MR PORTER reports from the shores of Lake Como, Italy, home to the world’s most stylish car show.

Judge the car industry by modern standards – all plastic dashboards, robot-staffed production lines and sartorially questionable TV hosts – and you might be forgiven for thinking it a rather unromantic and unstylish place. Spend a weekend at the annual Concorso d’Eleganza on the shores of Lake Como, Italy, and your assessment might be, shall we say, readjusted.

Since launching in the spring of 1929, the world’s most prestigious classic-car event has been the picturesque place for car collectors and enthusiasts from around the world to exhibit an array of vehicles of extraordinary significance from the golden age of motoring design. This period ­– between 1920 and 1979 – marks a time when the best cars displayed pioneering bodywork that was hand-beaten by a team of artisans from independent coachbuilders, with interiors that had been hand-cut and fitted by those trained in their profession over a lifetime.

This year, the focus was very much on the jet-set glamour of the 1970s, a mood that can currently be felt across much of style culture, including fashion. Fifty-one historic vehicles graced the grounds of Villa d’Este, alongside seven concept cars and prototypes. The setting is quite something, a Unesco World Heritage Site and a fine example of Renaissance architecture complete with impeccable Italian gardens. One of the most alluring vehicles to drive the promenade in front of the hotel was organiser BMW’s 3.0 CSL Hommage, a spectacular Batmobile-like concept in tribute to the 3 Series, which celebrates its 40th birthday this year.

In true Italian form, the crowds that attend the event are often as beautifully turned out as the cars themselves: men in perfectly tailored linen blazers, sun-bleached chinos and well-made oval sunglasses, the women in figure-hugging lace dresses, wide-brimmed hats and silk neck scarves. Many have come from around the world to exhibit their prized possessions, some of which have been hidden away from sight for decades. All this makes for an unparalleled automotive event and one that everyone should witness at least once in their lifetime. It’s like a scene from La Dolce Vita, only in colour.

Here, we look at eight of the winning cars from the classes that piqued MR PORTER’s attention.

FLAMBOYANCE IN MOTION Winner: Mercedes-Benz 540K, 1937

The most luxurious examples came from the 1920s and 1930s, so this was undoubtedly the peacock car category (mainly due to the decadence of the era in which they were produced). Automobiles during this period were not bought complete but rather fashioned by the owner via renowned coachbuilders after buying a chassis direct from a factory. Rest assured, this was an expensive business. Mercedes was one of the original pioneers of this era and at the end of the 1930s the curvaceously grand 540K was widely regarded as Germany’s “Master of the Road”. Only 26 of these chassis were modelled into two-seater roadsters like this, so not only were they rare, they were also highly covetable, and continue to be so today. No surprise then that the current owner of this winning car is none other than Formula One titan and classic-car collector Mr Bernie Ecclestone.

ANTIDEPRESSANTS Winner: Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spider Zagato, 1932

The economic crisis of 1929-30 threw up some serious issues for carmakers of the time. Many sank without trace but a select few managed to do just the opposite, defying the conditions of the era by creating some of the world’s most beautiful sports cars, which went on to race at the likes of Le Mans, the Mille Miglia and Sicily’s Targa Florio. The 8C 2300 was the brainchild of Italian design star Mr Vittorio Jano and is touted as one of the most successful sports cars ever built, winning numerous races and driven by the legendary Mr Tazio Nuvolari. A total of 188 were built, including this one in deep red with coachwork by Zagato and owned by retired investment broker Mr David Sydorick of Beverly Hills. It was the winner not only of its class but also of the biggest gong of the event: the jury’s Best in Show.

MADE TO MEASURE Winner: Ferrari 250 GT Europa, 1954

During the 1950s and 1960s, Italy ruled supreme when it came to car design. In Turin and Milan, coachbuilders produced what many experts still believe to be the most elegant cars of all time. Ferrari was at the forefront of this movement and the 250 GT was one of its major showpieces. The winning model, currently owned by Mr Jaime Muldoon of Mexico, was even more special due to its original owners, Belgian royals Leopold III and his wife Lilian, Princess of Réthy. It was the only example not to be designed by notable Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina but it did receive close scrutiny during its creation from the royal couple, who oversaw the design elements including the choice of paintwork and interior materials.

