Jalopnik: villa d'este

Google Street View Drives Along Lake Como on Wrong Day, Misses Concorso d'Eleganza

Peter Orosz — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EDT

Now that Google Street View is trickling down the European highway system, it’s time to go on the prowl for fancy cars.

It took until last fall for Google Street View to make it across the Atlantic, a year and a half after it debuted in the US. Both roads and privacy laws are narrower here. This must have figured in the delay, but the age of Peeping Toms is now upon us. And there certainly are other things to explore than the digitally blurred faces of Italian politicians on campaign posters around the Duomo in Milan.

Some of our roads are so narrow that even seated in a Hot Wheel of a local supermini the idea of traffic coming the opposite way is enough to fill you with dread. Convex mirrors to the rescue! You can find them in most intersection, like here in the village of Cernobbio in North Italy:

Look closer and you can see the Street View car itself reflected, with its scaffolding of camera equipment balanced on top. It is a black Opel Astra, which translates to Saturn ~ in the American language.

But look even closer, move along the road, and grind your teeth in frustration at the missed opportunity. This mirror happens to be mounted at the entrance of Villa d’Este, a magnificent estate on Lake Como, site of the annual Concorso d’Eleganza. The public road Via Regina passes right next to the Villa, at one point crossing beneath in a short tunnel, and when the Concorso is on in late April, you can stop at various observation points and drool at all the cars. Since this is Italy, you can do this in the close proximity of excellent food, so that all the Maserati-induced saliva will not go to waste and will help bits of mozzarella di bufala become parts of your body.

Should you find yourself in the area this year, do swing by on the weekend of April 25-26. It’s only 15 Euro-bucks to get in and you can liquefy your brain on cars faster than it takes a Ferrari Colombo engine to rev into the high latitudes.

If you happen to arrive at the right time, you can even catch a glimpse of ladies in decadent dress, idling by a Bugatti Type 57C Voll & Ruhrbeck. As if waiting for this 1939 cabriolet to set sail not for Lake Como, but for the Southern Ocean itself.

BMW M1 Homage Concept Revealed!

Mark Arnold — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Remember the BMW M1 from the late 70's and early 80's? Sure, we all do — how could someone forget the only BMW mid-engined homologated racer? Well, for you fans of that MotorWorken hotness, we've got an exciting bit of news out of the Concorso d'Eleganza at Villa d'Este, an Italian gathering hosting precious metal from all over the world. The Germans suprised everyone by bringing a piece of racing hotness hearkening back to those halcyon days of the late 70's — kind of a thirtieth anniversary present to lovers of the old M1. It's called the BMW M1 Homage concept, a modern-day interpretation of the mid-engined Bavarian exotic. So is this flame-surfaced M1 successor a future classic? Well, it's hard to say.

As of now, the M1 Homage is strictly a design exercise. We haven't seen shots of the interior, the mechanical bits, or of the vehicle in motion, so it may very well be no more than a hot body. The styling is directly influenced from not only the original M1, but also from that car's inspiration, the BMW Turbo Concept. So if history is to repeat itself, perhaps this Homage is a predecessor to a toned-down limited-production version, but don't hold your breath. There have been optimistic rumors of a BMW return to the mid-engined supercar game, and this would certainly be a bold first step. But we'll have to wait and see just how far BMW is going to take this concept. For now, we'll settle with gawking at the motionless photos of this modern automotive sculpture. [Photo Credit: BMW]

Mambo Italiano At Villa d'Este

Ray Wert — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 09:30:00 EDT

Well, we don't want to be those guys who just drop the money shot and leave — so we won't. Instead, here's a tease of the wrap-up of the 2006 Villa d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza provided by our good friends at SUPERCARS.NET. Feel free to check out our little booty-shake and then head on over to SUPERCARS.NET for the full-on, hot and steamy hardcore pics.

2006 Villa d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza [SUPERCARS.NET]

Related:
More on Concorso d'Eleganza [internal]

Ferrari's 2006 575 GTZ: Flashback To 1956

Ray Wert — Sat, 22 Apr 2006 14:30:00 EDT

Ferrari's taking the wayback machine to 1956, producing an abso-fab spectacta-car celebrating the 50th anniversary of the famous 250 GTZ berlinetta. The aluminum body, meant to fit atop the already insta-classic 575, sports a two-tone paintwork with styling cues that would make it's poppa proud. Our friends at supercars have the whole story, but like the 250 GTZ 50 years ago, the 575 GTZ will be presented in a world premier at Villa D'Este Concours D'Elegance this weekend. Remember to keep checking in with us throughout the weekend as we'll be bringing you more coverage from the picturesque estates of Italy.

2006 Ferrari 575 GTZ [SUPERCARS.NET]