The Concept Cars and Prototypes Category at the Villa d’Este is perhaps the most glamorous location on earth to display future production cars.
The winner of the ‘Design Award for Concept Cars & Prototypes’ at this year’s Concorso went to the Touring Superleggera Disco Volante. This Alfa Romeo-based sports car was a surprise winner and beat the likes of the BMW, Aston Martin & McLaren for the prestigious prize. Below we run through some of the other competitors which were also in the category:
BMW Gran Lusso Coupé - Pininfarina was asked to help create the new BMW Gran Lusso Coupé. It’s a one-off that could show the new direction of the 8-series coupe, as BMW battles the new Mercedes S-Class coupe and Bentley Continental GT. It’s powered by a V12 and is built around a long wheelbase body. The large 21-inch wheels contribute to the dynamic, low stance of the car.
Aston Martin CC100 – The British firm, Aston Martin entered their CC100 concept. It was created as a celebration of Aston Martin’s 100-year celebration. The new CC100 drew its inspiration from the DBR1, which is Aston’s most successful racing car ever. The CC100 is crafted out of carbon fibre and powered by a 6.0-litre V12. The car originally made its debut at the Nürburgring race track a few weeks ago alongside an original DBR1. Dr Ulrich Bez, boss of Aston Martin said “The CC100 is the epitome of everything that is great about Aston Martin. It represents our fantastic sporting heritage, our exceptional design capability & our superb engineering”.
McLaren P1 - Britain’s newest hyper car is the McLaren P1. It was on display at the Villa d’Este and has also been shown at the Geneva Motor Show after its world launch in Paris. It uses the same twin-turbo V8 that is in the current MP4 12C, although this car has a KERS electric motor that produces 176 bhp. although entered in the Prototypes Category this car will soon go into production. The boss of McLaren, Ron Dennis said: “The McLaren P1 will be the result of 50 years of racing and road car heritage”.
Infiniti Emerg-E Concept – This car originally debuted back at the Geneva Motor Show 2012. It is Powered by a pair of electric motors with each powering their own rear wheel. These two compact drivetrains produce an impressive 402hp helping the car to reach 62mph in just 4 seconds. Additionally, it features a small back up 1.3L, 3-cylinder engine producing an additional 47hp. It is unknown if the Infiniti Emerg-E will ever go into production, although Infiniti has repeatedly stated their desire to develop a brand new sports car.
