Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2020Corriere d’Eleganza IV

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Beauty is never a boring topic. There are as many different facets to beauty as there are colours in the natural world. And it is able to captivate without uttering a single word. When the asphalt elegantly follows serpentine routes between the lake and the mountains, passing through deep green woodlands before rising up to panoramic viewing terraces offering unique vistas, the appropriate automobile is surely the perfect key to enjoyment. Most importantly, when connoisseurs come together with the same intention: taking time out to enjoy the magnificent automobiles narrating their life stories. “If there were no stories,” comments Juror Johann Philip Rathgen in the film, “a car would be just a lump of old metal.”

Of course, they are much more than that. They represent the spirit of their era, an enthusiasm that was already absolutely massive in the decades of yesteryear. The vehicles embody this spirit, similar to the words in a book, only with much greater versatility, in three dimensions and offering stimulus for all the senses. The short film also shows how much enthusiasm Historic Cars generate because they offer far more than just their practical value as a means of transport. This is why the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este is much, much more than simply a static competition.

What makes it absolutely unique is not simply the blue-riband selection of distinguished automobiles. It is the melange of style and architecture, culinary delicacies and the flair of southern climes. “The passion for cars here is unlike anywhere else,” commented Simon Kidston, expert and moderator of the event. He knows the entrants and the audience like nobody else: “The level of knowledge they have is unlike anything else in the world.” Or, in the words of Yasmin Le Bon, who has been present several times not only as a Juror but also as a fan: “If you are a car nut, this is… Nirvana”.

Martin Stolle was the man who gave BMW the Boxer engine. In 1920, he was still a young engineer working in the Development Department of BMW. In his spare time, aged 34, he rode a motorcycle of the English marque Douglas – this was a model powered by a Boxer engine and it gave the talented engineer an idea. Could that be the ideal solution for BMW?

After the end of the First World War, BMW found itself in a difficult situation. Production of aero-engines – the specialist area for the Munich-based company – was now prohibited. But the company was not able to produce the necessary volumes of large-displacement, four-cylinder engines for trucks, tractors and boats. Martin Stolle presented his employer with an astonishingly mature concept. His air-cooled two-cylinder engine straight off the drawing board was an impressive power unit right from the get-go with its excellent smooth-running characteristics and reliability. Stolle had taken over the Boxer principle with the two horizontally opposed combustion chambers and aimed to create a very relaxed level of power with a displacement of 500 cubic centimetres generating 6.5 hp at 4500 rpm. This was the best guarantee for operation over a long period without any problems.

This engine enabled BMW to embark on a short but exceptionally successful era as a supplier. At the time, famous motorcycle manufacturers like Helios, Bison, SMW (Stockdorfer Motoren Werke), Corona, Heco and most importantly Victoria mounted the new “Bayern-Kleinmotor” (Bavaria Small Engine) in their models. The Victoria KR 1 powered by the innovative Boxer engine from Munich even became a sales hit with more than 1000 motorcycles sold.