V
 |
| 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.
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.
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.
 |
| Man and machine; the mechanic for this Porsche 917 gets down inside... |
 |
| The Koehler-Escoffier 'Mandoline' Tourisme |
 |
| Dapper young gent from a family of watchmakers in Milano... |
 |
| Heinkel in the microcar display |
 |
| Sebastian Gutsch of BMW Klassik, doing as he was wont to do, blasting #49 through the crowds at strategic times... |
 |
| Concorso babes adding glamour to the little Vespa |
 |
| No hassle, no hustle. |
 |
| The immaculate BSA Rocket 3 ridden from Vienna, and back |
 |
| The Nembo 32, with inverted 3-cylinder engine; half a Porsche, kind of. |
 |
| Outrageous custom-bodied Deco extravaganza Rolls... |
 |
| Sneaking into the Concorso by Amphicar... |
 |
| The second Ducati 750 GT off the production line... |
 |
| The clay-model MV Agusta F3 |
 |
| A spectator's flathead HD outside Villa d'Este... |
 |
| 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, one of which just sold for $35M... |
 |
| The Swiss Condor Super Sport TT of 1927, with Opel Motoclub behind, and further on, #32, the Nembo with inverted three-cylinder engine |
 |
| Gentlemen of the jury; Hugo Wilson , Carlo Peretti, our moderator, Raffaele Zaccagnini, and Paul d'O |
 |
| Hugo Wilson inspects the Mercury; a short rear link swingarm is hidden beneath all that aluminum... |
 |
| It never got better than this for HD...a powerful and impressive machine at the cutting edge of technology in 1922 |
 |
| From whence Moto Guzzi took the name, 'Gamba Lungha'... |
 |
| The owner of this Maico Taifun compared the aluminum fork casting to 'an elegant lady's neck'... |
 |
| The beautiful 1935 Bianchi Frecchia Azzurra |
 |
| Benito Battilani and his fantastic HD 8-valve racer, with a gearbox...they didn't come that way from the factory! |
 |
| Henne's 'Egg', the supercharged BMW streamliner record-breaker |
|
 |
| Stefan Friedl with his super-rare Zenith with flat-twin oil-cooled Bradshaw engine, which I had a chance to ride on the grounds Saturday; smooth. |
 |
| The remarkable Mercury with disc-valve Scott engine |
 |
| Class of 1954; Porsche 550 Spyder and Moretti 750 Grand Sport |
 |
| The 1946 Vespa prototype |
 |
| Mussolini's 1935 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 |
 |
| Happily ever after? Well, pretty close. |
5:02 PM
