BMW 328 Bugelfalte Takes Best of Show at Villa d’Este 2026

The 1937 BMW 328 Bugelfalte rolled away from the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2026 with the biggest accolade of the weekend, scooping the Trofeo BMW Group for Best of Show. Held from 15 to 17 May on the shores of Lake Como, the event ran under the banner “Future needs Heritage” and brought together everything from pioneer-era machinery to fresh concept cars under the spring sunshine. The Bugelfalte, a one-off roadster built at the Munich plant, takes its nickname from the distinctive metal edging that runs along the top of its front wings.

Owner Stefano Martinoli collected the trophy on Sunday evening, presented by Helmut Kas of BMW Group Classic, Wilhelm Schmid of A. Lange and Sohne, and Jury President Lorenzo Ramaciotti. Alongside the silverware came a one-off A. Lange and Sohne 1815 CHRONOGRAPH in 18-carat white gold with a solid pink-gold dial and the Concorso crest engraved by hand on its hinged cuvette. The public vote, awarded as the Trofeo Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este, went to a 1963 Mercedes-Benz SL 300 Roadster belonging to Eric Blumencranz of the United States, one of the very last examples to roll off the production line. In all, 54 vehicles from 13 countries lined up across eight competition classes, and the weekend parades at Villa d’Este and Villa Erba were both led by a BMW 328 marking 90 years since the model first appeared.

Friday evening delivered two BMW world premieres. The Vision BMW ALPINA broke cover first, the design study measuring 5,200 mm in length with a long raked coupe roofline and a V8 powerplant behind a four-tailpipe exhaust setup tuned to deliver the deep, sonorous note Alpina enthusiasts know so well. The four-seater previews the direction of the newly established BMW ALPINA brand. The second reveal came from BMW Motorrad in the shape of the Vision K18, a 1,800 cc six-cylinder in-line motorcycle built around the theme “The Heat of Speed” and shaped into an arrow-like silhouette. Both showpieces sat among the historic entries, drawing a clear line from the marque’s past into what comes next.

The Public Days at Villa Erba gave enthusiasts plenty to pore over, with the long-running “Amici and Automobili” gathering pulling in fans for proper paddock chatter. Forty years of the BMW M3 took centre stage with a packed display tracing the original homologation special right through to current machinery, and works drivers Johnny Cecotto, Roberto Ravaglia and Emanuele Pirro joined brand ambassador HRH Prince Leopold of Bavaria to mark the occasion. The 50-year birthdays of both the BMW 6 Series and the BMW Art Car Collection were also celebrated, with Robert Rauschenberg’s 1986 BMW 635 CSi and John Baldessari’s 2016 BMW M6 GTLM brought out as part of the ongoing Art Car World Tour, which heads to its peak at BMW Welt in Munich this summer.

Broad Arrow Auctions returned as the official auction partner and reported a 71 percent jump in registered bidders compared to 2025, drawn from 31 different countries. The two-day sale at Villa Erba lined up 70 cars, with a 2018 Pagani Zonda Unica heading the catalogue alongside a 2023 Ferrari Daytona SP3 and a 1990 Ferrari F40, plus assorted BMW, Lamborghini, Maserati and Porsche metal. Helmut Kas closed proceedings by handing receipts from Saturday’s ticket sales to La Cometa, with a further donation going to Comitato Basso Lario in Cernobbio, keeping a charitable tradition firmly part of the Villa d’Este story.