The Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este is more than a beauty contest for cars. It is an annual reminder that the automobile has yet to be eclipsed as the ultimate expression of the human desire for speed, elegance and sheer mind-blowing cool.

Combine the Goodwood Festival of Speed with the Geneva Motor Show, then add the breathtaking scenery of Italy's Lake District and a little petrolhead aristocracy and you've got the Concorso d'Eleganza. It's held late each spring on the southwest shore of Lake Como on the grounds of a 16th-century villa converted into a high-end hotel.

There was no shortage of speed and cool at this year's event, the 13th since BMW stepped in as a corporate patron. Such automotive beauty pageants, known by the French name concours d'elegance, started during the years between World Wars. The Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este debuted in 1929 and quickly became the place to show off the newest, best and most expensive cars of the day. World War II put an end to lakeside cruises in coach-built Alfa Romeos.

Following a few halfhearted postwar attempts at a revival, European concourses were gone for good. They emerged decades later in the United States at places like Pebble Beach and Amelia Island.

What makes the current, BMW-flavored Villa d'Este so special is its embrace of the spirit of the original. Although the focus is undoubtedly on impeccably retouched classics in eight categories, a ninth category features contemporary prototypes. It's a refreshing alternative to the all the cars restored to a level far beyond their original factory conditions. Yes, a 1930s Bugatti or 1950s Ferrari is a breathtaking spectacle, but it's also a museum piece. It is rather more interesting to see what modern designers come up with when they are allowed to dream and play.

Above:

The event is held on the grounds of Villa d'Este, a lakeside villa turned into a luxury hotel. In the foreground are several 1950s race cars and grand tourers like the blue-on-white Maserati Birdcage 63 and the red Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, while you can see several interesting 1960s prototypes in the rear, like a four-door version of the Citroën SM and Giovanni Michelotti's 1968 DAF 55 Siluro