Amici & Automobili - Wheels & Weißwürscht
In recent years the formula of Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este was changing dynamically. The most extreme configuration was executed last year. The traditional public day at Villa Erba was completely cancelled and the cars competing in the Concorso stayed still in Villa d’Este. This meant that the open public had no opportunity to ever see those incredible vehicles. As an alternative, a new, more open event was organized – Wheels & Weißwürscht. As the main organizer was BMW Classic, there is no surprise that the main stars of were the cars from Munich.
This year the organizers of Concorso decided to go back to the old proven formula, which was in action last time in 2019. On Sunday morning, Concorso competitors drove from Villa d’Este to Villa Erba for the public day. What happened to the enthusiast event? It proved to be a good idea and was positively received, so cancelling it wasn’t an option. The decision was taken to move it to Saturday. It also got a longer name – Amici & Automobili - Wheels & Weißwürscht.
My visit on the first edition last year was very brief. I’ve had very small expectations and was positively surprised. Both the collection of BMWs and the machines from other manufacturers were very interesting. This year I’ve decided to spend much more time on this event.
This year, the expectations were much higher. I was expecting a very interesting selection of BMWs looking great at the picturesque Lake Como shore. Was it really looking like this? Not really.
First of all, this edition of the event was happening in a very untypical weather conditions. Strong rains converted the most attractive grassy areas into mud. Parking any car there wasn’t an option. It must have compromised the placing of the vehicles. They were parked in the places… where it was just possible, not where it made sense. Unfortunately it affected the reception of the event, but organizers can’t be blamed for that.
Second problem was a conscious decision from the responsible team. The beautiful view on the lake and villa were partially obscured by awful white tents. I think, and I’m not alone in it, that this was really doing big harm to the presentation of the whole venue.
The bad things are covered, so now we can focus on the good ones. And there were plenty of. Firstly, the signature feature: the BMWs. Couple of one of my most favourite models, the 2500 and 2800 were lucky to be parked with the lake panorama in their background. I would be more than happy if this model would materialize in my garage.
One of the stars of the event was the Jagermeister-livered 1000 horsepower BMW M1 Turbo. A racer that never raced. The car was built to compete in the Procar series. It never happened, but it doesn’t take anything from its spectacular looks.
The last thing, and probably the most memorable for me, were the BMW E46 M3 Touring and the new M3 Touring parked next to each other in front of the villa. I have some sentiment for the E46 Touring. It served me as a daily for a few years. Unfortunately, it was just w 2 liter Diesel. It was as far from being fast and powerful as it gets. But it still left very fond memories. How would it drive in the M-spec? Probably no one knows. Only one prototype was ever built. It’s usually on display in the BMW Museum in Munich. I was very happy to be able to see it in such a beautiful environment.
Amici & Automobili may be seen by some as a minor addition to the main events of the weekend. Thanks to the involvement of the amazing BMW Classic community and the HFMFS group, the event has its own unique character and faithful participants.
