Cream of the crop
The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, which in 2025 was held on 23-25 May, is always a lure for the world’s most rare and most exotic classic cars, but even amongst this extraordinary crowd there are those that are more exclusive than others.
Here are some of those rarest of the rare from another captivating edition of the event on the shores of Lake Como in Italy.
The cars are presented in chronological order.
1. 1937 BMW 328 ‘Faschenfeld Streamline’ by Wendler
Able to reach 123mph, 18mph more than a standard BMW 328, this 1937 ‘Fachsenfeld Streamline’ was one of two such cars built by Wendler, after studies in a wind tunnel produced a design with a 0.38Cd coefficient of drag.
Graf Fachsenfeld, Paul Jaray and Wunibald Kamm all worked on the project – and it certainly turned heads at 2025’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
2. 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C-2900MM Spider Corsa by Touring
This classic Alfa nearly won the 1938 Mille Miglia, before a brake issue dropped it to second.
One of five 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C-2900MM Spider Corsas built for this endurance epic, this car was later owned by racing driver Phil Hill and it is now in the custodianship of Ralph Lauren.
Having journeyed to the USA in the 1940s, it returned to Italy for the first time since then to attend 2025’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
3. 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C-2500SS Tipo 256 by Touring
Underneath the beguiling bodywork of this 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C-2500S Touring is the work of Enzo Ferrari, qualifying the Alfa Corse for racing.
This car, chassis 915012, was the first road car built to ‘256’ spec, with a shorter wheelbase and extra power, and today it is owned by serial Italian car collector Corrado Lopresto.
4. 1948 Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport by Saoutchik
This spectacular 1948 Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport has been returned to the colour scheme it wore at the 1948 Paris Salon.
It was runner up for Best of Show at last year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and won its class here at Villa d’Este in 2025.
While Jacques Saoutchik built 11 bodies for the T26, each of his sensational designs was unique, and this example is especially rare because of its shorter wheelbase and low roofline.
5. 1949 Bentley MkVI coupé by Pinin Farina
Out of more than 5000 Bentley MkVIs produced, fewer than 20 are thought to have been bodied by Pinin Farina, at a time when in-house coachwork prevailed.
This ‘Cresta’ coupé, delivered new to Switzerland, is unusual even among its small series, because it has a notchback rather than fastback rear.
It certainly looked at home at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2025.
6. 1950 Bugatti 101C Antem
The post-war hopes for Bugatti fell flat with the 101, with only six built, so this 1950 Bugatti 101C Antem coupé was an extraordinary sight.
Based largely on the pre-war Type 57, it differed underneath its ambitiously rounded bodywork with a Cotal gearbox and 17in wire wheels.
This car was owned by René Bolloré, the second husband of the late Ettore Bugatti’s widow.
This car also featured in the October 2000 edition of our magazine, Classic & Sports Car – dive in to our archive to read more.
7. 1957 Dual Ghia D-500
This is the unlikely product of a heavy-goods vehicle company known for its dual-engined trucks.
The Dual Ghia D-500 made a surprising success of an abandoned Chrysler-Ghia design study, the Firearrow penned by Virgil Exner.
It became an automotive darling of the Hollywood set and more than 100 were made before production ended in 1958.
8. 1967 OSI Silver Fox prototype
This is the OSI Silver Fox prototype, an extraordinary experiment with airflow, based on the idea of racing driver Piero Taruffi.
Two pods are conjoined by three wings, with the 1-litre, Renault-Alpine ‘four’ mounted in the left pod, opposite the driver who is in the right, with the gearbox at a 45-degree angle.
The Silver Fox was never raced and has only recently been restored to operational condition.
9. 1967 Bizzarrini Europa 1900GT
Intended as a smaller, more affordable alternative to the firm’s established 5300GT supercars, Bizzarrini’s Europa 1900GT was far more than the Opel GT from which it borrowed its four-cylinder engine.
Underneath its wind-tunnel-tested glassfibre body were a bespoke chassis and alloy suspension components, but fewer than 20 were built.
This example was Bizzarrini’s personal car and brought a splash of colour to Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2025.
10. 2005-6 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster
This is the sole right-hand-drive roadster built out of the 28 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTRs that served to homologate the model for GT Championship racing.
It is also the last produced, leaving the works as late as 2006, destined for the collection of the Brunei royal family.
Today, it is in British ownership and its very low mileage is being added to.
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