Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2026: the BMW 328 “Bügelfalte” wins Best of Show

From May 15 to 17, the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este once again transformed Cernobbio and the shores of Lake Como into one of the symbolic places of international automotive culture. The 2026 edition, held under the motto “Future needs Heritage”, brought together 54 cars from 13 countries, divided into eight competition classes, offering an ideal journey through more than a century of automotive history, from the earliest eras of the automobile to contemporary concept cars and prototypes.

The most prestigious award, the Trofeo BMW Group – Best of Show, was assigned by the Jury to the 1937 BMW 328 “Bügelfalte”, a unique example owned by Stefano Martinoli. The nickname “Bügelfalte” refers to the distinctive metal edging running along the top of the front wings. The car claimed the overall title in an edition that was especially meaningful also because of the 90th anniversary of the BMW 328.

The Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este, awarded by public referendum, was won by Eric Blumencranz’s 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, presented in an appealing “ski” livery. The 2026 edition also gave space to the future of the BMW brand: on Friday evening, the Vision BMW ALPINA and the BMW Motorrad Vision K18 were both unveiled as world premieres. Great attention was also devoted to the anniversaries celebrated by BMW Group Classic: 40 years of the BMW M3, 50 years of the BMW 6 Series and 50 years of the BMW Art Car Collection.

Alongside the main concours, the Public Days programme at Villa Erba confirmed the event’s ability to involve a broad audience of enthusiasts. Broad Arrow Auctions, driven by Hagerty, returned as the official auction partner of BMW AG for the Concorso, recording a significant increase in bidders compared with 2025 and hosting a spectacular sale of 70 cars.

Present at the event, Sandro Binelli, founder, historian and general coordinator of Automotive Masterpieces, described the atmosphere in these words:

“The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este is always magical: for the extraordinary automobiles, for the people you meet and for a setting that simply takes your breath away. During the Concorso, Villa d’Este is never quiet: the villa and the shores of Lake Como are filled with that unique atmosphere of elegance, engines and passion. This year was truly wonderful, and the level of the cars on display was exceptionally high.

As a historian and enthusiast, I can only applaud the victory of the outstanding BMW 328, an example whose survival I was not fully aware of and which I look forward to including in our lists of ex-Mille Miglia cars still alive.

Among the many cars present, I am pleased to mention two Zagato-bodied cars with original Genoa registration plates, a precious detail that immediately caught my attention as a proud Genoese: Emanuele Quartara’s Fiat 8V and Camillo Luglio’s 1957 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Zagato, both Italian gentleman drivers. The latter was presented by his son, Ennio Luglio: a truly moving circumstance.

Of course, I must also underline the presence of two cars listed among the Automotive Masterpieces: the already mentioned Quartara’s 1955 Fiat 8V Elaborata Zagato, chassis no. 106*000109*, the last chassis number of the only five 8V ‘Elaborata’ examples built by Zagato, and the 1953 Ferrari 340 MM Spyder, bodied by Scaglietti, chassis no. 0294AM, that was Villoresi’s car in the 1953 Mille Miglia.

As for the people, among the many encounters, the meeting with Andrea Zagato and Capricorn’s top management was especially valuable. Despite the well-deserved victory of the Chimera in the Concept Cars class, our ‘honourable mention’ goes precisely to the Capricorn prototype, in its ‘Tutto Rosso’ version: a tribute to Zagato’s own history.”

The rendezvous is renewed for next year’s edition.

Picture copyright ©️

• BMW Group Classic
• Sandro Binelli

Video copyright ©️

• BMW Group Classic