1947 Villa d'Este

September 27, 1947 – September 28, 1947

Introduce

The Concorso d’Eleganza di Villa d’Este, held on 27–28 September 1947, marked the formal return of Italy’s most prominent automotive design competition after a wartime interruption that had begun in 1940 with the suspension of civilian car production. By that year, Italy had been at war for three months, and the concours, along with the broader coachbuilding and manufacturing sectors, ceased activity. Recovery was prolonged and uneven. The 1947 edition, reverting to its original name and structure, served as a clear indication of the Italian automotive world’s intention to reassert itself in cultural and industrial life.

Coachbuilders, being more flexible and less affected by wartime industrial disruption, assumed the initiative in reanimating the sector. With the manufacturers still largely inactive, the carrozzerie took centre stage at Villa d’Este, and later that year at the Triennale in Milan, where they hosted a separate promotional exhibition. A new generation of designers, including Giovanni Michelotti, began to emerge, bringing with them a diverse and occasionally conflicting set of formal proposals that defined the postwar stylistic landscape.

The concours jury awarded its highest distinction to a flamboyant Lancia Astura Cabriolet by Stabilimenti Farina. In contrast, the Gran Premio Referendum, decided by public vote, was awarded to a forward-looking Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 S Coupé Victoria, also bodied by Farina. The divergence between jury and public preference was noted, continuing a prewar pattern in which the public vote often favoured more advanced or daring designs.

Class awards were distributed to the Fiat 1100 Cabriolet Farina, Fiat 1500 Cabriolet Gran Sport, Fiat 1500 Cabriolet Bertone, Fiat 500 B Spider, Lancia Aprilia Gran Sport Ghia, Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Giardinetta Farina, and the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 S Cabriolet Speciale (awarded ex aequo). The Cisitalia Berlinetta, later recognised as a seminal work in the history of automotive design, received only a shared class award—an outcome later regarded as disproportionate to its significance.

The 1947 event reflected both a resumption and a transformation: a return to form in structure and ceremony, and a redefinition of style in a new industrial era.

Best of Show: Lancia Astura Cabriolet Farina