Broad Arrow Villa d’Este 2025 may be the official partner of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, and thus heavily associated with BMW – indeed, it’s hosting a BMW-only sale during the weekend – but the firm is bringing a distinctively Italian twist to its lot list.
Held at Villa Erba, just a short stroll (or boat ride) from Villa d’Este, the BMW-only sale takes place on Saturday, May 24, with the all-marque sale taking place on Sunday, May 25. We’ve already previewed some of the early consignments (including a Citroën ZX Rallye Raid car) here, and some of the early BMW lots here. Here are ten of our favourite lots.
The leading lot for Broad Arrow Villa d’Este 2025 is the above 1948 Ferrari 166 Spyder, chassis 004 C. It was first bought by the Besana brothers, with this car in particular belonging to Soave. It took sixth place at the 1948 Targa Florio, and though it entered the Mille Miglia, it didn’t finish. It would also compete in Formula 2 racing, taking third at the Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti. After busy season of racing it was returned to Maranello for body upgrades, largely in the name of cooling.
Franco Mosters and Tino Bianchi would take the driving duties for 1949, and mid-year Soave Besana sold his car to S.r.l E. Vallarani & Co. It was driven by Frenchman Victor Polledry over the next eight years. In 1957 it was sold to Gaston Garino, the owner of the Sport Auto garage near Paris. It was acquired by Henry Austin Clark in 1965, taken to his Long Island Automotive Museum in Southampton, New York, and subsequently restored. It spent 50 years with the Clark family, with several concours appearances in the 2000s.
It’s being offered publicly for the first time via a large American Ferrari collection; it has Ferrari Classiche certification and it retains its original Ansaloni body, chassis, Tipo 166 V12 and gearbox. It’s estimated at between €5.5m and €7.5m.
This 2022 Pagani Huayra R takes top billing for the hypercars at Broad Arrow Villa d’Este 2025. The second of just 30 customer cars built, it’s covered just 134km in the hands of its single owner. Subject to €300,000 of customisation when new, it’s being offered with an estimate between €2.8m and €3.2m.
Other modern hypercar highlights include a uniquely specified Arancio Bruciato/Bianco Polar & Nero Ade 2022 Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 (est: €2.3m-€2.5m), a rare Guards Red 2006 Porsche Carrera GT (est: €1.3m-€1.5m), an Italian-market 2023 Ford GT in Heritage Blue (est: €525k-€625k) and a 2007 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition (est: €475k-€550k).
This 1965 275GTS leads the road car Ferrari section; chassis 0305 was first delivered new via Auto Becker of Düsseldorf to its first owner, Viktor Rolff of Bergheim. A coal mining company owner, he also sponsored Wolfgang von Trips in F1. He kept the car for two years, selling it to a Munich-based owner who covered 45,000km in five years.
In the 1970s the car was in Portugal with a new owner, where it stayed until 2015; during this time it had been painted Rosso and then restored back to its original Rosso Rubino Chiaro by Carrozzeria Zanasi of Maranello. London dealer Joe Macari acquired the car in 2018, and it subsequently acquired Classiche certification. In UK ownership since 2020, it’s estimated at between €1.5m and €1.8m.
Other 1960s Ferraris on offer at Broad Arrow Villa d’Este 2025 include a 1962 250 GT/E Pininfarina Coupe 2+2 Series II (est: €325k-€375k) and a 1964 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso (est: €1.3m-€1.5m).
This 1989 Ferrari F40 ‘Competizione’ began life as a road car, delivered new in Rome via Ferrari dealer Sa.Mo.Car for Vittorio Mangifesta. After five years it was sold to Ian Hetherington, who after two years contacted Martin Shaw’s Specialised Cars of Manchester to transform 80369 into LM-style specification.
The bodywork was crafted by Adrian Snook of Spectrum in Leeds with fixed headlights under Lexan covers with the pop-ups removed, enlarged brake cooling ducts, a prominent front splitter, and an adjustable, high-downforce rear wing. The car was upgraded to 648bhp courtesy of revised turbochargers, free-flow exhaust system, custom-fabricated intercoolers, and it received uprated suspension, brakes and competition fuel systems. With the work complete, Hetherington sold the car to Martin Shaw who competed with it in the 2000 British GT Championship, though it often retired or finished far down the order.
The car was sold to Italy 2002, and has been used in historic racing events over the past 25 years. Sold with a large cache of spares, it’s estimated at between €2.3m and €2.8m.
Other 1980s/1990s/early 2000s supercars include a 2002 Ferrari 550 Barchetta (€550k-€650k), a 2000 Lamborghini Diablo VT 6.0 (est: €500k-€600k), a 2005 Ford GT (est: €350k-€400k), a 1995 Ruf Turbo R (est: €200k-€220k) and a 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello (€225k-€275k).
