From 1st to 3rd October 2021, BMW Group Classic and the Grand Hotel Villa d´Este present impressive technical and aesthetic automobile concepts from eight decades in eight classes. Jeff Koons will also be present as the artist for the edition of the BMW M850i xDrive Gran Coupé.
The most exclusive edition of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este so far is being held in Cernobbio on the shores of Lake Como at the Villa d‘Este from 1st to 3rd October 2021. The hallmark of the beauty contest is passion for elegant coachworks and timelessly beautiful designs. For organizational reasons and due to attendance limits dictated by the anti-covid rules the public event in the parkland of Villa Erba and the Concorso di Motociclette are not being held in 2021.
Jeff Koons will give initial insights into his project with BMW at a Closed Room presentation of THE 8X JEFF KOONS, his limited edition of the M850i x Drive Gran Coupé. The result of this collaboration embodies precision, refinement and craft artistry, and it is a perfect match with the atmosphere of the Renaissance residence on the shores of Lake Como. Jeff Koons will join together with the Head of BMW Group Design, Adrian van Hooydonk, to talk about the connection between art and mobility, inspiration and creativity, and interaction between these different areas.
This year, the Head of BMW Group Classic, Helmut Käs, is taking over the Presidency of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este from Ulrich Knieps, who defined the prestigious event from 2014 to 2020, and who will also be present at this year’s edition.
About 50 exclusively selected Historic Cars will be shown in eight classes at this edition of the Concorso d´Eleganza. The evocative titles of the classes highlight the most exciting and most attractive interpretations in the history of the automobile:
- Class A – Twentieth Century Style: From Touring Torpedo to Racy Roadster;
- Class B – Developing the Theme: Space, Pace and Grace;
- Class C – Showroom Showdown: Britain and Germany Battle for Luxury Supremacy;
- Class D – Granturismo all´Italiana: Finding the Perfect GT Formula;
- Class E – Big Band ´40s to Awesome ´80s: Five Decades of Endurance Racing;
- Class F – A Passion for Perfection: Celebrating 90 Years of Pininfarina;
- Class G – The Birth of the Supercar: Latin Style Landmarks
- Class H – The Next Generation: Hypercars of the 1990s.
In addition, the participating Concept Cars & Prototypes will provide a global highlight. Five visionary one-of-a-kind specials will be presented alongside each other for the first time in a unique showing.
The BMW Group will also present a pioneering concept for sustainable mobility at this year’s Concorso d´Eleganza Villa d´Este: the BMW i Vision Circular.
The vision car has been consistently designed on the basis of the principles of the circular economy. The aim is to achieve 100 percent use of recycled materials and 100 percent recyclability. The BMW Group intends to become the most successful and most sustainable premium manufacturer for individual mobility. That’s why the company is adopting a responsible approach and placing these issues at the centre of its strategy. The BMW i Vision Circular also demonstrates that a premium aspiration need not be a contradiction with sustainability.
The worldwide debut of the Rolls-Royce Boat Tail in the Mosaic Garden of Villa d’Este will undoubtedly create a sensation.
This is an initial apogee of a coachbuilding project over four years with three unusual Rolls-Royce clients. A personalised automobile of superlative excellence has been designed for each one. The convertible has a length of 5.80 m and comes from the British luxury marque with a long “Boat Tail” designed like a yacht to provide a perfect accompaniment for the journey along the fabulous winding road on the banks of Lake Como.
This year, the programme of the Concorso d´Eleganza will once again be defined by the exhibition of participating cars, the exquisite aesthetics of their styling and contours, and the crowning of the most elegant and technically excellent winners of the beauty contest by the Jury. The winners of the Coppa d´Oro Villa d´Este will receive their award on Saturday and the winners of the various vehicle classes, the Concorso d’Eleganza Design Award and the Best of Show Award for the overall winner of all classes will be presented on Sunday.