CERNOBBIO – “The magic of mobility” is the theme of the twentieth Concorso di Eleganza Villa d’Este, the most important European event for collectors and enthusiasts of historic cars.
From tomorrow, the protagonists who will parade in the gardens of the Grand Hotel are 50 vintage cars, very rare and precious, divided into 8 categories which, as per tradition, can be admired by the public on Sunday 26 May in the gardens of the nearby Villa Erba in Cernobbio, also witnessing the final parade.
Still on the theme of the ‘magic of mobility’ and to celebrate 25 years of the BMW Z8, this evening’s BMW Night will feature two world premieres. “A sports car with a maritime touch and a ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ two-wheeler that enthusiasts will really like” anticipated Massimiliano Di Silvestre, president and CEO of BMW Italia.
The spaces of Villa d’Este will also host the presentation of BMW’s twentieth Art Car, the M Hybrid V8 racing car interpreted by New York artist Julie Mehretu, who will participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. This initiative continues an almost fifty-year tradition that has involved artists such as Alexander Calder, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Jenny Holzer, Jeff Koons, Cao Fei and John Baldessari who created racing cars for BMW.
“I have loved cars for most of my life, as toys, as objects, as opportunities. So I enthusiastically seized the opportunity to work on the next BMW Art Car,” explained Mehretu.
Among the most interesting cars in the competition starting from The Dawn of Performance Age category, the Bentley 4 1/2 Blower represents the greatest English sportiness of the 1930s.
The Cadillac V16, an expression of American technical power, is among the protagonists in the Shaped by the Wind: the Evolution of Aerodynamics section. In The Best Car in the World class, which celebrates 120 years of Rolls-Royce, we find the Rolls-Royce 40/50 hp Phantom II Continental, an expression of elegance and style for maximum luxury. The extraordinary charm of the Ferraris of the 60s could not be missed with the 250 GT aerodynamic special in the “Faster!” class. The arms race on the road.
