October 20, 2026: A Dallara Stradale won Best of Show, while the Villa La Massa’s Choice award went to a Ferrari F80 Tailor Made. Autumn colours, the unique atmosphere of the Tuscan countryside and outstanding hospitality provided the scenic backdrop to the fourth edition of Villa La Massa Excellence. From Friday, 43 cars passed through the gates of Villa La Massa, the five-star hotel nestled on the banks of the Arno on the outskirts of Florence, to take part in a concours d’elegance that is unique and out of the ordinary. On the lawns of the Renaissance garden, hypercars, few-offs, tailor-made models, restomods and racing cars gathered together: a spectacle on four wheels designed for enthusiasts and connoisseurs of design, style, technology and history alike.
Villa La Massa Excellence was conceived and created by Villa La Massa, a hotel that is part of Villa d’Este La Collezione and The Leading Hotels of the World, in collaboration with Canossa, a leading company in the organisation of high-end automotive events and experiences. It has decidedly made rapid progress, becoming in just four editions an unmissable event for all enthusiasts. The spirit of the early editions of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este – which, founded in 1929, brought together the best of contemporary motoring – lives again on the banks of the Arno, celebrating the most beautiful supercars of our time. And this edition’s record number of entries, participants and spectators confirms the soundness of the project.
This year’s Coppa d’Oro Villa La Massa, the name of the Best of Show award that pays tribute to the legendary Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este, went to a 2025 Dallara Stradale. The trophy was presented by Carlotta Fontana, Member of the Board of Villa d’Este S.p.A., during the gala dinner at Palazzo Portinari Salviati, in the heart of Florence.
The citation from the special jury – made up of experts from the worlds of motoring, fashion, style and design, and chaired by Massimo Delbò, automotive historian and editorial director of Cavallino Magazine – read: “There are few car makers whose history and policy are built on continuous innovation: Dallara is certainly one of them. After many decades spent designing racing cars, Ing. Dallara gave himself his first road car for his 80th birthday, which could only be called ‘Stradale’. A concentration of technology and technical solutions that makes this car a racing car homologated for road use. The Stradale is built to custom order, with a huge number of specifications, so that no two cars in circulation are the same.”
The Villa La Massa’s Choice award, presented directly by the organisers of the concours, went instead to a Ferrari F80 fully customised by Ferrari’s Tailor Made department.
The classes
The Innovation class was won by the Dallara Stradale ahead of the Ferrari Daytona SP3, which also took the People’s Choice award, voted for by the public at Villa La Massa. Third place went to the 2002 Bentley Continental R by Mulliner.
The Evolution class was won by the 2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano. And not just any 599 GTB: this is the very model unveiled to the world at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show, and it was also Luca Cordero di Montezemolo’s personal car from 2006 to 2009. Second place went to a 2017 F12tdf, while a 2019 Bentley Continental GT Number 9 Edition by Mulliner took third place on the podium. The latter also won the “Highest Mileage” award, given to the car with the most kilometres on the clock among those in the competition.
Two new classes were created this year, further raising the prestige of the concours: Racing Heritage and Restomod.The former was won by the Porsche 959 Evo Dakar, a one-off that took part in the 2026 Dakar Rally, ahead of the Porsche 911 Carrera RS Club Sport (993) and the Maserati MC12. The Restomod podium has a distinctly Modenese flavour, with first place going to the Touring Superleggera Sciàdipersia Cabriolet, a reinterpretation of the Shah of Persia’s Maserati 5000 GT, and third to the Ares Panther ProgettoUno, which evokes the De Tomaso Pantera: two icons made in Modena, brought up to date for the modern age. In between came a very special project from Jeremy Clarkson, which made its world premiere on the lawn at Villa La Massa. The popular TV personality has literally “grown” a car. Frustrated by modern motoring’s endless beeps, bongs and nanny-state technology, Jeremy decided to restore a Jaguar F-Type V6S, with the help of the legendary Ian Callum, the man who penned the original F-Type. But this was no ordinary restoration job: alongside his very own Diddly leather interior and wool carpets, Jeremy grew a crop of flax fibre and turned it into a revolutionary composite, a sustainable alternative to carbon fibre that is already catching the attention of major car marques. The show “Jeremy Grows A Car” will be dedicated entirely to Jeremy’s bespoke one-off.