GENTLEMEN’S RACERS Winner: Maserati A6G 2000, 1956

Driving a sports car in the 1950s was a luxurious pursuit reserved only for those with enough free time and money to indulge themselves. Owners would most likely use them for reckless pastimes such as circuit racing and hill climbs. The Maserati A6G 2000 was one of the first road vehicles to emerge from the company’s new Modena production facilities and this one, owned by venture capitalist Mr Jim Utaski, was one of 20 Maseratis to be modelled by Zagato (which also exhibited its stunning new Mostro concept car with Maserati at the event). Speed and style were infused into every element of the design, from the streamlined bodywork to the six-cylinder engine. Its exciting history includes driving in torrential rain during the 1956 Mille Miglia and several races in France.

HOLLYWOOD ON THE LAKE Winner: Lancia Aurelia B52, 1953

The roads circling Lake Como must rate as some of the best for enjoying a spot of open-top driving, making this category particularly appealing. In the 1950s, Hollywood stars from Messrs Marlon Brando to James Dean owned convertibles that ranged in style from charming to downright ostentatious. Lancia, which was founded in 1906 but was bought by Fiat in 1969, launched the Pininfarina-designed Aurelia B52 at the Turin Motor Show in 1952. It featured very distinctive jet-age styling cues, such as the chrome bezel on the nose, reminiscent of the intake of an F-86 Sabre fighter plane. The car that took home the prize from Villa d’Este is currently owned by former Starbucks president and CEO Mr Orin Smith and was looking very fresh from a comprehensive 10-year restoration.

GT MAN HAS ARRIVED Winner: Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona, 1972

When it comes to cars, opulence can mean different things to different people. To some it might be pure unadulterated horsepower (thank you, Lamborghini), for others lavish interiors and a place to store your cufflinks (thank you, Rolls-Royce). For some it can even mean six wheels (thank you, Panther 6). For Ferrari, the Daytona (so called in tribute to the company’s one-two-three victory in the 24-hour endurance race in 1967) was the perfect meeting of two opulent essentials: beauty and speed. With its sharp-edged styling and squat, powerful pose, the design was pure 1970s. We want one.

HOW FAST IS FAST ENOUGH? Winner: Lamborghini Miura SV, 1971

Neon green is an assured colour choice for a sports car, but then Lamborghini is not exactly known for its understated aesthetics. When it comes to the Miura SV, we wouldn’t have it any other way. It was the first supercar from the disco era: hellishly fast thanks to its transverse, mid-mounted, alloy V12 engine and suitably breathtaking thanks to the curvaceous bodywork by design hero Mr Marcello Gandini. Its superstar status in the car world meant it found homes in the garages of everyone from Messrs Miles Davis to Frank Sinatra. This freshly restored model, owned by Scottish hedge-fund analyst Mr Graham Robertson, was the only one ever to get the “verde Miura” paint treatment.

BY THE PUBLIC Winner: Ferrari 166MM Barchetta, 1950

A rare beauty: only 25 of these car models were made, including this one, which once belonged to Fiat patriarch and style icon Mr Gianni Agnelli. Rumour has it that Mr Agnelli had to drive the car in secret in order to avoid flak for being behind the wheel of a car his company didn’t make. His grandson, Mr Lapo Elkann (now a style icon in his own right), was there on the day to see it win the public’s vote, riding in the passenger seat wearing an elegant, bespoke double-breasted suit. With its perfect proportions and charming leather bonnet strap (designed to stop it flying up at high speeds), the Ferrari is now the property of British chocolate magnate Mr Clive Beecham, for whom we must presume life is very sweet indeed.