Celebrate the 70s at this year's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este
At the 2015 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, one of the few classic car events on the automotive calendar where the scenery can compete with the exotic vehicles on display, ‘art cars', the Rolls-Royce Phantom and the jetsetting style of the 1970s will be celebrated.
Every year brings around some major automotive anniversary and 2015 is no exception -- it marks 90 years of the Rolls-Royce Phantom and the best museum-quality examples of the car from across the ages will be competing in a specially created category at this year's automotive beauty pageant.
The three-day event, held within the grounds of the Grand Hotel Villa d'Este on the banks of Lake Como, Italy, will also pay tribute to a tradition that started in June 1975 when US artist Alexander Calder decided to use a BMW 3.0 CSL as a canvas.
The original BMW Art Car competed in that year's Le Mans 24-hour race and inspired a series of cars painted by artists including Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol before the end of the decade. All of these cars will be on show alongside the most recent addition to the collection, created by Jeff Koons.
As such, "Seventies style - the jetset is back" is the overriding motto of this year's event which opens its doors to the public on May 22, and the exotic cars and bikes born of that decade will also be celebrated.
The event is about celebrating automotive achievement and alongside the more traditional concourse of classics there are also displays of past and present concept cars, one-offs and of course, the themed categories like this year's focus on 1970s design and on Rolls-Royce.
Alongside the car show, a classic car and automotive memorabilia will also be staged. The final catalogue is yet to be completed but early confirmed lots include a 1974 Lancia Stratos, a 1952 Ferrari 212 Export Barchetta and a 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Villa d'Este Coupé by Touring.
However, the highlight this year as with every year will be the competition for the ultimate prize, the Best in Show trophy, which will be decided by a panel of experts and awarded to the most extraordinary car on display built between the 1920s and 1980S that "expresses beauty, passion and uniqueness."
