From a car bought to be cannibalised for spares to keep other Rolls-Royce 20 H.P.s motoring in the Udaipur royal garage to its glorious resurrection to not just pride of place in the same fleet but also as the flag bearer of great Indian royal automobiles at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, is a story right out of a fable. Adil Jal Darukhanawala sheds light on GLK 21, the 1924 Rolls-Royce Twenty, originally ordered and owned by the Maharaja of Jodhpur and since the late 1930s doing duty in the automobile fleet of the Maharaja of Udaipur

Indian royalty loved their motor cars. And of course their other worldly possessions but then this was a matter of course because they had so much of it that not having one or two baubles wouldn't have dented their financial standing. However, honour was of even greater import than mere money and it was also the pride of being seen in the grandest at all times which saw so many royals (Maharajas, Rajas, Thakur Sahibs, Nawabs, etc, etc) take to the automobile with such gusto as they would have done so with horses and elephants in the century before the advent of the internal combustion powered vehicles.

One has heard many a tale of our royals buying exotic cars by the dozen for the simple reason that the impression thus created was massive on the minds Not just on their subjects but also on their peers and compatriots This latter aspect was one which more often than not had many a raja ranged against a maharaja (and vice versa) in competition for the most powerful automobile just as they would have fought for the hand of princess in earlier times. That buying many units of the same model in one go was because they could afford them to show off and not because of there being a wholesale price charged for the purchase Woe betide anyone was it to be known that some motor manufacturer had offered a discount and a royal had accepted

However, among the over 278 Indian royals classified at the time of Independence, we also saw quite a few of them who were genuine motoring enthusiasts and who had great taste, be it displayed in the marque they chose, the coachwork they specified or the special one-offs they commissioned. So many of the greatest automotive names in existence at that time made special cars for our royals and while many did acknowledge that they had to have at least a couple of Rolls-Royces for official duties, this didn't prevent them from investing in Lanchesters, Daimlers, Hispano-Suizas, Isotta-Fraschinis, OMs, Mercedes-Benz, Delages, Delahayes, Minervas, Cadillacs, Duesenbergs, et al.

In fact motoring history is the richer because of our royals and their penchant for great and grand cars and on August 19 this year, one would get a glimpse of some of these magnificent machines which our Maharajas drove and rode in their heyday when these beauties roll down on the famed 18th fairway of the Pebble Beach golf course for the 62nd Concours d'Elegance.

And of the eclectic () lot at Pebble this year would be the car splashed across these pages and a few overleaf, the 1924 Rolls-Royce 20 H.P. entered by His Highness Shri Arvind Singhji Mewar of Udaipur. While many would question the stature of a mere Twenty against the likes of a Phantom II or III this car and its entry is without a doubt one of the most significant for Pebble Beach in its history. It would be the first time that a Maharaja car would be driven on the hallowed greens with its Maharaja owner riding shotgun In fact, this car will also do the 17-mile Tour d'Elegance on August 16, running through scenic vistas as the route winds through mountains and valleys along the California coast with a mid-way halt at Carmel-by-the-Sea.

For a car that is near 90 years old, and maintained and restored in India to take in such a drive would be a wonderful occasion For the record, driving duties on the Tour d'Elegance would be handled by my close friend and fellow automobile journo Bob Rupani and Graham Ashley-Carter who played a major role in the restoration of this car. Shreeji would be joined by his daughter Princess Padmaja Kumariji Mewar and his son-in-law Rajkumar Sahib Dr Kush Singhji Parmar of Santrampur on this 17-mile run.

While this is an interesting scenario waiting to be played out, let's take in the car and its history. We begin with the Rolls-Royce angle to the 20 H.P., this being a car developed in the years immediately after the First World War when the 40/50 H.P. Silver Ghost was the only model in the Rolls-Royce portfolio. This was a large and very powerful car more often than not being the preserve of the wealthy and therefore often used as a chauffeur-driven machine. The Rolls-Royce board worked out that a smaller 20 H.P. car be developed (code named Goshawk) which could cater to the owner-driver set and also be manufactured and sold at a price lesser than the Silver Ghost.

Around the period 1917-19, Sir Henry Royce was clear that while engine downsizing had to be embraced, it was not to be at the cost of performance. And for inspiration to that effect he looked at some of the Grand Prix cars from Peugeot and Mercedes which had done well in the French GPs of 1912,'13 and '14. In fact, he purchased the 1913 French GP winning Peugeot which featured a 5.6-litre engine with gear-driven overhead camshafts operating four valves per cylinder to learn more about getting the desired performance from a smaller engine.

