Latest news with #Cernobbio
Forbes
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Forbes
Historic Sports Car Impounded At Concorso D'Eleganza In Italy
This rare 1964 Iso Rivolta Grifo A3 Stradale was confiscated by police after the Concorso d'Eleganza ... More at the Hotel Villa d'Este in Italy on Sunday. Photo: BMW Classic. Cernobbio, Italy: An American entrant has had his rare, classic Italian sports car impounded by Italian police after the world's premier historic car event, the Concorso d'Eleganza at the Hotel Villa d'Este. Provincial Police confiscated the 1964 Iso Rivolta Grifo A3 Stradale, entered in the Concorso by Thomas Shannon, after allegedly stopping its American driver on the streets of Cernobbio without an International Driving Permit. The Grifo, one of just 13 in the world and valued at more than $1 million, was also allegedly driven without proof of Italian insurance or a visible number plate. The Concorso d'Eleganza is a celebration of historic car culture on the grounds of one of the world's most prestigious hotels on the shores of Lake Como, and involves parades at both the Hotel Villa d'Este and Villa Erba, which are separated by less than a mile along one narrow street. The Iso Rivolta Grifo was confiscated for allegedly driving on Italian streets without proof of ... More insurance, a number plate. The driver, a US license holder, also did not have an International Driving permit. Photo: BMW Group Classic. Provincial police impounded the Shannon car pending payment of fines of €866 (US$981) and €408 ($463). Shannon's Iso Rivolta Grifo A3 Stradale was the street-going version of the Grifo racing car, which won its class in the 1965 Le Mans 24 Hour race. Built with Italian design and chassis engineering partnered with a 327 cubic inch Chevrolet Corvette V8, the Grifo could hit 60mph in five seconds and run on to a 190mph top speed. It isn't the first time the Italian provincial police have targeted a Concorso d'Eleganza competitor either, with a 1967 Fiat Dino being grabbed during the 2024 edition of the event.
Forbes
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
BMW Will Turn Its Concept Speedtop Into 50 Road Cars
Based on the BMW M8, the Concept Speedtop will make production next year, but they will only make 50 ... More cars, expected to sell for around $500,000 each. Photo: BMW BMW has taken the covers off its Concept Speedtop shooting brake at the Concorso d'Eleganza in Cernobbio tonight. The Concept Speedtop, which will end up in a 70-unit production run at close to half a million dollars each, is a hard-topped follow up to the Concept Skytop. Both cars are based on the BMW M8 production car, powered by a 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V8, and the Concept Speedtop is expected to reach 62mph in around 3.3 seconds. The most powerful production BMW engine, the 625hp V8 will drive all four wheels through an eight-speed ZF transmission, but the real innovation is the way BMW is leveraging limited-volume 'art' cars to ratchet up brand value. Powered by a 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V8, the Concept Speedtop made its debut at the Hotel Villa d'Este ... More Concorso d'Eleganza tonight. Photo: BMW. The Concept Speedtop will be a brand-building exercise for BMW, and its executives hope it follows in the footsteps of the Skytop, which has ended its 50-unit limited production run and sold for $500,000 each. BMW design boss Adrian van Hooydonk insisted the Concept Speedtop would bring back the style of the Concept Touring special. 'A true BMW exudes dynamism and elegance, even when it's standing still, and that's the case with our new concept car,' van Hooydonk said. 'The Concept Speedtop is characterised first of all by its profile. 'It is very unique in the automotive industry. In this way, we have created and exclamation mark for our entire lineup of vehicles,' he said. The BMW Concept Speedtop is an evolution of the Concept Touring. Photo: BMW In reality, the Concept Speedtop is a design evolution of the Calvin Luk-designed Concept Touring, which BMW revealed at the Concorso d'Eleganza at the Hotel Villa d'Este in Cernobbio in 2023. BMW has a long history of unveiling concept cars (and motorbikes) at the Concorso d'Eleganza, which it has long supported as its major sponsor. Riding on custom-designed, two-tone, 14-spoke alloy wheels, the Concept Speedtop's design is marked by a central spline running the length of the body. BMW turned to Ferrari's favorite leather artisans Schedoni to create custom luggage for the Concept ... More Speedtop. Photo: Birgit Bitterman. BMW has taken the ultra-luxury positioning of the Concept Speedtop to heart, signing up with Modena-based luxury leather artisans Schedoni to create custom luggage to perfectly fit the Concept Speedtop's leather-lined space behind the seats. There's also a matching weekend bag designed to fit the trunk space. Usually associated with Ferrari, Schedoni also created brogue-style perforations in the leather to allow it to breath, gave it a two-tone leather roof lining,
