The concours d’elegance (French for “competition of elegance”) began as a rolling aristocratic fashion show. Long before cars existed, 17th-century Parisian blue-bloods paraded their ornate horse-drawn carriages in the city’s manicured parks. As the age of horsepower gave way to horsepower of a mechanical sort, the contests transformed into competitions between owners of extremely expensive automobiles. It was less about speed and more about style: finely crafted coaches—and later cars—were paraded alongside impeccably dressed ladies and gentlemen, with judges taking stock of every shimmering detail.
The Origin: France and the Dawn of the Concours d'Élégance
By the 1920s, the tradition evolved into formal judged events, complete with trophies, ballots, and eager spectators. France’s vintage car federation officially recognizes the concours at Dinard, Brittany, held on September 4, 1921, as the first true automobile event of its kind. Over sixty exotic machines turned out for that inaugural competition, establishing a pattern of elegance that would soon spread across Europe. In those early French concours, vehicles were often delivered as bare chassis to master carrozziers like Figoni et Falaschi, Gangloff, Saoutchik, and Letourneur et Marchand, who would fashion bespoke bodies tailored to the owner’s taste—and sometimes even to match the owner’s outfit. As one historian wryly noted, it was all about the “three Cs”: Constructor, Carrossier, and Couturier.
Monte Carlo, Deauville, Biarritz, and other glamorous resorts became the seasonal stages for these rolling works of art. Spectators didn’t just admire a car’s sweeping fenders or intricate grille work; they marveled at the harmony between vehicle, driver, and fashion—sometimes even judging the ensemble as a whole. The result was a festival where engineering met aesthetics, and the automotive world was forever changed.
Italy: The Concours d'Élégance Finds New Splendor
By the late 1920s, this stylish French export had found an eager audience in Italy. The Italians, with their innate sense of style and love of artistry, embraced the concours concept with typical verve. One of the earliest Italian events, the Concorso Romano delle Carrozzerie, was staged in Rome’s Pincio Gardens in 1926, attracting Italy’s finest coachbuilders and elegant society figures. Film footage from 1929 captures the spectacle: Countess Assunta Bruchi Ponzo proudly piloting her colossal 7.3-liter Isotta Fraschini saloon—a “monster” by Cesare Sala that won the top “Placca d’Oro.”
It was, however, the shores of Lake Como that would soon steal the show. On a September day in 1929, the first Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este was held, organized by the Automobile Club di Como and the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este. More than eighty remarkable cars lined the gardens of Villa Olmo and Villa d’Este, setting an enduring benchmark for elegance. An Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A bodied by Sala took home the premier honors, marking Italy’s arrival as a serious contender on the global stage of automotive beauty.
Villa d’Este’s early years were characterized by rapid innovation. By 1930, the organizers had introduced the Gran Premio Referendum, a groundbreaking concept allowing the public to vote for their favorite cars alongside the official jury. That year, a Lancia Dilambda from Stabilimenti Farina captured both hearts and trophies. In 1931, Milan’s Carrozzeria Touring made waves with their iconic “Flying Star” designs—an Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS and an Isotta Fraschini 8ASS, both painted in an ethereal ivory white. The Alfa, piloted by the charismatic Josette Pozzo, charmed both jury and public, achieving a rare double triumph.
However, organizational shifts in 1933 led Villa d’Este to shift operations entirely to Villa Olmo under the new Coppa d’Oro Principessa di Piemonte. Despite the political and social upheavals of the decade, Italy’s concours culture continued to blossom, showcasing streamlined Art Deco fantasies and refined Italian craftsmanship.
Meanwhile, high up in the Dolomites, Cortina d’Ampezzo embraced concours culture with gusto. Its annual open-air exhibitions offered a stunning backdrop where automotive jewels sparkled against snow-capped peaks. Notably, in 1960, Ferrari chose Cortina to reveal its 250 GT 2+2 prototype, demonstrating the enduring importance of these events as showcases for innovation as well as beauty.
Turin—Italy’s motor city—boasted the oldest organized concours, dating back to 1923. Pininfarina made his first significant marks there, presenting sleek, aerodynamic bodies on Lancia chassis that hinted at the future of automotive design. These events underscored Turin’s dual identity as both an industrial powerhouse and a beacon of style.
The Renaissance: The Return of Automotive Elegance After World War II
Following the interruption of World War II, Villa d’Este re-emerged in 1947 as a symbol of resilience and renewed artistry. Coachbuilders, still recovering from the devastation of war, seized the opportunity to showcase daring new designs. In 1949, Touring’s Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Coupé so captivated the public that it earned the enduring nickname “Villa d’Este,” linking its name forever to the event.
Across the Atlantic, concours fever caught on as well. Pebble Beach, founded in 1950 alongside the Monterey Road Race, quickly established itself as America’s answer to Villa d’Este. Soon, other events like Meadow Brook and Amelia Island joined the growing constellation of global concours, each adding their regional flair to the celebration of automotive elegance.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Italian concours maintained their emphasis on pageantry and style. Coachbuilders like Touring, Pininfarina, Bertone, Allemano, and others vied to outdo one another, often collaborating with fashion houses to present cars and models as unified artistic statements. Judges inspected every chrome accent and hand-stitched seat with the same critical eye they applied to tailoring and color harmony.
After periods of dormancy, Villa d’Este found new life in 1999 when BMW Group Classic assumed stewardship of the event. Carefully balancing tradition and innovation, Villa d’Este once again became a jewel in the international concours crown. The spirit of public involvement lives on through the Coppa d’Oro Referendum, while new classes for concept cars and prototypes bridge past and future.
The Legacy: A Century of Automotive Elegance
Today, Italy continues to host a dazzling array of concours, from classic gatherings in Turin to scenic parades around Rome and Lake Garda. Across the world, concours d’elegance events now number in the dozens, each carrying forward the values first established in Parisian parks centuries ago.
From carriages to concept cars, from the gardens of Dinard to the shores of Lake Como, the Concours d’Elegance remains a testament to human creativity and the enduring pursuit of beauty on wheels.