If that was not all, he also got to check out the 1914 French GP winning Mercedes of Christian Lautenschlager which came into his hands for some time and it proved valuable not just during the design and development of Project Goshawk but also during the Eagle development programme where RR explored the possibility of using sohc and dohc actuated valve gear on its six-cylinder 40/50 H.P. motors which were all pushrod operated.

Given the fact that production engineering machinery was not of a high order then, and to maintain the silent operation associated with the Rolls-Royce creed, it was decided to go with pushrod actuation for the 20 H.P. engine. This unit featured a 3127cc six-cylinder in-line having a single cylinder block and a detachable cylinder head for the first time in RR history. The crankcase was in aluminium alloy and it featured coil ignition to begin with, a stand-by magneto being an option at launch in 1922 before magneto ignition became standard fitment from 1923 onwards. The 20 H.P. came with a three-speed manual gearbox at launch with a centre gear change but with the adoption of a four-speed manual from 1925 onwards, the gear shift lever was positioned to the right, next to the driver's foot. Early cars featured brakes only on the rear wheels but from 1925 all four wheels had servo-assisted brakes.

This 20 H.P., more popularly known within the RR fraternity as the "Small Horsepower" range met with immediate acceptance and Rolls-Royce made close to 3000 units in the period from 1922 to 1929 and of these quite a number came to India as well. The Twenty (as the car was popularly known) could be recognised from its larger and bigger engined Silver Ghost elder sibling, by the use of horizontally arranged shutters on its radiators. In fact, the last series close to 1928-29 featured vertical shutters.

The Twenty was clothed in very many types of bodies by some of the best known coach builders of the day including Hoopers, H J Mulliner, Weymann, Thrupp andamp; Maberley, Windovers, Cockshoot, Mann Egerton, etc but the one coachbuilder which clothed the majority of the Twentys, both in England and those which came to India was Barker. Its barrel shaped tourer was the most popular but other regular touring bodies and cabriolets plus very nifty doctor's coupes were also seen in India.

Moving now on to the Indian provenance of the car we have here on these pages. This car was one of three RR Twentys ordered brand new by the Maharaja of Jodhpur in 1923. Two of these were delivered in 1923 (chassis numbers GH 73 and GRK 69) while the third (GLK 21) was delivered in 1924. It is the latter which as used extensively by the Jodhpur royals before it was sold off to one of the most reputed car dealers in Jodhpur in the early 1930s andndash; Seth Shri Motilal Sanghi. Shift from Jodhpur to Udaipur and this royal house also was in love with not just the Twenty but also with others from the RR stable.

It started with a 1914 Silver Ghost (chassis number 64 AB) which is yet in their possession and then it added no less than four Twentys to the royal garage. Three of these were ordered directly from RR in 1923 (chassis numbers 42 GO, 64 H9 and GAK 43) while a fourth (66 H9) formerly owned by the Nawab Moin ud-din Dowla was later added to the fleet. Maharaja Bhupal Singh was so fascinated by the Twenty that despite suffering from a physical deficiency, he prevailed upon Rolls-Royce to create a Twenty with special hand controls (throttle and clutch) for him to be able to drive. This was done on 64 H9 and this car remains to this day in the country, being part of the Orissa-based Patnaik collection.

It so transpired that in the 1930s, the Udaipur royal garage began to feel the pinch as regards a lack of spare parts for the Twentys and so the decision was taken to acquire another similar car which could be a mother lode of spares for those already in use. The Jodhpur Twenty was proferred by Seth Sanghi and thus the GLK 21 was bought for spares for the Udaipur garage. When 42 GO needed urgent engine work, GLK 21's engine was taken out and fitted into this chassis while the former's mill was stored and kept. This made GLK 21 a non-runner and she sat thus for a long time. In the meantime, 42 GO was sold off and is now in England while 66 H9 is in the Delhi-based Sudhir Choudherie collection. Not much is known about the whereabouts of GAK 43 and we would love to hear of it from any one of our readers.