This 1936 Maserati 6CM is the very first built of the 33 examples constructed, and served as the factory works car for Count Carlo Felice ‘Didi’ Trossi. Trossi took chassis 1531 to victory at the Nürburgring Internationales Eifelrenne, the Grand Prix de Picardie in Heat 1, Circuito di Milano, Coppa Ciano, Coppa Edda Ciano and the Circuito di Modena. The car moved to the private ownership of Piero Dusio under the Squadra Torino banner, with the car driven by himself and Eugenio Siena; the latter took victory at the Circuito di Milano.
The car moved to Società Anonima Squadra Automobilistica Torino for 1938, where it was driven by the likes of Gianni Battaglia, Pietro Ghersi, Andrea Brezzi and Giorgio Pelassa; Brezzi would take stewardship of the car in 1940, replacing the engine with the supercharged 4CM 149cc inline four from chassis 1554. Piero Taruffi and Nunzio Nasi drove the car to eight places in the Gran Premio di Tripoli and the Targa Florio respectively in 1940.
After the war the car was acquired by American Lucy O’Reilly Schell for her son Harry to compete in races across France and Italy; it was loaned to Vittorio Mazzonis and Marino Brandoli for the latter part of 1946 and Giovanni Bracci and E. Roersa for 1947, largely in hillclimbing. Belgian Arthur Legat used the car for hillclimbing in 1949. It was then passed into the stewardship of several notable owners, including engineer and racing driver Ken Rudd, F1 driver André Pilette and Joel E Finn and the American Motor Museum.
It was then passed through several British owners, with one, Robin Lodge, restoring the car during his time with it before taking it historic racing. In 2005 it was acquired by Tommaso Gelmini, who later passed the car to Federico Buratti in the 2010s, both of whom maintained its historic racing career. In the hands of a European collector since 2017, who has had the car comprehensively restored in 2017 before returning it to historic racing. It’s estimated at between €850k and €950k.
Other pre-war highlights at Broad Arrow Villa d’Este 2025 include a James Young-bodied 1939 Lagonda V12 Rapide DHC (est: €600k-€700k), a 1935 Mercedes-Benz 290 Roadster (est: €275k-€325k), a 1936 Fiat 570 Bertone Barchetta Special (est: €325k-€375k), a 1939 BMW 328 Wendler Cabriolet (est: €250k-€350k) and a 1933 Mercedes-Benz 170 Roadster (est: €125k-€165k).
This 1954 Siata 208S Motto Spider is the final example of 33 Motto-bodied cars constructed, and 53 of all types. Chassis BS 535 was sold new in Italy in 1954 before moving to the US soon after. USAF Captain Celce of Boston Massachusetts owned the car for 12 years, including a spell in the UK where he was posted. In 1965 it was acquired by Franklin T Sweet of the General Photo Products Co in Newton, New Jersey, who attempted to restore the car – which took until the 1980s, whereupon he fitted a Ford V8.
At around this time it was acquired by Walter Eisenstark, who was able to reunite the chassis and engine via what started as Jarl de Boer restoration. After 14 years and little success it was passed to Nino Epifani’s workshop, where the car was finally reunited with its original engine and a five-speed Siata synchromesh gearbox. It was then shown at several concours events, before being sold to Jim Utaski who then engaged Epifani for further work and a return to the concours scene. In the hands of its current owner since 2015, it’s estimated at between €1.5m and €1.7m.
Other 1940s-1970s Italian exotics include a 1960 Maserati 3500 GT Vignale Spyder (est: €690k-€750k), a 1947 Stanguellini 1100 Sport Internazionale (est: €350k-€450k), a 1966 Fiat Abarth OT 1300 (est: €400k-€450k), a 1968 Iso Grifo GL Series I (est: €275k-€450k), a 1963 Lancia Flaminia Zagato Sport 3C 2.8 (est: €300k-€350k), a 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Pinin Farina Cabriolet (est: €220k-€280k) and a 1948 Lancia Aurelia B24 S Convertible (est: €200k-€250k).
Moving the focus away from Italian cars, Broad Arrow Villa d’Este 2025 provides a rare example to acquire one of less than 140 second-generation Honda NSX-Rs built between 2002 and 2005. The NA2 edition of the car included the mechanical revisions of the second-generation NSX (including a 3.2-litre engine), but also the light-weighting and track focus of the original NSX-R.
