
and under www.press.bmwgroup.com
(please use the search word “Concorso”).

Please follow the line “Press” under www.concorsodeleganzavilladeste.com
for accreditations

 

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