Anantara Concorso Roma reveals outstanding line up of cars confirmed to participate in inaugural event

The inaugural Anantara Concorso Roma, presented by UBS, will take place on 24-27 April, with final preparations being made in the lead up to the glamourous event. Celebrating ‘La dolce vita’ and all things Italian, including hospitality, cuisine and craftsmanship, the event also takes place 100 years from the very first Concorso d’Eleganza which was held in Rome in April 1926.

From the outset, the dream for the inaugural Anantara Concorso Roma was to invite the world’s most respected car collectors and assemble a sensational selection of exclusively Italian masterpieces in the centre of Rome – a spectacle that would be worthy of and do justice to the historic setting.

Organisers have now revealed the line-up of cars for the launch event, where from the many entries, fifty cars have been selected to showcase the best of Italian design and excellence. Featuring all the legendary marques, it’s a potted history of the Italian sports car, from the early pioneering days, through the heroic decades of racing supremacy, the era of power, performance and style, up to the modern era of early supercars.

Participating cars include Alfa Romeo, Cisitalia, Ferrari, Fiat, Lamborghini, Lancia, Maserati, Pagani and Siata. Amongst all the jewels are some truly notable examples, others that are very rarely seen, and a few making a show debut, following a restoration to their former glory.

Divided into classes, the cars range from the pioneering age of the 1902 Fiat, built expressly for Ignazio Florio of the Florio family fame, to the 2018 Pagani Zonda Viola. The 12 classes cover different periods of manufacturing and different uses for which the cars were built.

The class of the cars built between WW1 and WW2 includes five rare Alfa Romeos, one of them built for Benito Mussolini’s personal chauffeur who raced Mille Miglia and another for Franco Mazzotti, one of the four enthusiasts of Brescia who was the brainchild of the Milla Miglia.

The Post-War classes include cars built for Gran Turismo and for Sports–cars racing. Weekend visitors to the Concorso will have the opportunity to admire a fantastic trio of Ferrari cars, which altogether won four editions of the gruelling Le Mans 24 Hours: the 275P (winner of the 1963 and 1964 editions), the 250 LM (1965 winner) and, exceptionally loaned by Ferrari SpA, the 499P, which won the 2024 edition.

Another class will show cars built only by Carrozzeria Zagato, and others will show Gran Turismo models of the golden era of the Sixties / Seventies, including the Lamborghini Miura seen in the movie ‘The Italian Job’ and the Ferrari 512 BBi, built expressly for ‘L’ Avvocato’, i.e. Gianni Agnelli.

The event has a stellar list of partners, including official timing partner Richard Mille, one of the pre-eminent players in the luxury watchmaking industry. In addition to presentation partner UBS, other partners include Acqua di Palma, AMEX, Antica Manifattura Cappelli, CARS, CoverCar, Gulfstream, La Dolce Vita, Lamborghini Polo Storico, Lavazza, Lockton, Maserati, Meguiars, NH Collection Hotels & Resorts, Octane, Renauld, RM Sotheby’s, Sartoria Ripense, Schedoni Modena, Technogym, Tenute Lunelli, Tod’s, Veuve Clicquot, Whispering Angel, ACLI Roma, ASI and Automobile Club d’Italia.

Based at host hotel Anantara Palazzo Naiadi Rome Hotel, Anantara Concorso Roma kicks off on Thursday 24 April with a private launch party at the hotel’s rooftop bar and restaurant, SEEN by Olivier. On Friday 25 April the Giro d’Anantara will see the participating cars depart from the Piazza della Repubblica in front of the hotel and drive in procession out through the city to Villa Aldobrandini in Frascati, a former papal residence, for a private lunch, before driving back to Casina Valadier in Villa Borghese, where the weekend’s Concorso will take place in the gardens of the elegant villa, with spectacular views over the Eternal City.

Open to visitors over the weekend of April 26/27, the Concorso will see the cars judged by an esteemed panel of experts, led by Chief Judge Adolfo Orsi, with class winners and the prestigious ‘Best in Show’ announced on Sunday afternoon.