It’s covered 15,806km, and has recently had its timing belt replaced. It spent much of its life in Japan but was acquired by a Swedish enthusiast in 2016 who subsequently registered it in the UK for registration reasons. It’s been upgraded to LHD-specification headlamps, and comes fresh from winning the Future Classics class at the 2024 Costa del Sol Concours d’Elegance in Marbella. It’s estimated at between €750k and €950k.
Another lightweight modern classic worth keeping an eye on is a left-hand-drive 2003 BMW M3 CSL; in a few years’ time it will become eligible for import to the USA (we suggested the CSL as one to watch earlier this year). This particular car is estimated at between €125k and €150k. Other highlights include a 2011 BMW M3 GTS (est: €225k-€275k), a 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG Convertible (est: €420k-€550k), and a brace of McLaren MP4-12Cs owned formerly owned by Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.
This 1938 Talbot-Lago T150 C Lago Spéciale Teardrop Coupé by Figoni et Falaschi is the only example of the Teardrop body built on the T150 C Lago Spéciale chassis. It was ordered new by gentleman race driver and banker Antoine Schumann as a replacement for his Bugatti Type 50 via Luigi Chinetti.
Schumann enjoyed the car until the Nazis took France; he hid the car away and fled to Europe, became a pilot and joined the French Resistance. He returned to France after the war, and sold the car to Frédéric Damman, owner of the Magasins Butch clothing stores. He repainted the car grey and took it racing, winning the 1948 Belgian Grand Prix, Les 24 Heures de Spa, taking overall victory alongside Constant Debelder. Damman kept the car until 1979, selling it to former Hispano-Suiza staffer Gaston Garino, who then passed the car to film producer Michel Seydoux. He kept the car only a brief time, putting it up for auction in 1981.
Madame Coty of Coty Perfumes acquired the car for her boyfriend, Yves Rossignol, at a time when its identity was unclear. The car went with Rossignol with his next partner, to South America (where it starred in a film, necessitating it being rowed across a lake on a raft). It then returned to France, and then put in a museum close to Geneva airport; its identity was finally put back into place at around this time. In 2004 it was sold to Marc Caveng of Geneva, who performed mechanical maintenance before putting the car up for sale in 2005. It was acquired by John O’Quinn, who had the car restored by RM Auto Restorations. Following O’Quinn’s passing in 2009, it was acquired by the current owner in 2010. It’s being offered at no reserve, with an estimate of between €4.5m and €6.5m.
It’s not the only Talbot-Lago in the Broad Arrow Villa d’Este 2025 sale. A 1949 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Coupé, the sole surviving example of two Dubos Frères coupés built and one of 32 SWB T26 Grand Sport Chassis built, is being offered for sale. Formerly owned by racing driver (and later team owner and famed importer) Otto Zipper and in solitary ownership since 2010, it’s estimated at between €1.2m and €1.5m.
This 1955 Jaguar XK140 is the first of four cars bodied in period by Carrozzeria Ghia at the behest of Hans Altweg of Lyon, France. It was shown at the 1955 Paris Motor Show, crashed, repaired and then shown at the Cannes Concours d’Elegance in 1956. It had another minor accident in 1959 that meant it was restored to the current configuration courtesy of Ghia itself.
Its then owner, Jean-Louis Berthelot-Mariat of Lyon, wanted to take it rallying and hillclimbing – hence the dual Lucas fog lights and additional venting. In 1969 it was acquired by Jaguar historian Roland Urban, who upgraded the engine to a 3.8-litre unit with D-type cylinder head, Dunlop disc brakes and triple Weber carburettors. It was used and raced regularly until 1979, when it was placed into storage. The current owner acquired the car in 2021, and it’s estimated at between €200k and €300k.
If you’ve the taste for a project, there’s also a 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Touring in need of comprehensive restoration; that’s estimated at between €60k and €80k.
Finally, a bit of a personal favourite having driven one many moons ago – one of 66 Alpina RLEs. Though the BMW Z1 was a technical tour de force, the standard fitment 2.5-litre straight six didn’t do a great deal to excite the advanced Z-axle multi-link rear suspension.
Close BMW collaborators Alpina had just the solution – fit the 2.7-litre engine from its E30 3-Series conversion. This benefitted from Mahle cast pistons, revised camshafts, and a special ALPINA machined cylinder head; the extra 30 bhp it provided might not seem a great deal but the torque figure was much, much chunkier than standard and your writer can certainly attest this makes all the difference. This particular car was originally sold to Japan, where it received wheelarch extensions via Alpina’s official importer, Nicole. After two Japanese owners it came to the Netherlands in 2017; it’s estimated at between €120k and €140k.
Further details
For more information on the Broad Arrow Villa d’Este 2025 sale, head here.
