Concorso d’eleganza Villa d’Este

He sold off his collection of 16 cars.

While the excitement of the parade was still fresh, the entrants put their cars in the garages at Villa d’Este and traveled by BMW shuttle service or boat to Villa Erba, about one kilometer away, where the Hagerty Broad Arrow auction was being held. This was the auction that made headlines when a Honda NSX-R (NA2) was sold for approximately 150 million yen.

That night, there was an Italian party at Villa Erba. Here, I made another new acquaintance. He was the owner of a competition Ferrari called the 250 Monza, of which only one was produced, and apparently he had given up 16 other cars from his collection, including a Miura SV, to acquire this car. Just how much was it worth…?

The best drive of your life

Sunday. This day is also one of the highlights of the event. In the morning, the entrants “drive” to Villa Erba, the venue for the party the night before. In fact, only a limited number of people are able to watch the event on Saturday, and the admission fee is very expensive. For this reason, many car enthusiasts head to the Villa d’Este Public Day, held in Villa Erba on Sunday (confusingly). However, this day is also so popular that advance tickets sell out, so if you want to go next year, be sure to get there early.

It was finally my turn as a driver, and I took off dashing in my Pantera Gr.4. The V8 note roared as it cut through the lake. It felt amazing. There were so many spotters waiting along the road that it was almost impossible to get through. Some even pulled out into the middle of the road, forcing the entrants to stop. It was only one kilometer to Villa Erba, but it was one of the best drives of my life.

Public day at Villa Erba. So many spectators showed up that we wondered how they managed to get to Lake Como and whether there was enough parking. Many were interested in the Pantera, and we quickly distributed all of the more than 100 history books we had brought from Japan. It was well worth the hard work by the staff to carry the heavy luggage (books are heavy!).

Parade on the red carpet

A parade run was also organised at Villa Erba. As it was a public day, this one was even more elaborate than the Saturday parade. Each car went around a large garden, with a red carpet laid out along the way, and they stopped briefly in front of the spectators filling the stands and the judges stationed opposite. Here again, Simon Kidston explained the cars. He occasionally gave interviews, and I was nervous that he might ask me to say something (though perhaps knowing my situation, Simon only allowed me to say “thank you”).

Simon is amazing. He’s British and lives in Switzerland. He’s fluent in English, Italian, and French. He explained the participating cars almost entirely from memory, occasionally referring to notes. His knowledge and experience are unmatched in the world today, and he’s apparently going to show off his treasure (a 33/2, I believe) soon.

The class winners will be announced during the parade at Villa d’Este. The eight class winners will then be awarded again at a gala dinner held at Villa d’Este, where the prestigious Best of Show will be announced.

We drove the Pantera back to Villa d’Este, where the crowds lining the road had swelled several times since the morning.

Thanks to all car lovers

Sunday night. It’s a black-tie gala dinner. Gentlemen and ladies have gathered in the garden. With official champagne in hand, they’re engaged in lively discussions about cars. Simon introduces the class winners, and one by one, the cars come down the aisle. They receive congratulations from the attendees, some of them mixed with envy. It must be a wonderful moment.

After the formal gala dinner, it was time to announce the Best of Show. All eight class winners gathered at the lakeside party venue. It was a spectacular sight. Without a doubt, eight of the best cars in the world today were gathered together.

Still, one car had to be chosen. When I thought about the judges’ hard work, I realized that any model would be good enough to be the best. Come to think of it, it was the same last time. I won’t mention here which car won first prize. If you really want to know, just do a search and you’ll find it easily.

After hearing the name of the car, I gently raised my glass of champagne and expressed my gratitude to the owners who had shown me their wonderful cars, to my friends and staff who had come from Japan, and to all the car enthusiasts on the event organizers, including Simon and the judges.When I returned to my room, I could see fireworks dancing over the lake. Hoping to see them again someday, I took off my black tie.

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