Thirty-six Lamborghinis produced between 1964 and 1991, as well as contemporary models, took part in the second edition of the “Lamborghini & Design” Concorso d’Eleganza. The event, organized by Lamborghini Polo Storico, was held from September 19 to 21 between Venice and Trieste, paying tribute to the creative genius of the great Italian architect Gae Aulenti (1927-2012), born close to Trieste and internationally renowned for representing Italian design and architecture around the world.
On Friday, after starting off from Venice and covering around 200 kilometers, the cars arrived at Portopiccolo, near Trieste, where they were exhibited to the public in the three main seaside squares. On Saturday morning, the cars were judged by a select international jury: connoisseurs and enthusiasts of the Raging Bull brand. On Saturday afternoon, while the jury was deliberating ahead of the evening’s awards ceremony, the participants headed towards Trieste, where a huge crowd was waiting in Piazza Unità di Italia, literally invaded by the public, eager and happy to see an important part of Italian automotive history up close. The event continued on the streets of the historic Trieste-Opicina hill climb and, after entering Slovenia, it ended with the return to Portopiccolo after covering 62 kilometers of popular roads, perfect for providing Lamborghini owners with a pleasurable driving experience.
In the evening, Nina Artioli, Gae Aulenti’s granddaughter and curator of the architect’s archive, talked about some of the moments of Aulenti’s life, followed by the awards ceremony. The judges gave the title of Best in Show to the Lamborghini 350 GT, chassis #102, owned by a Swiss collector, and winner of class A “Front Engine Dawn”. The car, restored with the utmost care and completely respecting the original features, is one of the pillars of Lamborghini’s history as it was the first car to be sold by the car manufacturer to a private customer. Today, the 350 GT, #102, is the oldest existing Lamborghini production model.
The winners of the respective classes:
Class A “Front Engine Dawn”: 1964 Lamborghini 350 GT (chassis #102)
Class B “Rear Engine Revolution”: 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 S (chassis #4863)
Class C “Longitudinale Posteriore”: 1974 Lamborghini Countach “Walter Wolf” (chassis #1120002)
Class D “Towards the future”: 1999 Lamborghini Diablo SV (chassis #ZA9DE21A0XLA12178)
Class E “Modern Dreams”: 2016 Lamborghini Centenario Prototype (chassis #ZHWEC1478CLA00058)
Class F “New Frontiers”: 1987 Lamborghini LM002 (chassis #ZA9L00000HLA12065)
The following special awards were also given:
Lamborghini Preservation car: 1990 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary (chassis #ZA9C005A0KLA12029)
Lamborghini Movie Star, for the car that best represented Lamborghini on the big screen: 1968 Lamborghini Miura P400 (chassis #3586), for its participation in 1969 film “The Italian Job”.
Longest Journey: for the car that traveled the furthest, by road, to get to the Concorso: 1974 Lamborghini Urraco P250 S (chassis #15416), with 1,278 kilometers.
Longest Ownership: for the car that has been in the same family the longest: 1969 Lamborghini Islero S (chassis #6543), owned for 40 years by the same family.
Lamborghini Milestone: for the car that represents a milestone in Lamborghini’s history, the 1974 Lamborghini Countach “Walter Wolf” (chassis #1120002)
There was also a special mention for the 1968 “Lamborghini” Riva Aquarama, the only Riva motorboat to have been fitted with Lamborghini engines and the former personal boat of Ferruccio Lamborghini (hull #278).
The jury was composed of the following members:
President of the Jury, Stefano Pasini (ITA), Journalist and automotive historian. Giudici: Silvia Nicolis (ITA), President of the Museo Nicolis, Verona; Stephen Bayley (UK), Historian and design critic; Gary Bobileff (USA), President of the Bobileff Motorcar Company; Mark Dixon (UK), Journalist for Octane, UK; Hidetomo Kimura (JAP), President and CEO of the Kyoto Concours d’Elegance; Andrea Nicoletto (ITA), President of the Lamborghini Club Italia; Peter Read (UK), President of the Motoring Department of the Royal Automobile Club.
To complete the exposition eight Ducati motorbikes represented the history and evolution of race and street bikes produced in Bologna Borgo Panigale from 1946 until today. Progenitor “Cucciolo” from 1946, flanked by the Ducati 65, 1952, 125 TV, 1960, Darmah 900, 1978, Mike Hailwood replica 1997, Monster 900, 1994, 996 Giallo, 2000, and the contemporary Panigale 25° Anniversario.
Lamborghini Polo Storico, inaugurated in 2015, is Automobili Lamborghini’s department dedicated to preserving the heritage of the House of Sant’Agata Bolognese. Its activities include the restoration and certification of all Lamborghinis produced up to 2001, as well as the reconstruction of spare parts for classic Lamborghinis, for which more than 200 new code numbers were introduced in 2018 alone. Polo Storico also conserves and manages the company archives to support the preservation of all classic Lamborghini cars.