In the late 1980s, the Udaipur Palace garage began to take stock of all what it had and the decision was taken to make the engine from 42 GO operational and fitted into GLK 21 which was virtually intact. Enter Graham Ashley-Carter who was roped in not just for his expertise but also for his enthusiasm and the damaged engine was resurrected and brought back to life. The entire car also got a complete makeover here in Udaipur itself and since the last few years it has been motoring on its own power in probably the best state of tune since she left the Rolls-Royce works in Derby, England. Credit Annu Vikram Singh, the curator of the Udaipur collection for this feat and also of course Ashley-Carter.

This Twenty as you can make out from Kunal Khadse's exquisite photography has a very distinctive all-aluminium sports tourer coachwork by Barker and comes with that rakish split vee-windscreen. Also the striking interplay of painted and polished surfaces makes it stand out so very differently from other Twentys in this country. It is a fantastic car and has all the original details intact including the original instrumentation plus the de rigeur ornamentation from the royal Udaipur family clearly evident. It is a gorgeous dowager in all its period originality and for sure with Shreeji on hand it will make for the most eclectic owner-car combination at Pebble Beach this year.

The third edition of the Cartier 'Travel with Style' concours d'elegance would be held in Mumbai in February 2013 and will feature some new classes including a very welcome move to add motorcycles to the mix as has been done by many other major events of their kind abroad. There will be three classes for motorcycles: pre-war classics till 1939; post war classics from 1940 to 1960 and racing motorcycles till 1960.

There is just one new class added to the car category - the Edwardian class for cars from the early pioneering days till 1914. The other classes would include pre-war classics from 1915 to 1939; post-war classics-America for American cars of course from 1940 to 1960; post-war classics-Europe for European cars from 1940 to 1960; roadsters till 1960; Indian heritage class for RHD cars assembled from CKD kits and/or cars manufactured in India from 1947 to 1960. Rounding off the car class would be the very important preservation class for unrestored but intact and operational cars in original form till 1960.

It is no secret that there is a great clamour for many to be considered worthy for invitation to the Cartier concours and for this reason a new selection process has been set into play. Entries with photographs and history would have to be sent for consideration to a panel of judges headed by H.R.H. Prince Michael of Kent who is the chief judge for the event. The panel will select the final cars for the Mumbai event which is as in the first two editions by invitation only. Applications must be emailed to concoursindia@gmail.com and must be submitted by August 31, 2012.

Another typical British event packing in classic cars, great racing cars from the past and the present and by and large being held on the same lines of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the 2012 edition of the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power attracted over 50,000 people despite inclement weather.

Held over May 15 to 17, the event had great cars on static display (well over 1000) as well as hot action over the 1.2-mile course where machines from different eras vied for fastest time of day. Bentley, Jaguar, Ford and BMW were out in force with their great machines while great F1 and sports cars from the past were in attendance as were some of the aero-engined monsters from the 1920s

A great sight was that of the 1910 Edison-Puton Monowheel which turned a wheel and propelled its rider on the slippery tarmac in great style while another top star was the 1955 Moto Guzzi 500cc V8-engined Grand Prix bike, one of just three built This bike was handled by noted trials ace Sammy Miller who had many other machines from his magnificent motorcycle museum in attendance at Cholmondeley.

Dubbed as one of the highlights of the international automobile year, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance ranks as one among a handful of the great events for classic cars (two others being the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este and the other being the Goodwood Festival of Speed). I have always been a great fan of Pebble Beach for the manner in which it celebrates great cars and this year there is even greater significance at this event because among its many classes is one for cars of the Maharajas

While you may have already read this in an earlier issue of this magazine, we can tell you that among the 15 cars selected from collectors around the world; no less than four would be making the trip from India for this prestigious event The glorious 1930 Stutz Series M dual cowl speedster with body by Le Baron, formerly the pride and joy of the Maharaja of Baria and now owned by Diljeet Titus will be part of the Indian quartet as also would be the 1930 Delage D8 featuring drop head coupe bodywork by Figoni.

This distinctive Delage features cycle fenders and was originally ordered and used by Maharaja Yashwantraoji Holkar of Indore before it found its way to Bangalore-based collector Dr Ravi Prakash. The third car to go from India for this prestigious event is Amir Ali Jetha's magnificent 1937 Phantom II Continental. It is recorded that only three Phantom II Continentals came to India, of which one is with a collector overseas and there is no trace of the third. Jetha's PII, bearing chassis no. 62UK, has been clothed by J Gurney Nutting in a streamlined coupe body style and this car, formerly owned by the Maharaja of Jodhpur is sure to impress show goers on the greens of Pebble Beach.

