The Fuori Concorso…Italian for “Out of Competition”…is exactly that. It’s not a competition, it’s a showcase. An exhibition. A weekend of vehicles and villas on Lake Como.
Unlike the expensive, exclusive Concorso d’Eleganza up the road at the Villa d’Este, the Fuori Concorso is an event meant to give all auto enthusiasts a chance to get up close with all kinds of cars…some classic, some contemporary.
The theme of this year’s Fuori Concorso was “British Racing Green.” And from the moment you enter the Villa Grumello, you come face-to-face with some of the most iconic cars in British racing history…and they’re not all green. Laid out like the starting grid on an F1 circuit, the first car to greet you is this 1966 Cooper T81. What’s so special about this car? Look closely. This Maserati motor was the first 3.0L V12 engine in Formula 1, ahead of Ferrari, Lotus, and BRM.
Immediately behind the Cooper-Maserati: Niki Lauda’s 1973 Marlboro BRM.
Possibly the most beautiful car on this grid: The black and gold JPS Lotus, driven to a world championship by Emerson Fittipaldi.
Ayrton Senna’s 1988 McLaren MP4/4, winner of both the constructors’ and drivers’ championships in ’88.
There are more F1 cars in the gallery, below.
Three British rarities, clockwise from the bottom: A 1967 Lola T70, 1955 Jaguar D-Type Long Nose, and Morgan GTR+8 racer.
The 1955 D-Type Jaguar, the first “long nose” D-type, was impressive, from both near and far.
The Villa Grumello provided the perfect setting for these cars. This 1959 Lister Costin Jaguar looked good from any angle.
Under the shade in the grove of trees between the Villa Grumello and the Villa Sucota sat this ‘50s-era Jaguar XK 120. The car was customized to compete in the 1954 Carrera Panamerica. The two additional bumps behind the front wheels housed extra spares, and the tail was lengthened to secure a bigger gas tank for the race.
The 2024 Lotus “Evija” is a 200 mph electric hypercar, with a starting price of $2.3 million, and a production run of just 130 cars.
The area around the Villa Sucota was reserved for Aston Martin cars, both old and new.
This Aston Martin DB2 finished 5th overall and 1st in class at the 1950 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The next evolution of the DB cars was the 1956 Aston Martin DB3S. This one was campaigned in 1956 and ’57.
The modern Aston Martin F1 displayed at the Fuori Concorso is similar to the car currently driven in competition by Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. The complexity of the steering wheel is almost too much to handle.
Looking down from the terrace at the Villa Sucota was the best way to view both old and new Astons.
There was one competition at the Fuori Concorso. Registered photographers were asked to submit their best interpretation of the theme “Speed in the Portrait” in a prize-winning contest. Since these were all static displays, I chose to use the speed of people passing the cars to illustrate the concept. No word yet on whether my photos made it onto the podium in the competition.
