ONE LAKE, ONE CAR - AND A FEW GUESTS…
The world’s most low-key, under-the-radar meeting dedicated to a single, spectacular model has reached its 14th edition. Year after year - perhaps not in total secrecy, but still without much fanfare or any public announcement - a select group of Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS “Villa d’Este” owners and admirers quietly gathers in the very place that gave this model its now-legendary name: the Hotel Villa d’Este. Renowned among connoisseurs of both supreme hospitality and exquisite cars, Villa d’Este is regularly cited as one of the finest hotels in the world, famously serving as the prestigious setting of the Concorso d’Eleganza. It was here in 1949 that the Touring-bodied Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS won the Coppa d’Oro, earning its moniker “Villa d’Este.” Since then, the car and the hotel have remained symbolically and stylistically entwined. We’ve been returning to this intimate celebration for years now. After including last year’s event report in our collectible magazine “The Independents”, I’m still in awe at the quiet magnetism of this raduno - the setting, the people, the cars - somehow, they all continue to surprise.
It’s all unquestionably due to the main protagonists: of the estimated 32 cars built between 1949 and 1951, fewer than 20 6C Villa d’Este Alfas are known to survive - each with subtle differences, each with its own story. This year, four guest cars joined the hotel’s own example on the shores of Lake Como, where the gathering has evolved in a surprising new direction. Now positioned as a prelude to the main Concorso d’Eleganza, the event has opened its arms, ever so slightly, to include other prestige marques. Organised under the patronage of Marco Makaus, the meeting recreated what might have passed for the hotel’s parking area in the early 1950s - a refined selection of vehicles representing those a well-heeled clientele might have arrived in. Alongside the Alfas were a Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Porsche, and a trio of exceptional Lancias, all unique, all perfectly suited to this place and moment.
Particularly captivating was a Ferrari 212 Inter “Berlinetta,” one of only three bodied by Touring using the same Superleggera method as the 6C 250 SS “Villa d’Este” (ironically, the only bright red car present… or rather one of two, but more on that at the end of this report). Enzo Ferrari, ever the pragmatist, had just begun selling road-going cars to fund his Scuderia’s racing efforts. Early Ferraris like this one were barely tamed race cars. Marked as “EL” for Export Lungo, it descended directly from the 166 Inter, Ferrari’s first true GT, and it was delivered to Montevideo in 1951. Seeing them face to face on the Villa d’Este gravel was a symbolic representation of a powerful moment on its own in Italian automotive history: as Alfa Romeo’s artisanal golden era came to an end, Ferrari’s legend was just beginning.
Among the other guests, a 1952 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith by H.J. Mulliner stood out. Extensively customised for its original Tuscan noble owner, it featured everything from kilometre-calibrated instruments to bespoke luggage and a roof rack. Later, it passed into the hands of a British Air Force officer stationed in Germany, where it was used to receive visiting members of the Royal Family. To this day, it still bears a Royal crest - no mismatch here, as the gardens of Villa d’Este themselves are the product of a refined blend of Italian Renaissance architecture and 19th-century English landscape design. No surprise, then, that the legend that is among Alfisti Simon Moore seemed perfectly at home. The revered author of “The Immortal 2.9” and “The Legendary 2.3” - unquestionably the definitive works on Alfa Romeo’s 8C models - was there too, camera in hand, patiently answering questions and sharing from his vast automotive knowledge. While he’s stated he won’t take on the daunting task of writing a similar opus for the 6C, if anyone could do it, it’s him. Until then, “Villa d’Este Style – One Lake, One Car” remains the finest opportunity in the world to see these rarities in their natural habitat, and to hear the untold anecdotes only their owners can share - against the perfect backdrop of Lake Como and the world’s most elegant hotel.
PS: To attend such a gathering, one ought to arrive in a rather special Alfa Romeo. A six-cylinder one, naturally. And since 6Cs are rather thin on the ground north of the Alps, I joined forces with my friend Simon Weniger and his uniquely reimagined Alfa Romeo 156 GTAm. Together we braved rain, traffic and Teslas - arriving at Villa d’Este fierce and gleaming. Though born of a more proletarian lineage, seeing the 156 GTAm in this setting, one could easily imagine a future where it stars in its own Concorso class or maybe even its own gathering of discerning Alfisti. After all, every legend starts somewhere, and few other places could tell a tale better than this…
Photo gallery courtesy of Luca Danilo Orsi.
