Concept cars to shine bright at the 2012 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este

The participants in this year’s Concept Cars & Prototypes competition have been announced at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este press conference in Milan. The winner of the competition is chosen not by a jury, but by the visitors to the concours at Villa Erba on the Sunday of the event. This year will bring together the many worthy candidates like the Ford Evos, with which Ford showcased the central elements of its global product strategy to the public at last year’s Frankfurt International Motor Show (IAA). Also taking part is the Rimac Concept One, which represents a key step by the Croat carmaker towards its aim of building the world’s best electrically-driven sports car and the Rinspeed Dock+Go, whose modular design and powertrain once again demonstrate the creativity of company founder Frank M. Rinderknecht.

Stile Bertone's Jaguar B99, which projects the classic style of Jaguar into the future – complete with a touch of Bertone elegance – as the Italian coachbuilder celebrates its centenary, Italdesign Giugiaro Brivido, which showcases Giorgetto Giugiaro’s vision of an extraordinary sports car with environment-friendly technology, Pininfarina Cambiano, a luxurious sports limousine whose materials and environmental compatibility meet the highest standards. Also present in a big way would be Toyota's Lexus LF-LC concept, based on the award-winning 2+2-seater coupé conceived at Toyota’s Calty studio in California, which already caused quite a stir at its premiere in Detroit and finally the Alfa Romeo 4 C Concept, whose rear-wheel drive and 4-cylinder engine promise a full dose of driving pleasure and the roadholding for which Alfa Romeo is renowned.

The BMW Group traditionally enters models out of competition in the Concept Cars & Prototypes concours. This year the company dipped back into its illustrious history for inspiration and will bring the first concept car ever built by the brand to Lake Como. The BMW Turbo turned heads when it was first unveiled in 1972, with hopes raised that here was a preview of the out-and-out sports car many customers had long desired. The gullwing doors so indicative of that era, an innovative paint scheme and an interior whose cockpit previewed that of future BMW models ensured the Turbo would go down as an icon of BMW design. Ultimately, the Turbo – designed by Paul Bracq – never did enter series production. It was left to the BMW M1, launched six years later, to fulfil the dream that Bracq’s car had so tantalisingly sown.

One of the main reasons why the Concorso d’Eleganza has become one of the premiere events on the international classic car calendar is the quality of the jury and the credentials of its members. The aim has always been to assemble a group of people offering a deep and diverse pool of knowledge, combined with an international profile and extensive experience.