We were very delighted to be invited by BMW to the legendary Concorso d’Eleganza at the Villa d’Este on Lake Como last weekend. It was a three-day affair, and what an extravaganza. As we wrote in our teaser , the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este was celebrating its 150th hotel season, while BMW M was celebrating its 50th. Both brands share an ongoing 20-year relationship, which made the event all-the-more special. 

The weekend was filled with luxury vintage vehicles, festivities and exciting BMW and Rolls-Royce reveals –  all culminating in the prize of course. Over fifty vehicles were participating in the pageant, all more mind-blowing than the other, and we got to see all of it. There were also some premieres including the long-awaited BMW M4 CSL, limited to 1000 units and the BMW XM hidden in a closed room.

As being one of the most exclusive events in the industry, we are happy to give you a glimpse into what the weekend was made of, and send you on a vicarious journey through timeless elegance. 

The pageant

Out of the fifty “automotive beauties”, as they were dubbed, two particularly stuck out to us. First, the Aston Martin Bulldog, which was a highlight of the pageant. This astonishing sports car from the 70s only comes in one colour, and has a rather intriguing story behind it. Legend has it that the concept for the car was brought up by a client who then quit before it could even be completed because the development took so long. Aston Martin ended up finishing it out of pocket and used the car for photographic and film content. It was notably featured in the hit series Dr Who. 

And then of course, there’s the winner of the competition and Trofeo BMW Group Classic: the Bugatti 57S. The convertible built in 1937 was awarded the honour of “Best of Show '' by the Jury of experts, and quite deservedly so. The Bugatti was co-produced by the Italian Bugatti engineers and traditional coach builders at Vanvooren located near Paris, France. This resulted in an ideal symbiosis as an engineering masterpiece defined by impressive aesthetic clarity. 

The elegant convertible body and perfectly balanced proportions accentuate calm, knife-edge lines that reject any form of opulence or flamboyant ornamentation. Here too, there is an interesting story behind the presence of the vehicle at Villa d’Este – one of the previous ten owners, a Vice President of General Motors, swapped the Bugatti for a Buick V8 for test purposes four decades ago, but the original engine turned up in an Internet search and found its way back to the car, only to end up at the Concorso d’Eleganza 2022. 

The winners of this year’s categories:
– Trofeo BMW Group Best of Show and category A: Bugatti 57S
– Class B: Mercedes-Benz, 540 K Cabriolet
– Class C: Chrysler, Boano Coupé Speciale
– Class D: Ferrari, 365 P Berlinetta Speciale Tre Posti
– Class E: Porsche, 356 B Carrera Abarth GTL
– Class F: BMW, 3.0 CSL
– Class G: Porsche, 959 Sport
– Concorso d’Eleganza design award for concept cars & prototypes: Bugatti Bolide
– Coppa oro: Aston Martin Bulldog

The reveals 

Though this technically wasn’t a public reveal, we at ellectric were lucky enough to be one among the guest at Villa d’Este to attend the BMW XM closed room at where the long-awaited series model was unveiled. The concept study was revealed at Art Basel in 2021, but no one had yet laid eyes on the series production – until last weekend. And of course, you’ll be seeing more of the BMW XM on ellectric soon.

The BMW Concept XM looks ahead to the most powerful BMW M car ever to go into series production, which is set to begin at the end of this year, promising strikingly sculpted surfaces and extravagant lines that create a unique design language.

The bold exterior styling of the Concept XM reflects the car’s exceptional performance attributes: dynamism, agility and precision in addition to an expected all-electric range of up to 80 km. The first-ever plug-in hybrid vehicle from BMW M in the high-performance segment is therefore pointing the way for the future of the brand.The new BMW XM will have a completely unique look compared to all other BMWs with its extravagant interior, and will be equipped with a V8 paired with an electric motor.

Frank van Meel, CEO of BMW M, said: “The BMW Concept XM represents a complete re-imagining of the high-performance car segment. It underlines the ability of BMW M GmbH to break with established conventions and push boundaries to offer fans of the brand the ultimate driving experience.”

“Wheels & Weisswürscht” at Villa Erba

On Sunday, the last day of the event, we took part in BMW Group Classic’s first edition of “Wheels & Weisswürscht” at the Villa Erba, not far from the Villa d’Este. The event, which took place on the shores of the lake, was branded with the motto “Cars, Drinks, Food & Passion” and invited automobile enthusiasts to celebrate together in this breathtaking location. 

Although the host was BMW, models from automobile clubs and communities of all brands from across Europe answered the roll call. Alongside more than 100 automobiles – including very special models from the 50th anniversary of BMW M.

At the Villa Erba we had a closer look at the BMW M1. The shape goes back to the 1972 study of the BMW Turbo by Paul Bracq and was designed by the renowned vehicle designer Giorgio Giugiaro, who had become famous only a few years earlier for the design of the first VW Golf. The Italian created the angular profile of the later M1 from the rather rounded base of the BMW Turbo.

It was an incredible experience to be at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. We got to see some of the world’s most beautiful and special vehicles, witness first-hand the premieres of exciting new BMW and Rolls Royce vehicles, and of course, mingle with the industry’s finest in the breath-taking Villa d’Este. 

On Sunday, we took a road-trip from Lake Como back to Munich with the BMW iX M60, which we will be sharing here soon – stay tuned.

Once we had come back from our dreamy and sensorially overwhelming weekend at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, we thought we would share the experience with you by crafting an on-theme playlist for all of our ellectric lovers to drive around Italy to as the summer rolls around. We have to warn you, it’s an eclectic one — but we expect nothing less of our progressive and forward thinking community. We’ve got Italian classics for the romantic sunset drives, Italo disco for the top-down, wind in your hair fast drives, and some fun electronic beats made in Italia for your night rides. Godetevi la corsa!”

Picture 1: BMW / Enes Kucevic for ellectric
Picture 2,3,4: Felipe Palma
Picture 5: BMW Group
Picture 6-9: Felipe Palma
Picture 10: ellectric
Text: Britta Reineke