From the pedestrian heart of Lugano for the Concours d’Elegance to the unusual route through the fascinating Ticino landscapes for the regularity rally.
The event, which began in 2013 as a charity project of the Monteceneri Lions Club, has evolved over the years to become an event of international significance. To date, the initiative has enabled around 140,000 Swiss francs to be collected and distributed to charity. In 2019, the regularity rally was joined by the Concours d’Elegance: the most beautiful vintage cars that have made motoring history, severely assessed by a team of judges of international standing, compete for the Best of Show trophy. The decision to hold the Concours d’Elegance in the heart of Lugano during the day on Saturday was entirely intentional in order to support the commercial activities in the centre of Lugano in a synergic and concrete way.
The 2022 edition, with its novelties and coveted prizes, attracted an extraordinary flow of enthusiasts and lovers of the “beautiful and well done”, thus marking a turning point for the event. Lugano Elegance has now become an unmissable event capable of animating the centre of Lugano with a profiled audience, both local and international, and Lions in Classic has been nominated for the “Door Opener Award”. Confirming its importance for the area, the event obtained the patronage of Lugano Region, the City of Lugano, Via Nassa Lugano Association and Monteceneri Municipality.
As emphasized by Mayor Michele Foletti, this type of event plays an important role for the city and the region from both an economic and cultural point of view. “Lugano Elegance promises to be even better this year, offering the public and participants an experience to remember in contact with some fifty marvellous historic cars that will not fail to put a jury of experts of international standing to the test. We are very honoured that the 1000 Miglia Warm Up CH will again be held on the same day in Lugano to enrich a parterre of automotive history and culture of the highest level”, says Massimo Albertini, President of the Organizing Committee of Lugano Elegance.
“We are proud to bring our “1000 Miglia Warm Up CH” initiative back to Lugano, and we are pleased to do so again on the same day as Lugano Elegance, thus offering classic car enthusiasts a very special day. The city has enthusiastically welcomed us and we are grateful for its collaboration in this project, which aims to preserve and pass on automotive culture. Together, we celebrate the past and look to the future”, adds Paolo Pedersoli, CEO of Scuderia Classiche GmbH, organizer of the initiative.
In particular, the patronage of the City of Lugano and the Via Nassa Association was recently made official by displaying two marvellous historic cars on the patio of Lugano’s City Hall: a perfect partnership between exponents of national and international savoir-vivre. At the basis of this synergy is the concrete desire to enhance a road made of culture and the search for beauty, shining the spotlight on the natural stage that hosts this incredible kermesse: Lugano. This city is capable of looking to the future while always keeping an eye on a past made of taste, class and style.
A vision that is always capable of attracting important new partnerships. And it is in this respect that we are pleased to announce the name of the new main sponsor of Lugano Elegance & Lions in Classic, the WMM Group-Wullschleger Martinenghi Manzini. The decision of the WMM Group to become the main sponsor and thus to support the event in a major way stems from a strong sharing of the values and principles that characterize the event: great passion, strong ties with the Ticino territory, promotion of Lugano and the Canton, charitable purposes, and offering a free event of the highest level. A vision also shared by the event’s historical partners and sponsors, such as Banca REYL Intesa Sanpaolo, which this year, as a platinum sponsor, confirms its special attention to Ticino and its desire to be ever closer to its clients and local institutions.
As in past editions, Imago Art Gallery will be the protagonist of the opening of Lugano Elegance with a themed vernissage on Friday 5 May – along with moments specially designed for the public of the competition on Saturday 6 May. The Lonville Watch Company, which has made Lugano its “home” for more than a decade, is again this year promoting the importance of having access to such marvellous “time capsules”, both for our present and future generations.
It does so by confirming itself as the official timekeeper of the event and offering the prize for the car that will be chosen as Best of Show: a Lonville timepiece special edition – a Rallymaster chronograph dedicated to the world of classic cars and produced in a limited series of just 88 pieces. Speaking of prizes: The Motor Chain confirms its commitment with the prize for the Best Documented Car of the competition and Marco Pagot, the famous cartoonist of the characters Calimero and Draghetto Grisù from the cartoons of the same name, renews his commitment by drawing the coveted Best of Show prizes.
Who are the star cars of the 2023 Edition and who will have the arduous task of decreeing the winning cars?
Planned categories: Pre-war open / Pre-war closed / Post-war open / Post-war closed.
Feature classes: 75 Years Porsche / Swiss Coachbuilders / American Power – cars with US engines / Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing & Roadster / Italian Sports Cars with big engines.
Also this year, owners of classic cars that are not competing can still drive to the competition with their cars and park them in the dedicated areas on the LAC forecourt and in Piazza Luini. The jury is made up of more than 15 experts of international calibre from the most famous international competition panels. The chief judge is Christian Kramer, from Germany – among other things a judge at Pebble Beach, a member of the selection committee for the Villa d’Este and director of technology at ICJAG© (founding member).
Participating vehicles are assessed in accordance with the rules of the International Chief Judge Advisory Group ICJAG®, in which 20 different criteria of authenticity and functionality are compared with the delivery condition of the vehicle. The jury evaluates the vehicles in a two-stage process. In the first phase, class winners are determined. In the second stage, finalists are selected from the class winners, and from these, the overall winner or winners, the Best of Show of the competition, are selected.
LUGANO ELEGANCE & LIONS IN CLASSIC 2023
FRIDAY 5th MAY
17.00-20.00 Vernissage on invitation – Lugano, Imago Art Gallery, Via Nassa 46
SATURDAY 6th MAY
09:30-14:00 Exhibition of competing cars in Via Nassa and themed exhibition at Imago Art Gallery
09:30-12:00 Guided tours of the cars on display for sponsors and guests – booking required
14:30-16:00 Parade and presentation of cars on the lakeside promenade, the award ceremony for winning cars
19:00-22.00 Charity dinner for sponsors and guests, music and surprises
SUNDAY 7th MAY – LIONS IN CLASSIC 2023
08:00 Registration, breakfast, briefing – Splash & Spa Tamaro – Rivera
09:00 Departure
09:30-12.00 Regularity rally and games of skill
12:00 Arrival and car show – Lostallo
12:30-15:00 Aperitif and lunch for sponsors and guests, the award ceremony for winning cars
The announcement of the winners and the award ceremony is scheduled during the parade starting at 14.30, in the presence of the Mayor of City of Lugano, Michele Foletti and representatives of the main sponsors.
Enjoy even more @ www.luganoelegance.ch
Photo Credit: M. Vannetti S. Silvestrini @TiPress
Article Edited by Massimo Basile
Editor & Founder
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