![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2026-concorso-villa-deste-10.jpg\")
\n\tBMW\/Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este<\/p>\n
\tPublished on May 21, 2026\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\n\tBMW\/Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este<\/p>\n
\n\tDespite threats of rain and clouds, the sun shone brightly upon the shores of Lake Como, where the Concorso d\u2019Eleganza Villa d\u2019Este has been running since 1929. This year\u2019s event felt as special as ever, offering its typically tiny but eclectic array of competitors along the storybook lawns of the Renaissance-era Villa d\u2019Este.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe UNESCO World Heritage Site is half the draw for the event, the other half being a selection of the world\u2019s most beautiful and historically significant vehicles. While the Pebble Beach Concours d\u2019Elegance<\/a> sees over 200 show cars, this year\u2019s Villa d\u2019Este featured only 54 competitors from 13 countries. The small but eclectic offerings included everything from a 1923 Spa Tipo 23 to a 2005 Bugatti Veyron 16.4, as well as a concept lawn decorated by the wild Praga Bohema<\/a> and Delage D12<\/a>, among others. And as is tradition, BMW unveiled two dramatic concepts on the eve of the event: the Vision BMW Alpina<\/a>, and the Vision K18 motorcycle.<\/p>\n \n\tEven with a slim field of entrants and a handful of concepts, it\u2019s difficult to narrow down our favorites. Nonetheless, here are the seven cars that compelled us to look longingly at the past, and captivated our imagination for the future.<\/p>\n \tVision BMW Alpina Concept<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tVilla d\u2019Este has a long-standing tradition of hosting concept-car debuts, and 2026 was no exception. Alpina was acquired by BMW in 2022, and the first hint of its future was revealed in the form of the Vision BMW Alpina\u2014a design study which prefigures the brand\u2019s new model, which will go to production next year. Based on an 8-series platform, this elegantly proportioned one-off was penned by ex-Rolls-Royce designer Alex Innes under vice president of Design Maximilian Missoni.<\/p>\n \n\tThe Rolls-Royce roots are no coincidence, as the BMW Alpina brand aims to fill the white space between Alpina and ultraluxury nameplates like Rolls-Royce and Bentley. Alpina\u2019s understated approach has been referred to as \u201cspeed, not sport,\u201d and boss Oliver Viellechner says subsequent production models will contend with the likes of Mercedes-Maybach, which is taking a strategically similar but aesthetically different approach to the segment. If the Vision concept is any indication, Alpina should carve a distinctive niche for itself when it debuts in 2027.<\/p>\n \tMercedes-Benz CLK GTR<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tThe long, low Mercedes CLK GTR was built first as a race car and later homologated for road duty. The reason for this reverse engineering was the reaction by Mercedes to the DTM touring-car motorsport series becoming suspended in late 1996, leading the marque to enter the international GT1 class of the FIA GT Championship. The race cars led to the production of only 20 coupes and five roadsters in order to satisfy homologation rules.<\/p>\n \n\tThis beast comprises a honeycomb chassis made of carbon fiber and aluminum, and is powered by a 6.0-liter V-12 mated to a six-speed sequential manual gearbox. That\u2019s pretty wild stuff for the road, and eagle-eyed enthusiasts will notice that the GTR shares headlamps and taillamps with the considerably more pedestrian Mercedes-Benz CLK road cars.<\/p>\n \tVolkswagen W12 Nard\u00f2 Concept<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tFerdinand Pi\u00ebch\u2019s famously obsessive fixation on engineering yielded some of the world\u2019s most exceptional cars. Among his most ambitious, yet unsung, achievements was the W12 Nard\u00f2, a series of Volkswagen prototypes which leveraged his innovative power plant to record-setting effect. With twelve staggered cylinders arrayed into two narrow banks, the unusually compact engine helped the Giorgetto Giugiaro\u2013penned design shatter seven world records and 12 international class records.<\/p>\n \n\tWhile a production version was announced\u2014first for a series of 200 examples, which was later reduced to 50\u2014the Nard\u00f2 never made it beyond the two prototypes and one driver seen here, which features inboard suspension and carbon-fiber-fitted luxury. Budgetary limitations and the acquisition of Bugatti <\/a>prevented the Volkswagen supercar from becoming reality, but its engine\u2019s W configuration would live on in everything from the VW Phaeton and Audi A8 to the Bentley Continental GT<\/a>. This concept was acquired from ItalDesign by Ferdinand\u2019s youngest child Gregor, and made its public debut at this year\u2019s Concorso d\u2019Eleganza Villa d\u2019Este.