However, it is the fourth car which will evoke the greatest interest because it goes with its owner who is a true-blue Indian royal befitting the title of the great kings. The car in question is that depicted above, a 1924 Rolls-Royce 20 H.P., featuring a Barker barrel body. Chassis number GLK21 was ordered by the Maharaja of Jodhpur who used it till 1935 before selling it to Seth Shri Motilal Sanghi of the same city. The latter is revered among the automobile dealer fraternity of the country as being one of the most knowledgeable and influential car importers and dealers in the era before independence in the Rajasthan region. He in turn sold it to Maharana Bhupal Singh Mewar of Udaipur who was very fond of Rolls-Royce Twentys and he presumably bought it to cannibalise it for spares

Thankfully the car never did suffer this fate and it has been kept in exact standard config right thru, fettled by the mechanics in the royal garages which have now been converted to house the Vintage andamp; Classic Car Collection of the Maharaja of Udaipur. This car will be piloted on the event by none other than the present Maharana Shreeji Arvind Singh Mewar-Udaipur and riding shotgun with His Highness would be his friend and classic car aficionado Bob Rupani. While there will be many other great Maharaja cars in attendance from collections abroad, it would be hard for the Duesenbergs, Minervas, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz and others to beat the potent patina of a genuine Maharaja Rolls with a Maharaja at the helm

Every year in May, a small bunch of carefully selected classic cars and bikes assembles in the vicinity of Cernobbio, a picturesque village on the shores of Lake Como where the Hotel Villa d'Este and the neighbouring Villa Erba play host to what many state is the best and the most prestigious concours d'elegance in the world. The 2012 edition was held on the weekend of May 25-27 and in keeping with tradition, the event was a stunner with mind-blowing cars and bikes. I say mind blowing not just keeping in view the restoration (sympathetic but not over the top) but also the rich histories behind many of them and also the fact that all the owners weren't averse to giving the cars their head, making the grand spectacle a really marvelous outing for enthusiasts and the public alike.

As always there were 51 cars carefully vetted (by the time of the annual Geneva Motor Show in March every year) and when you understand how effectively yet passionately has BMW patronised this event that the who's who of the international motoring world were there to see the beauties from the classic twenties to the latest concepts. Yes this is another aspect of the Concorso d'Eleganza that highlights one-off modern concepts and protos so that it carries the original theme of the event as it was in 1929.

Loads of great cars made the nine classes (many of these classes being evocatively named andndash; Interpretations of Elegance, The Art of Streamlining, Little Jewels, Stars of the Rock 'N' Roll Era, La Dolce Vita, Gentleman's Sports Cars and Heroes of Le Mans to name some of them) but what stood out was not just the grand oldies but the diverse spread lavishly laid out. From the only example of the 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster on a short wheelbase chassis to a 1941 Chrysler Town andamp; Country (replete with a replica child push car in the luggage bay), from the ultra rare 1950 Abarth 204A (only seven were built and one of these was raced by none other than the great Tazio Nuvolari) to the Porsche 917K which actually starred in Steve McQueen's movie epic Le Mans and had wins at Monza, Daytona, Osterreichring, Spa, Monterey and Barcelona.

Ferraris, Maseratis (a couple of them were just plain dead gorgeous), an original Countach and a Miura SV Jota, fastback Bentley Continentals, one of the rare Graber-bodied Alvis coupes, a smattering of Rolls-Royces, almost a complete line-up of every type of Ferrari 250 GT, a grand Packard V12 (driven all the way from Spain), an elegant 1937 Delahaye 145 Coupe with bodywork by Chapron, and an amazing Avions Voisin C25 sedan were some of the great machines one got to ogle, hear and soak it all in. If that wasn't all, there was a separate display at the Villa Erba which focused on bubble cars only andndash; the tiny micro cars of which there were aplenty in Europe in the 1950s.

As a small window into the wonderful world of automobiles, the 2012 edition of the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este ran true to form. Classy and understated but totally unrestrained in displaying the joy of motoring, it was an eye opener in more ways than one.