Other special awards went to the Spyker C8 for the longest ownership by its current owner and to the Maserati 3200 GT Assetto Corsa for having travelled the furthest. Finally, the Ferrari F8 Tributo won the Children’s Choice, a must-have at Villa La Massa Excellence, for its ability to fire the imagination of the children’s jury.
Another must of the event is the Sunday tour, which this year was all about hairpin bends: first those of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, then those of the Mugello circuit. The roar of the supercars was the perfect soundtrack for the closing credits of this fourth edition.
“Villa La Massa Excellence was born from a simple idea: to bring together the passion for cars and the art of hospitality, and this weekend has been the finest confirmation of that. From the welcome at the villa to the concours in our gardens, and on to the bends of the Apennines and the Mugello track, every moment was designed to offer, besides extraordinary cars to admire, the pleasure of getting together and sharing a passion in a place where you can feel at home. Here, on the outskirts of Florence, on the banks of the Arno, the link between Villa d’Este and the world of motoring, which has lasted for almost a century, finds a new expression. Now in its fourth edition, the enthusiasm with which the event has been welcomed by enthusiasts and collectors confirms that it has a clear identity and can grow even further, while remaining true to what has always set us apart: authentic hospitality, attended to in every detail,”said Davide Bertilaccio, Chief Executive Officer of Villa d’Este S.p.A.
“This year we really outdid ourselves,” commented Luigi Orlandini, Chairman and CEO of Canossa Events, “just as supercars do every time they are launched. We have created a line-up that few can match anywhere in the world, bringing together many of the cars of the last 35 years that fuelled all our dreams each time they were unveiled. Together with Villa d’Este, we are proud of what we have achieved this year and aware that we have created a concours that is already a benchmark and will become even more so. Thank you to all the collectors who rose to this challenge, creating a veritable museum of contemporary art. Finally, a special thank to Jeremy Clarkson for choosing us to present his latest creation: it was a true honour to have him among the participants.”
Villa La Massa Excellence 2026 was made possible with the kind support of Samocar – Official Ferrari Dealer, Panerai, The Italian Chocolate, Il Borgo, Sartoria Vanni, Policar and RM Sotheby’s.
AWARDS AND WINNERS
Evolution class
- First place: 2006 – Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
- Second place: 2017 – Ferrari F12tdf
- Third place: 2019 – Bentley Continental GT Number 9 Edition by Mulliner
Innovation class
- First place: 2025 – Dallara Stradale
- Second place: 2024 – Ferrari Daytona SP3
- Third place: 2002 – Bentley Continental R Mulliner
Restomod class
- First place: 2020 – Touring Superleggera Sciàdipersia Cabriolet
- Second place: 2013 – Jaguar F-Type
- Third place: 2018 – ARES Panther ProgettoUno
Racing Heritage class
- First place: 1989 – Porsche 959 “Evo Dakar”
- Second place: 1995 – Porsche 911 Carrera RS Club Sport (993)
- Third place: 2006 – Maserati MC12
Best of Show – Villa La Massa Coppa d’Oro: 2025 – Dallara Stradale
Special awards
- Longest Ownership: 2006 – Spyker C8
- Highest Mileage: 2019 – Bentley Continental GT Number 9 Edition by Mulliner
- Longest Drive: 2001 – Maserati 3200 GT “Assetto Corsa”
- Villa La Massa’s Choice: 2026 – Ferrari F80
- People’s Choice: 2024 – Ferrari Daytona SP3
- Children’s Choice: 2021 – Ferrari F8 Tributo