<\/p>\n \t1986 Ferrari Testarossa<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tThe wide-hipped Ferrari Testarossa<\/a> was Maranello\u2019s side-straked flagship\u2014with a silky smooth flat-12 power plant\u2014when introduced in 1984. Convertibles were never part of the Testarossa product plan, but that didn\u2019t stop aftermarket shops from chopping the top and inspiring an open-air rendition in the famous Outrun video game by Sega. However, when Fiat boss Gianni Agnelli approached his 20th anniversary of leadership, the factory made an exception and constructed a one-of-one Testarossa convertible for the renowned playboy.<\/p>\n \n\tThe Pininfarina-styled coupe received an electrically operated soft-top roof and structural reinforcements to control body flex. And while the silver paint was elegant enough for the debonair Mr. Agnelli, it also offered a clever play on words: Ag, the chemical abbreviation for the element silver, also doubles as Gianni\u2019s monogram. Because Agnelli suffered from the lingering toll of a leg injury due to a car wreck in 1952, the Testarossa was fitted with a button-operated clutch. This special one-off was acquired by Ronald Stern at R\u00e9tromobile in 2016, and features its original Turin plate: \u201cTO 00000G.\u201d<\/p>\n \tMercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tShiny, perfectly restored examples of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL tend to be the rule not the exception, which made this lovingly patinated droptop version of the model stand out on the pristinely manicured grounds of the Villa d\u2019Este concours. Wearing snow chains and strapped with skis and vintage luggage, its winter-themed accessories offered a glimpse at this well-worn icon\u2019s past life, which included alpine ski trips.<\/p>\n \n\tOne of the last examples of the 300 SL Roadster to leave the factory, this car remarkably wears its original paint and is currently owned by Eric Blumencranz, who is preceded by only two other owners\u2014both based in Reutlingen, Germany. Its endearing personality was strong enough to win it the people\u2019s choice \u201cCoppa d\u2019Oro\u201d prize.<\/p>\n \t1953 SIATA 208 CS by Balbo<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tSIATA, short for Societ\u00e0 Italiana Auto Trasformazioni Accessori, was a Fiat tuner and accessory supplier which began building lightweight sports cars<\/a> in the early 1950s. While between 30 and 35 examples of the 208 model were built by 1955, only seven bodied by Balbo remain. The package\u2014a tube chassis and a tuned version of Fiat\u2019s 2.0-liter V-8\u2014 was lively enough for Steve McQueen<\/a> to nickname his example \u201cLittle Ferrari.\u201d As for this particular car, it won its class at Pebble Beach in 2025 and is owned by San Diego architect, developer, and collector Jonathan Segal.<\/p>\n \t1937 BMW 328 \u201cB\u00fcgelfalte\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tWe knew this bullet-shaped Bimmer was special the moment we laid eyes on its dull silver paint. Turns out this one-of-a-kind race car had the chops to win Best of Show, the Villa d\u2019Este\u2019s top prize. B\u00fcgelfalte translates to \u201cpant crease,\u201d which refers to the distinctive point running along the model\u2019s aluminum fenders, which were penned by designer Wilhelm Kaiser.<\/p>\n \n\tThis example, currently owned by Stefano Martinoli, was the only special roadster built at BMW\u2019s Munich plant, the other two specials being constructed at Touring in Milan, Italy. Weighing a trim 1,598 pounds, the lightened roadster competed in the 1940 Mille Miglia and finished sixth overall. Not only is this example the only Mille Miglia car to have survived in largely original condition, but it\u2019s so special that we\u2019re told the BMW Museum has long coveted its possession\u2014perhaps now more than ever.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/robbreport.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/lazy-load-0.7\/images\/1x1.trans.gif\")
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Vision-BMW-Alpina-5.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: BMW\/Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Mercedes-Benz-CLK-GTR-2.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Basem Wasef\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/VW-Nardo-W12-3_2a2467.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Basem Wasef\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ferrari-Testarossa-convbertible-7.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: BMW\/Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Mercedes-Benz-300-SL-Roadster-6.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: BMW\/Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Siata-208-CS-Balbo-4.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: BMW\/Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1937-BMW-328-1.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: BMW\/Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n