: Ferrari 250GT SWB Berlinetta

ALFA IS BEST OF SHOW

Tiny and petite it might appear but this 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS packs a mighty punch No not just because it did the unthinkable and walk away with all the three Best of Show awards at the Villa d'Este (happened only once before with the Mercedes-Benz Trossi roadster of Ralph Lauren) but because this rare sixth series 6C 1750 was the very car which appeared on the firm's stand at the 1933 Paris Motor Show. It featured the same swoopy coupe body by Paris-based Italian coachbuilder Figoni (the firm didn't become Figoni andamp; Falaschi till 1935) and then its owner decided to race it at Le Mans in the 24 hours classic For this purpose the Figoni body was removed and a lightweight alloy roadster body was fitted. Armed thus it went ahead and raced to a class victory in the 1935 Le Mans 24 Hours and also finished 6th overall

After this race win, thankfully the owner decided to swap back to the original closed coupe body by Figoni and then the car was sent to South Africa where it was discovered and owner David Cohen embarked on a ground up restoration. The quality of the job plus the efficacy of Vittorio Jano's inline six-cylinder motor and assorted mechanicals powered this Alfa to the Best of Show by the jury, the invitees and media as well as the public No one begrudged it this clean sweep. Now Pebble Beach beckons in August and it would be hard for this Alfa not to add to its repertoire

THE BATMAN ROLLS-ROYCE

Well, that is not exactly true though to be honest this car could very well have been apt for Batman to traverse in the city of Gotham thanks to its sheer drama, length, girth and overpowering presence This 1925 Phantom I is a Rolls-Royce like no other and was ordered new by none else than the Maharaja of Nanpara who kept it in London for his exclusive use until he tired of it and sold it off a few years later. The buyer than had it re-bodied, by Belgian coachbuilder Jonckheere, in this extravagantly racy coupe bodywork and it went through a series of owners until it was acquired by the Petersen Museum. The sloping radiator, the round doors, the massive tail and the awesome weight andndash; over three tonnes, means this is a machine you never mess with Batman would have loved it

: Ferrari 250GT SWB Berlinetta

]]> 0 Adil Jal Darukhanawala http://www.zigwheels.com/news-features/vintage-classic/2012-concorso-deleganza-villa-deste-classically-inclined/13388/1 2012-06-25 17:51:25 Adil Jal Darukhanawala http://www.zigwheels.com/news-features/vintage-classic/bmw-zagato-coupe-makes-emphatic-entry-into-2012-concorso-deleganza-villa-deste/13383/1

BMW and Zagato collaborate for the first time to come up with this stunning Coupe. A rival to the Porsche Cayman? Only if it gets the green signal for series productions says Adil Jal Darukhanawala

The beautiful vistas of Lake Como surrounding the picturesque Cernobbio village come alive in the summer every year when the world's classiest concours d'elegance for classic cars and bikes is held. Begun as an event for Italian coachbuilders to show off their art and craft as long back as 1929, German car maker BMW's patronage and whole-hearted support to the Concorso D'Eleganza Villa D'Este since 1999 has elevated what was a fine event into truly one of the greatest events of its kind in the automobile world. And what is truly the gentle art of nurturing a century-old craft of bespoke coachwork, BMW has also worked to include a class for modern concept cars and prototypes which again hints back to the very ethos of the old age Italian carrozzerias and their custom coachwork.

So imagine the collective surprise when in the inaugural session of this year's edition, Karl Baumer, head of BMW Group Classic and the BMW Museum announced that something truly exclusive would drive up for all the assembled guests to take in. In drove one of the stunning BMW 507 V8-engined two-seater sports cars from the late 1950s, so very elegant and such a delight that it seemed like this car was always built to grace such a beautiful country as Cernobbio. Of course this wasn't the surprise for suddenly a red rocket burst into the grounds, a loud bark from its tuned exhaust letting us hear it before we could see it.

A svelte hard top coupe sporting a twin-bubble roof and with the very apparent Kamm-back moved into view and when it stopped and the two occupants stepped out to loud applause one could understand what the surprise was. Out stepped BMW's design boss Adrian van Hooydonk along with Andrea Zagato, CEO of the eponymous design consultancy and coach building firm. An immediate reaction was that BMW had moved the goalposts on its Z platform to come up with a very modern rendition unlike the neo-retro style the Z4 and Z8 carried but when it became clear that this was a design exercise done in the very same vein as the M1 Hommage and 328 Hommage a few years ago not many were willing to buy it The reason was obvious; more than any other design studies shown by BMW exclusively conjured for the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa D'Este, this new Zagato Coupe makes terrific sense, and it seemed so production ready

The other knockout was that this was the very first time that BMW had collaborated with Zagato to clothe one of its cars and the overall turnout of this creation was not stylish of course but also emotional in the sense that so many Zagato cues were on display on a modern machine. While Adrian van Hooydonk and Karim Habib, the new design chief for BMW cars played their role from the Munich car maker's perspective, Andrea Zagato and his chief designer Norihiko Harada managed to evoke great detailing of the past in a seamless manner on a contemporary automobile. "Besides its road-acceptance, the BMW should express the emotion of this study," remarked Andrea at the unveiling.

