Preservation beats restoration at world-class concours

For the very first time, a ‘preserved’ car has won Best of Show at a world-class concours event – a moment of huge significance for the historic vehicle movement.

At last month’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2024, the coveted Trofeo BMW Group – overall award for Best of Show – went to the 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 by Figoni, owned by 27-year-old Belgian collector Thibault De Meester.

“The huge significance of this moment is that a car which has been largely preserved, rather than restored, took the highest accolade,” says Tiddo Bresters, President of FIVA (the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens or international federation of historic vehicles).

“It clearly highlights the trend towards preservation over restoration, a shift that FIVA has long championed. We are proud to say that FIVA has been a frontrunner in the battle for preservation and authenticity, having launched our FIVA ‘Best Preserved Vehicle’ award at Pebble Beach in 1999. Nor is the Villa d’Este result a one-off. In 2023, a Duesenberg SJ that was last restored more than 20 years ago won Best of Show at Villa d’Este, and now this perfectly preserved 1932 Alfa Romeo has confirmed that attitudes have changed.”

Bresters concludes: “Looking ‘brand new’ isn’t the point – the importance of a car is in its history; its authenticity; its place in our automotive heritage. It’s extremely encouraging to see this appreciation of a well-preserved car spreading through the highest echelons of the historic vehicle world, as well as through the bedrock of the classics owned, maintained and enjoyed by the millions of enthusiasts we represent around the globe.”

FIVA now looks forward with great interest to Pebble Beach 2024. Whether or not a ‘preserved’ vehicle takes the top prize there in August, FIVA – in partnership with the Hagerty Drivers Foundation – will again be presenting trophies during Monterey Week, at both The Quail Motorsports Gathering and Pebble Beach, awards that have been renamed ‘in honour of Dr Frederick Simeone’, the preservation award judge and automotive historian who passed away in 2022.