The one-of-one Maserati V4 Sport Zagato was crowned Best in Show at the inaugural Anantara Concorso Roma, beating off competition from some of the most historically important Italian cars to grace a concours field.
Held at the Casina Valadier, an elegant villa overlooking historic Rome, and presented by UBS, the Concours made its debut in style. Originally scheduled for 2025 but postponed following the untimely death of Pope Francis, it ultimately delivered an unforgettable weekend for enthusiasts of Italian machinery.
William Heinecke, Chairman of Minor International, the hotel group responsible for the impeccable organisation of the event, and a major collector himself, opened his black book to encourage both sponsors and collectors to support the weekend. The quality of cars was breathtaking, from pre-war coachbuilt Alfas through to the Le Mans 2023 winning Ferrari 499P.
The Maserati V4 Sport was a worthy winner, although no doubt sentiment played its part in the decision. The car, owned by Lawrence Auriana, was back in Rome for the first time in 90 years. Known as ‘The Sixteen Cylinder’, it set the world speed record over 10km at Cremona in 1929, averaging over 246 kmh. It was later raced by the physician to the pope, Prof. Riccardo Galeazzi, before being clothed by Zagato with a spider body in two shades of green. In 1999, it was purchased by Lawrence Auriana, restoring it to its original colour scheme. It won its class at Pebble Beach in 2023 and has now returned to Europe to win the Anantara Concorso Roma.
Other notable class winners included Corrado Lopresto’s 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Berlinetta Pinin Farina, Kevin Cogan’s 1951 Ferrari 340 American Barchetta Touring, and the 1993 Bugatti EB110 GT presented by Maurizio De Angelis.
An elevated guest experience, which comes as seond nature to a 5* hotel group, but rarely matched at any global concours provided the event with a unique offering for collectors, Being able to host judges and owners in one luxury hotel is a real plus, and the attention to detail was noticeable throughout: from always at hand Mercedes minibuses to the stunning black tie dinner at the Palazzio Brancaccio, the location for the 1953 film Roman Holiday, starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.
It was 100 years ago that the first Concorso Romano delle Carrasserie was held in the gardens of Villa Borghese, at that time organised by the Automobile Club of Rome. It was last held in 1993. It is surprising that it has taken a further 33 years for a concours of international repute to re-emerge. Rome has so much to offer and the event is set to become a key concours on the global classic car circus,
Full set of Class Winners:
Class I – Le Zagato ante-guerra: 1932 Maserati V4 SportZagato presented by Lawrence Auriana
Class II – Le 8C Alfa: 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Cabriolet Castagna presented by John Bentley
Class III – Le Alfa 6C 2300: Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Grand Turismo Pescara Spider Touring presented by Private Collection
Class IV – Le coupé del primo dopo-guerra: Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Berlinetta Pinin Farina presented by Corrado Lopresto
Class V – Le barchette Ferrari: 1951 Ferrari 340 America Barchetta Touring presented by Kevin Cogan
Class VI – Le aperte del dopo-guerra: 1955 Lancia Aurelia B24 Spider Pinin Farina presented by David Gooding
Class VII – Le prime granturismo di Modena: 1955 Ferrari 375MM Coupé Speciale Ghia presented by Tom Peck
Class VIII – Vestite leggere da Zagato: 1966 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2 presented by Simon Kidston
Class IX – Le berlinette Ferrari di Pininfarina: 1965 275 GTB presented by Ronnie Kessel
Class X – Le spyder di Viale Ciro Menotti: 1959 Maserati 3500 GT Spyder Vignale “prototipo” presented by Billy and Tisa Hibbs
Class XI – Le spider di Maranello: 1986 Ferrari Testarossa Spider presented by La Storia in Rosso
Class XIII – Le eleganti Ferrari di Pininfarina: 1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast presented by Byron DeFoor
Class XIV – Le granturismo sportive degli Anni Sessanta: 1968 Lamborghini Miura presented by Fritz Kaiser
Class XV – Le sportive degli Anni Ottana e Novanta: 1993 Bugatti EB 110 GT presented by Maurizio De Angelis
Class XVI – Le hypercar: 2021 Pagani Huayara Roadster BC
