2019 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este: There's no car show on earth quite like it

90 years after the event’s founding, a hand-selected group of stunning vintage cars gathered on the shores of Italy’s Lake Como for the 2019 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.

Like we’ve always said, when it comes to fancy car shows, there are concours, and then there are concours. And then somewhere in a tier above all those is the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, which took place in Cernobbio, Italy, over the weekend.

The Concorso was first held in 1929, back when many of the cars shown there were new and breathtaking. And as we rediscover every year, the featured cars — the show takes a quality over quantity approach, with only 50 selected for display each year — are just as breathtaking going on a century later.

Automotive appraiser, commentator and operatic baritone Donald Osborne attended the show this year; Mark Vaughn asked him for his view from the ground, especially given the inclement weather. Mercurial meteorology is perhaps the only downside to the event’s Lake Como setting, which is a fancy way of saying that it rained — quite a bit. How many cars melted, we wondered?

None, if you can believe it. “The owners kept their composure and more than a bit of good humor, and it was a pleasure to see that some of the greatest cars in the world were indeed not made of marzipan after all,” Osborne tells Autoweek. “It is fantastic that none of the 2019 Villa d’Este entrants can never described as ‘never been driven in the wet.’”

Get a taste of the 2019 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.

Osborne, who has certainly been to his share of excellent shows around the globe, offers some of what makes this particular automotive fete so special. “For me, the Concorso Villa d’Este is a place where the Academy Awards cliche, ‘It’s an honor just to be nominated,’ actually rings true. Walking through the classes, I was inordinately pleased not to be on the jury, as their job was clearly impossible.

“Picking a particular highlight of the show among many of the most spectacular cars on the planet is like deciding which pasta is your favorite in all of Italy. But, in terms of classes, I’m passionate for small cars—so my favorite class had to have been Class C: ‘Small and Perfectly Formed: The Coachbuilder’s Art in Miniature.’” Osborne cites specifically the 1953 Abarth 205 Sport 1100 Ghia Berlinetta, an unrestored 1963 Abarth Monomille GT entered by its original owner, a 1952 Maserati A6G/2000 Frua coupe and the 1964 Seat Nardi 750GT coupe.

Beyond that, we’re pleased to see old favorites like the Lane Motor Museum’s Gyro-X and James Glickenhaus’ Ferrari Modulo enjoying their time in the metaphorical, if only intermittently present, Italian sun.

Noted collector David Sydorick claimed both the Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este and the Trofeo BMW Group Best of Show with this incredible 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Berlinetta Coupe.

And as for the big winner? It’s hard to argue with the 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Berlinetta Touring that claimed both the popular-choice Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este and the Trofeo BMW Group Best of Show award. The stunning Alfa is owned by California’s David Sydorick, who also won the Trofeo BMW Group in 2015 with a 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Zagato Spider. The guy knows how to pick winners, that’s for sure.

You can get a taste of the scene in Cernobbio in these photo galleries. It’s the second best thing (a distant second, mind you) to actually being there — and probably a good bit drier.

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