Lake Como is calling — and this May, it answers with chrome, horsepower, and couture on wheels.
There are few places on earth where luxury feels as effortless as it does at Villa d’Este. Perched on the shores of Lake Como, with its terracotta façades and manicured gardens reflected in the still water, the hotel has been a stage for the extraordinary since 1873. Come May 15–17, 2026, BMW Group Classic will once again transform these legendary grounds into the world’s most glamorous automotive gathering — the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
The Show That Never Gets Old
Now in its decades-long tradition, the Concorso d’Eleganza remains the gold standard of collector car events — part competition, part fashion show, entirely theatrical. Around 50 of the most spectacular automobiles ever built will parade across the Villa d’Este terrace, each vying for the ultimate prize: the Trofeo BMW Group – Best of Show, selected by a top-class jury from eight distinct competition classes spanning nearly a century of automotive artistry.
And if that weren’t enough, the winner walks away with something truly wrist-worthy — a bespoke A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Chronograph in 18-carat white gold with a solid red gold dial and a hand-engraved coat of arms on the hinged back. A. Lange & Söhne marks 15 years as the event’s loyal timepiece partner this year, and the partnership will be celebrated in suitably grand style.
The audience also gets its say: the Coppa d’Oro, presented by Villa d’Este itself, goes to the crowd favourite. Considering the calibre of machines on display, the deliberation will not be easy.
What’s New and What’s Exciting in 2026
This year’s edition has some genuinely special additions that elevate the programme beyond even its usual heights.
BMW ALPINA makes its public debut. Introduced as an independent, exclusive brand within the BMW Group in early 2026, ALPINA arrives at Lake Como for its very first public appearance — fresh wordmark, new brand emblem, and all.
For a brand built on the idea that extraordinary is the only acceptable standard, there could be no more fitting stage for a coming-out party.
BMW Motorrad brings another vision. True to recent tradition, BMW Motorrad will unveil a spectacular concept motorcycle at the event — a machine promising to push boundaries in both exclusive performance and modern design. Details remain under wraps, but expectations, as always, are sky-high.
“Touring Car Legends” — 40 Years of the BMW M3. The undisputed highlight of the Villa Erba programme is a special racing exhibition celebrating four decades of one of motorsport’s most iconic nameplates. Legendary BMW M3 (E30) racing cars will be displayed alongside their contemporary competition rivals from the touring car scene. Better still, three giants of the discipline — Johnny Cecotto, Emanuele Pirro, and Roberto Ravaglia — will be on site, sharing stories from their years as BMW works drivers and taking questions from fans. If you’ve ever wanted to hear a racing legend recount a wet qualifying lap at Spa, this is your moment.
The Eight Classes: A Century of Automotive Couture
The competition is structured across eight classes that read less like a judging sheet and more like chapters from the most glamorous book ever written about cars:
Class A — Automotive Tailoring: The Decade of Opulence, 1924–1934
Class B — Future Couture: Dressed For Speed, 1935–1939
Class C — Viva Villa d’Este: Extravagant 1950s Style
Class D — “The Top Goes Down, The Price Goes Up”: Selling Sunshine
Class E — They Earned Their Names: Enzo’s Endurance Legends
Class F — Every Scratch Tells A Story: Ageing Gracefully Without Restoration
Class G — From Carnaby Street To The Autostrada: The Swinging GT Driver
Class H — The Pace Race: The Supercar Comes of Age
THE CURATED CALENDAR
Discover the world’s most prestigious gatherings & exhibitionsClass F deserves a special mention — celebrating unrestored survivors with their original patina intact, it is perhaps the most quietly radical class in the competition, a gentle rebuke to the world of over-polished trailer queens.
Beyond the Concours Gates
Not everything at Lake Como this weekend requires an invitation.
On Sunday, May 17, the “Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este Public Day – Il Festival” opens the gates to the general public, bringing the parade and the Villa Erba entertainment programme to everyone with a passion for beautiful machines.
The beloved “Amici & Automobili – Wheels & Weisswürscht” gathering returns on Saturday, May 16, welcoming around 120 vehicles from clubs and communities across the globe onto the Villa Erba grounds.
All brands, all eras, all welcome — and all celebrating the M3’s 40th birthday with a dedicated lakeside display area that promises to be nothing short of magnificent.
Broad Arrow Auctions, the official auction partner, will present over 70 of the world’s most desirable collector cars for sale across the weekend, with preview days from Friday the 15th. Early highlights include a 1929 Bugatti Type 43 Roadster, a 1926 Bugatti Type 37 Grand Prix, a 1990 Ferrari F40, and a 2011 BMW M3 GTS. For those whose passion for cars extends to ownership, the bidding room will be a dangerous place.
A Word of Warning: This Is Not Easy to Get Into
Let’s be honest — the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, in its full private Saturday form, is one of the most exclusive automotive events on the planet. Invitations to the concours itself are extended to a carefully curated world of collectors, manufacturers, and connoisseurs. The hotel fills months in advance. If you are not already in the right circles, the Public Day on Sunday remains the most beautiful consolation prize in the automotive calendar.
For the Truly Passionate: Similar Events Around the World
If the Concorso d’Eleganza has ignited something in you — or if you simply cannot wait until May — the world of concours and luxury automotive events offers a handful of equally rarefied alternatives worth putting in the diary:
- Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance (Monterey, California, USA — August)
The undisputed American counterpart to Villa d’Este. Held on the 18th fairway of the Pebble Beach Golf Links overlooking Carmel Bay, it is arguably the most prestigious concours in the world by volume and variety of world-class machinery. - Salon Privé (Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, UK — September)
Set against the baroque grandeur of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Salon Privé combines a serious concours with supercar debuts, a Ladies’ Day, and a clientele that arrives by helicopter as often as by road. - Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance (Florida, USA — March)
A warm, intimate gathering on the Florida coast that punches well above its weight in terms of the quality and rarity of vehicles on display. A favourite among serious collectors. - Chantilly Arts & Élégance Richard Mille (Chantilly, France — September)
Held in the grounds of the Château de Chantilly, this is Europe’s answer to Pebble Beach — lavish, historically rich, and with a strong emphasis on coachbuilt and bespoke automobiles. - The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering (Carmel Valley, California, USA — August)
Intimate, curated, and fiercely exclusive, The Quail takes place the day before Pebble Beach and is widely regarded as the most refined event of Monterey Car Week. - Goodwood Festival of Speed (West Sussex, UK — July)
Less formal than a traditional concours but irresistibly exhilarating — a living, breathing festival where historic racing cars actually climb the famous hillclimb course. More noise, more speed, equally prestigious company. - Schloss Dyck Classic Days (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany — August)
A magnificent moated castle, impeccably presented historic vehicles, and a distinctly European sensibility. Often overlooked by the international press, deeply beloved by those in the know.
Lake Como in May, A. Lange & Söhne on the wrist of the winner, a Ferrari F40 rolling across cobblestones, and a racing legend whispering about a wet lap at Monza — some weekends simply refuse to be ordinary.