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The curvaceous shape on the Z4-based car makes it carry off its visually very long bonnet with a fastback rear end (both BMW and Zagato were early proponents of the Kamm-back school of aerodynamic thought) encompassing a small cockpit and makes for a stunning package. The subtle Zagato cues are all there andndash; the twin bubble roof ('tis said to accommodate helmeted heads in sports car racing in the 1950s and 1960s as seen on many Ferraris, Maseratis and Aston Martins sculpted by Zagato), the absolute minimal overhangs front and rear, the stylishly muscular wheel arches, the rakish rear ends, the valence crease on the bonnet, and the only thing which seemed a departure from the norm was the mesh on the twin kidney grille made up of tiny little Zs.

BMW has worked with other Italian design houses before, especially the likes of Vignale and ItalDesign but the opportunity to collaborate with Zagato was so much in sync with the very ethos of the bespoke custom-clothed car as evidenced in the first half of the last century. And having an Italian take care of the design meant that even the special red shape andndash; termed Rosso Vivace was both beautiful to behold as well as express Underneath the double-bubbled roof is fairly contemporary territory but the confines of the Z4's cockpit had been given the Zagato treatment with both comfort and the feelgood essence apparent in the way of accents, materials and craftsmanship.

Form follows function and what was made clear a day later was the fact that this was no beautiful soft glove approach to doing a show car but one which had been thoroughly put through the development wringer by BMW engineers in Germany. Under the bonnet is the proven N54 six-cylinder, twin-turbocharged engine now breathed upon (software updates to the EMS plus an all-new exhaust system) helps bump up power from the normal 340bhp to well over 400bhp BMW's 7-speed twin-clutch transmission manages the transfer of power to the rear wheels in time honoured fashion and those large five-spoke 19-inch wheels come wrapped with 255/35-R19 Bridgestone Potenza rubber.

One of the finest offerings in this class of car remains the Porsche Cayman and all of a sudden BMW could be challenging this notion with the strikingly elegant and potent Zagato Coupe. As Adrian mentioned to yours truly in the course of an exclusive one-on-one at the Villa d'Erba, the enthusiasm for the new car has been overwhelming and it is difficult to ignore that. So if mass production doesn't beckon, a small production run of a thousand units would do just as nicely for an emotional design that works, brilliantly

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]]> -35 Adil Jal Darukhanawala http://www.zigwheels.com/news-features/vintage-classic/bmw-zagato-coupe-makes-emphatic-entry-into-2012-concorso-deleganza-villa-deste/13383/1 2012-05-30 22:27:57 Siddharth http://www.zigwheels.com/news-features/vintage-classic/concorso-deleganza-villa-deste-2012-winners-announced/13099/1

The Concorso dEleganza Villa dEste at Cernobbio in Italy is one of the worlds longest running vintage car shows

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The Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Cernobbio, Italy has been celebrating the mystique of historic cars since 1929. The focus of the event that features cars from all over the world is on design, originality and perfect preservation.

Staged at the Lake Como waterfront, the most prestigious jury award (Trofeo BMW Group) and public award (Coppa d'Oro Villa d'Este and Trofeo BMW Group Italia) were bestowed on the 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS 6th Series Coupe Figoni owned by David Cohen of Switzerland.

Following is the list of winners in each category:

Class A: Graceful Open Air
Winner: 1939 Mercedes Benz 540 K Spezial Roadster
Entrant: Berthold Albrecht, Germany
The 540 K was available in various body styles, the most exclusive of which was the two-seater Spezial Roadster (in pic) recognisable by its V-shaped split front window. It's a more powerful version of the 500 K, which in turn was a replacement for the slow selling 380. It features a straight eight 5-litre engine which, with the supercharger engaged, produces around 178PS of power.

