The first thing that hits you when you enter Villa d’Este is the smell of cigars.
It’s a deep, rich, claggy stink that only some enjoy. But if you’re attending the Concorso d’Eleganza, you’re more than likely to be one of them.
In case you didn’t know, it’s a concours event that takes place on the western shore of Lake Como, Italy. Been going since 1929. Dead posh.
And you know what? It is good. There was some really cool stuff there this year.
The ‘Superstar cars of the video generation’ housed a McLaren F1 that went on to win the Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este – the public referendum vote – while other fabulously elegant big hitters included a Zagato-bodied Maserati A6G/54 and an Aston Martin DB5 shooting brake.
But one thing that’s maybe not too apparent is that there’s not actually not a great deal to see. As a first-time goer, I was even a little bit taken aback by how little metal there was.
The video above – sped up, obvs – highlights this. But these are just the cars in the main site.
Down the road – a short boat ride for most – Villa d’Este spreads out, takes off its silk Hermes tie and wraps it firmly around its head.
The neighbouring Villa Erba is still extremely posh and the building itself a touch prettier than the Villa d’Este estate. But there are people here eating with improper cutlery. There are people wearing jeans. There are people vaping.
It’s all still officially part of the Villa d’Este thing, but it’s much more like a car show. There is a Gandini display - including a Citroën GS Camargue concept, a tonne of cool older stuff from the 1980s and 1990s and BMW’s X5 Le Mans concept that uses the same V12 as the McLaren F1.
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