As Monterey Car Week continues to evolve into a sprawling ecosystem of concours events, brand activations, auctions and social gatherings, Europe has quietly developed its own counterpart around the shores of Lake Como in Italy. What was once primarily a single concours centered on the historic Villa d’Este has transformed into something far broader — a multi-day convergence of automotive design, collector culture, motorsport heritage and luxury lifestyle increasingly referred to simply as “Como Week.”
At the center remains the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, whose origins date back to 1929. Held on the grounds of the lakeside hotel overlooking Lake Como, the concours has long stood among the world’s most important gatherings for historically significant automobiles. Coachbuilt pre-war masterpieces, rare prototypes and impeccably restored classics continue to define the event’s formal lawn displays, with manufacturers often using the occasion to unveil design studies or showcase heritage collections in front of an audience uniquely attuned to aesthetics and provenance.
Yet over the last decade, the atmosphere surrounding Villa d’Este has changed dramatically.
The rise of FuoriConcorso has helped reshape the weekend into something much larger than a traditional concours. Created by Italian entrepreneur Guglielmo Miani, the event intentionally positioned itself outside the structure of concours judging and awards. Instead, FuoriConcorso embraced thematic exhibitions, contemporary collector culture, motorsport icons, fashion, design and immersive automotive installations spread across multiple villas overlooking the lake.
The result is an event that feels less like a static concours and more like the automotive equivalent of Milan Design Week and doing so not all that far from Milan itself – either geographically or in its place on the calendar.
During Como Week, the line between automotive event and cultural gathering increasingly disappears. Historic race cars share garden space with modern hypercars and bespoke commissions. Factory-backed heritage programs intermingle with independent collectors, designers, boutique builders and remasters. One villa may host Group C racers and endurance legends while another showcases coachbuilt specials, rare specification supercars or contemporary reinterpretations of historic icons.
The setting itself plays an enormous role in the experience. Unlike the convention-center atmosphere of traditional auto shows, Lake Como’s geography creates an unusually intimate environment. Narrow roads winding between historic villas become part of the spectacle as collectors arrive by ferry, manufacturers host private dinners in centuries-old estates and enthusiasts crowd village streets hoping to catch glimpses of machinery rarely seen outside museums or private collections.
Increasingly, the manufacturers themselves are adapting to this new dynamic.
Brands no longer treat Como merely as a concours appearance. Instead, the entire region has become the platform. This year alone saw multiple manufacturers lean heavily into heritage storytelling, motorsport history and curated lifestyle experiences rather than conventional product launches. Vintage race cars appeared alongside future-facing concept studies. Executives mingled casually with collectors and racing legends. Conversations about craftsmanship, preservation and design carried as much importance as outright performance figures.
BMW has been a major patron supporter of the primary concorso for years. More recently, we begin to see the arrival of others such as Porsche (with a Sonderwunsch focus), Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and more.
The social landscape has evolved as well. While Villa d’Este remains rooted in concours tradition and formality, FuoriConcorso has introduced a younger and more stylistically diverse audience into the mix. Collectors in tailored jackets now share space with content creators, fashion photographers and enthusiasts arriving from across Europe specifically for the atmosphere surrounding the event. The demographic shift mirrors broader changes happening throughout the collector world itself, where design, culture and storytelling increasingly carry equal weight alongside rarity and concours pedigree.
Motorsport has also become a larger part of Como Week’s identity.
What was once dominated primarily by coachbuilt classics and pre-war elegance now frequently incorporates endurance racing legends, rally icons and Formula 1 machinery into the weekend’s broader narrative. Racing drivers, former factory teams and heritage departments from major manufacturers have become increasingly visible participants. The overlap creates a unique contrast: a Le Mans prototype parked beneath the gardens of a historic villa overlooking one of Europe’s most picturesque lakes.
And unlike Monterey, where the scale of Car Week can sometimes feel overwhelming, Como retains a certain intimacy despite its growing influence. The entire ecosystem exists within a relatively compact geography, allowing the various events, villas and gatherings to feel interconnected rather than isolated. Over the course of a few days, the same collectors, executives, designers and enthusiasts circulate continuously between events, creating a sense that the entire region temporarily transforms into one large automotive salon.
That may ultimately explain why Como Week continues to gain importance within the global collector calendar.
It is no longer simply about concours judging or individual vehicle debuts. Instead, Lake Como has become a place where the automotive world presents itself as culture — where heritage, luxury, motorsport, design and lifestyle converge in a way few other events can replicate.
And increasingly, simply being present has become part of the statement itself.
CONCORSO D’ELEGANCE VILLA D’ESTE
FUORICONCORSO