Class B: Interpretation of Elegance
Winner: 1937 Delahaye 145 Coupe Chapron
Entrant: Peter Mullin, USA
The 145 coupe is the road-going version of the 145 racer. Disassembled and hidden at the advent of the World War II, at least four 145s have been restored. The one in the picture has bodywork by coachbuilder Chapron. A 248PS alloy V12 engine, aluminium body and tubular chassis features on the car with a top speed of about 262km/h.

Class C: The Art of Streamlining
Winner: 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS 6th Series Coupe Figoni
Entrant: David Cohen, Switzerland
The 6C 1750 is one of the quintessential Alfa Romeos of its era. The Grand Sport was the most powerful among the 6C 1750s featuring a straight six 1.8-litre engine which produces 84PS of power. Pictured here is a 6C 1750 GS with Figoni bodywork; the 6C was only available as a rolling chassis.

Class D: Little Jewels
Winner: 1957 Fiat Abarth 500 Coupe Zagato
Entrant: Shiro Kosaka, Japan
The Fiat Abarth 500 Coupe Zagato is a 2-door coupe with rear-wheel drive and a manual 4-speed gearbox. It was developed by Abarth and Zagato and the standard 5-litre engine was tuned to produce 21PS of power.

Class E: Start of the Rock 'n' Roll era
Winner: 1958 BMW 507 Roadster Baur
Entrant: Heiko Seekamp, Germany
Specifically manufactured for the American market, the 507 was a disaster for BMW being too expensive and only 252 units were sold in the three years it was produced. The car's styling was an attraction for stars and Elvis Presley bought one. The car's 3-litre V8 produced around 148PS of power.

Class F: The Ferrari 250 Dynasty
Winner: 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Zagato
Entrant: David Sydorick, USA
One of the most desirable cars that came out of the Ferrari-Zagato collaboration, only a few were made for select clients. Zagato used his lightweight aeronautic techniques, first adopted when founding his coach building company in 1919. The 250 GTZ was powered by a 3-litre V12 which produced 247PS of power.

Class G: La Dolce Vita
Winner: 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Aerodynamic
Entrant: Peter S Kalikow, USA
The 400 Superamerica was meant for the richest people around the world, and a limited number of cars were built to order throughout the 1950s. It derived most of its components from the 250 GT, including the engine, chassis and transmission. The 4-litre V12 on the 400 Superamerica produced 336PS of power and 326Nm of torque.

Class H: Gentleman's Sports Cars
Winner: 1947 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Cabriolet Ghia
Entrant: Roberto Donati, Italy
The Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 was one of the first post war models produced by the Italian manufacturer from 1947 to 1952. The finest coachbuilders in Italy built bodies for the 6C 2500 models, including Pinin Farina, Stabilimenti Farina, Touring, Ghia, Bertone, Michelotti, and Boneschi among others. It was one of the most expensive series produced cars of its time because of the options it came with. The 2.5-litre straight six engine on the 6C 2500 produced 89PS of power.

Class I: Heroes of Le Mans
Winner: 1959 Aston Martin DBR1 Open Two Seater
Entrant: Adrian Beercroft, UK
This particular DBR1 was ooriginally built as a DBR3 in 1958; the chassis was converted to DBR1 specification for the 1959 season. In this guise it was only raced at Le Mans and Goodwood where it finished 2nd and 4th respectively. After Aston Martin's retirement from racing, it was used for a motion picture. For the 1962 Le Mans, it was loaned to the Essex Racing Stable, who entered it for 1959 winner Roy Salvadori and Tony Maggs, they retired from the race. In the following years, it was put on display at the Beaulieu museum. The DBR1 has a 3-litre 250PS straight six engine with the power being sent to the rear wheels.


This year's jury was chaired by Lorenzo Ramaciotti, currently head of design at the Fiat Group and former Pinin Farina design chief. The jury was assisted by its secretary Carlo Otto Brambilla. The members of the jury included Charles Lord March, host of the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival events, Patrick le Quandeacute;ment, former head of design at Renault, Harm Lagaay, former head of design at Ford, BMW and Porsche, Winston Goodfellow, journalist and automotive historian,

Hideo Kodama, automotive designer and illustrator, Stefano Pasini, freelance journalist and author of several automotive books, Nick Mason, founding member and drummer of rock band Pink Floyd, Ian Cameron, Design Director, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Martin Roth, Director of the Victoria andamp; Albert Museum in London.

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