CONCORSO DI MOTOCICLETTE, VILLA D'ESTE ~ Motorcycle Fashions

To the victor go the laurels...

As we stood under an awning avoiding the rain, a rainbow emerged over Lago di Como late Sunday afternoon, while author and Concorso curator Stefan Knittel philosophized, "If you can't be happy on the shores of Lake Como, where will you be happy?" Could there be a more spectacular and genteel spot for a motorcycle show? The business ran smoothly, spectators strolled between gorgeous vehicles, and the predicted rain waited until the crowds were gone, and washed away the oil drips. By then, the motorcycles were safely tucked away in vans, or in one case, had already blasted over the Alps, en route home to Vienna, via whatever fantastic mountain roads a man with a prize-winning BSA Rocket 3 could hope to find.

Pushing the lovely 1921 Motosacoche 403 Supersport

While Knittel hand-picked the Moto Concorso lineup, the full weight of BMW supported the complicated interweaving of motorcycle and automobile events over 3 days; the ride- and drive-thrus on the roads skirting Lago di Como, over the gravel forecourt of the Villa d'Este, and across the genteel paths of verdant Villa Erba. Of course, when playing with old vehicles, 'the unexpected' has the role of jester, such as the stalled Porsche 917 which, when push-started, blasted gravel from its fat racing slicks, or a rare speechless moment from emcee Simon Kidston, as the ex-Georg Meier supercharged BMW Rennsport roared across the Este Concorso podium, mid-stream a parade of burbling luxomobiles. Unscripted? And possibly the first time a motorcycle has ridden across that particular patch of real estate. The man with the second-best job in the world, Sebastian, regularly bump-started '#47' for a tour of the grounds, awakening the assembled in their finery that, hallo, Here be Motorcycles!

Best in Show, the 1939 Gilera 'Rondine' supercharged 4-cylinder water-cooled racer

After the quiet success of the last year's inaugural Concorso di Motocicletti, BMW made a few changes for the second edition. While the number of bikes (36) and the location (Villa Erba, a public park, next door to the swank Villa d'Este), were unchanged, and Saturday was still a day for the moto-Jury and the public to study the two-wheelers in relative quiet, the moto-prize-giving ceremony was moved to Sunday, when the entire cast of the Concorso di Eleganza sat parked on the lakefront lawns, while the public strolled amongst these Olympian marvels of four-wheeled financial and sculptural extravagance. The change meant hugely increased numbers watching the Moto prize-giving, and gave the feeling of rousing success.

Hugo Wilson goofs aboard the 1960 Maserati 50/T2/SS moped with Allesandro Altinier...

Lakeside strollers witnessed a Saturday morning roar from twelve Concorso bikes, ridden a half-hour from Tremezzo to Cernobbio with police escort, at a healthy clip. The origins of the Concours d'Elegance were as much about fashion as vehicles, and they combined nice cars - new cars - and outfits which complemented the lines and colors of the automobile. Postwar, the cars got older, and the fashion aspect dimmed...still, several riders bowed to spirit of Elegance, and wrapped up in period gear, sweeping down the road as a complete picture of past glory. More than one participant mentioned this short ride as the most fun aspect of the weekend, which says a lot about motorcyclists... even with fantastic surroundings, good friends, amazing bikes, and crowds of curious people, the fundamentally erotic experience of Riding is still the true appeal.

Lovely in blue; the 1957 Zundapp Citation, with Horex engine

This year my status was upgraded to a member of the Jury, assigned to parse 36 fantastic machines, potential show-winners all: I was happy assistant to three esteemed colleagues; Jury President Carlo Peretti, a man connected with century-old magazine MotoCiclismo since the age of 8, when his father printed the thing, and young Carlo organized the photographs, thus literally handling over 60 years of motorcycling history; Raffaele Zaccagnini is design director at Husqvarna (a BMW subgroup), and gave contemporary insight into historic design trends; Hugo Wilson is well known as the long-time editor of Classic Bike, the only magazine of which I own every single issue.

An array of BMW racers inside the display hall at Erba; this is the Butler and Smith R90S superbike

The judging philosophy for our Concorso di Moto was simple; as each machine was either a prototype, in original paint, or a perfect restoration, the motorcycles would be assessed on their merits as designed objects, and how they best suited their category: Roaring 20s, Stylish 30s, Swinging 50s, Launch into the Future, and Racing through the Decades. Finding common ground in most categories was simple, although in each case a jury member felt compelled to defend an otherwise discarded candidate (mine was the 'Buck Rogers' styling of the Mercury), and as the jurists approach these machines from different perspectives and backgrounds, there was something to learn as Raffaele discussed the proportion of masses on the Zundapp 4, or Carlo addressed the unacceptability to the Italian psyche of a moped vanquishing a big Ducati twin!

Hendrik von Kuenheim discusses the prototype BMW sports 6-cylinder...

All the bikes were familiar to me, although I'd never seen one machine in the metal before; the supercharged Gilera 'Rondine' (Swallow) dohc four-cylinder water-cooled racer, an object of personal fascination for decades. I've studied the blueprints and period photos, I've even written about its pioneering use of aluminum Borrani wheel rims; I know this bike as inside-out as possible, from a distance, and was deeply excited to see it wheeled onto the cruciform wooden show platform. The Gilera didn't disappoint; it's a monumental expression of Italian genius, the motorcycle which set the sportbike pattern for the next 75 years. That it was eventually judged 'Best in Show' was not guaranteed...but who could argue with the choice? And interestingly, the Gilera Rondine is owned by BMW rival Piaggio, who had entered it with their original 1946 Vespa prototype, plus a new 'concept' scooter design. Thus, BMW awarded their highest show honour to a competitor, after displaying gems from the Piaggio museum. The other amazing machines are photographed here for your enjoyment, each a strong contender for 'Best', and their lucky owners are to be applauded for carting them long distances for the benefit of us mere mortals.

Wonderful lineup of sports racers at Villa Erba on Sunday

The complicated organization of this large show of two- and four-wheelers, their support teams and handlers, the BMW staff, the entrants and guests, meant that, barring Sunday, the motorcyclists were segregated from the 'car people' this year, which begged the question; is there a cultural disconnect between Auto and Moto enthusiasts? When questioned about dis-inclusion of the movie-star and prototype-unveiling cocktail party Friday evening, several moto-collectors mentioned feeling more comfortable amongst themselves, and had little investment in the sparkle and pageantry over at Villa d'Este. As one who likes a little flash (plus champagne, hot actresses, and cool prototypes) I was surprised, and chewed these thoughts with my excellent multi-course Italian cuisine....what I would have loved is a compromise; invite the bikers to the cocktail party, then herd us off to our own dinner. Acknowledge that we're 'at the party', so to speak, even if we prefer to dine with fellow-sufferers of the moto-disease. As an inveterate optimist, I had hoped all the party guests would acknowledge our mutual gearheadedness, and sing Kumbayah while holding hands around a double-overhead camshaft supercharged racing engine. The motorcyclists certainly did.