As is every year at Villa d’Este, I have a tradition.
After the Inaugural Dinner which is on Friday night- while everyone is having drinks at the bar or smoking their cigars – I go past the many security guards and enter the garage (tip on how to enter the garage: walk with confidence, wear a nice suit and act like you could easily own one of these cars) of the Villa d’Este hotel where all of the cars reside (or sleep – if you think cars are living beings rather than objects) before they are shown to the world the next day.
There is something special about entering a garage that has the world’s most beautiful cars.
Not even thinking of the monetary value (an educated but perhaps not every accurate guess is around $200-300m) the garage is a special place to begin with. It is where most cars spend most of their life.
Secondly it is dead quiet in there (besides the occasional guard patrolling around) and you can really concentrate on admiring the cars with not 100 people walking around them (something which happens of course the next day). You can study the shapes. Notice small details.
So enough writing – lets study the details and just enjoy these beautiful ‘animals’.
(We could not photograph all the cars because many of the cars had covers on to protect them from dust for the next morning).
The first car needs no introduction. It is just so beautiful. A steel 250 SWB owned by a British collector who is obsessed by the correct details.
Notice the red colour inside the exhaust end. Absolutely correct this is a ANSA exhaust-notice the ANSA sticker which is slightly visible.
I love the red interior of this car together with the blu outside. The simple round gauges near the driver. You can also see the gear shift.
At any angle the SWB is a dream. No wonder prices have escalated to $10m today. Maybe even closer to $11m for a nice steel 250 SWB.
Lets move on to its older cousin – the 250 TDF – Tour de France (or 250 LWB Competition) – also one of my personal favorite cars. This example is a Finnish car that was highly original. The roundel with the Nr 11 is not decoration. This car raced in period like many 250 TDF (they are all alloy bodied and very light).
Although the car was once repainted since it left the factory in 1957, the last repaint was in the 1960s according to the owner. So 50 years ago! Notice the cracked paint where the bonnet ends. The leather belt to keep the bonnet closed is correct and adds to the charm of this highly original car.
Lets move on to another famous Italian brand. Maserati. This car an A6G2000 bodied by Zagato would end up winning best in class. Notice the big grill and mouth. Aggressive and powerful.
I talked to the man who restored the car (it was Steelwings in the US). The restoration took over 18months. Notice the wide hips.
Not sure what happened to the back and what Zagato was thinking at the time. So aggressive from the front – the back is almost disappointing.
The next Maserati is even older. I fell in love with it. A6 1500 S. Bodied also by Zagato (notice the Z on the bonnet).
The blinker signal on this car was a true delight. Look at it. This is in itself a piece of art work.
For a Maserati, the A6 1500S was pretty tame. But remember we are talking 1940s and not 1950s when Maserati would go on to build serious race cars.
Next we move on from Maserati but stay within Italy. Alfa Romeo. This car was an absolute dream. A 1900 SS Bodied by Ghia. I love the Rome license plate.
The 3 louver reminded me very much of Ferrari. I wonder if Ghia was copying Pininfarina or vice versa? I would love to know the answer to that.
Notice how on the front the chrome stripe extends right until the end. A nice detail that chrome lovers will appreciate.
For Part II of 2015 villa d’Este Day Tour please click here.
