The exclusive edition 2022 promises to be full of exciting innovations. The Covid has forcibly put the event on hold, but not the organisation. During these two years, it has not only not stopped.
Still, it has even developed novelties beyond all expectations: prizes explicitly created for the event and in limited edition, a first-rate jury composed of names from the international scene, to a programme that promises to excite both professional drivers and amateurs. A particular focus will also be a marked enhancement of the City of Lugano and its territory, thanks to the valuable support of Lugano Region and the City of Lugano.
The leading promoters of this festive day have generously cooperated with the sponsors and the organisers to show the most beautiful side of Lugano to all competitors, guests, and visitors.
Saturday 30 April 2022 – 2nd edition of “Lugano Elegance”
10:00-11:00 Cars Presentation in Piazza Riforma, Lugano
11:00-16:00 Vintage motorboats exhibition, themed Exhibition at Imago Art Gallery
15:00 Announcement of category winners and Best of Show
19:00 Charity dinner with winning cars award ceremony and Bonhams Auction.
Sunday 1 May 2022 – 8th “Lions in Classic” regularity rally
09:00 Start, Splash & Spa Tamaro, Rivera
12:00 Arrival and car show, Hotel Coronado, Mendrisio
15:00 Award ceremony
This edition will be full of novelties: from the prizes to the programme. The winner of the Concours d’Elegance City of Lugano will be awarded two particularly exclusive prizes: as sponsor prize, the 88 Rallymaster Hamilton Black No. 5 chronograph, produced in a limited series by the Lonville Watch Company, a high-end watchmaking company based in Lugano.
As a competition prize, the trophy specially created by Marco Pagot (the hand that drew the famous cartoon characters Calimero) and produced in collaboration with LAB3D of the Palo Alto Group thanks to their sophisticated printers. In addition, exceptionally, all participants will have the opportunity to use The Motor Chain platform free of charge and “The best-documented car in the show” will win the prize dedicated to the competition.
As far as the programme is concerned, this year the opening of the event will take place on Friday evening, 29 April, directly in the pedestrian heart of Lugano (Via Nassa,) thanks to the vernissage (Invited Only) that Imago Art Gallery has purposely conceived and organised for the occasion.
On Saturday, the atmosphere in the heart of Lugano promises to be truly memorable: Lugano Elegance will be staged in conjunction with the first and only “warm-up” of the Mille Miglia in Switzerland.
The centre of the event will be the pedestrian area, the lakeside promenade of Lugano, and the lake itself with a splendid selection of vintage boats. This edition will also see the introduction of a new and significant moment, given the charitable nature of the event: on Saturday, 30 April, the first charity dinner will be held, with the awarding of the category-winning cars and a mini-auction of automobilia, precious objects and art, organised for the occasion by Bonhams. There is also a special mobile app to keep up to date with these and other news, which can be downloaded at app.lionsinclassic.ch
Lions in Classic was born in 2013 as a regularity rally for vintage cars, on the initiative of the Monteceneri Lions Club and under the motto launched by Claudio Mosconi: “Let’s do good by having fun”. Main driver: to combine the passion for beautiful cars with the will to help others concretely. The entry fee for the rally goes entirely to charity. For this reason, each participant receives a certificate of donation equal to the entire payment made. In 2019 the rally reached a turning point with the birth of Lugano Elegance.
The Concours d’Elegance of the City of Lugano brings a presence that is as much local as it is strongly international: what was previously a judgement in a car park to frame the regularity race, in 2019, becomes an event in its own right, promoted to enhance the vehicles of the participants and at the same time give support to the business of Via Nassa and therefore to the City of Lugano – hence also the choice to organise the Concours d’Elegance on Saturday.
What differentiates this event from other classic and historic car rallies is, first and foremost, the genuine focus on the Ticino region: with a different route every year, it places the rediscovery and enhancement of the local territory at the heart of the rally. Moreover, while vintage cars are often associated with a concept of luxury and exclusivity, this rally aims to create an inclusive experience involving enthusiasts and others: hence, for example, the creation of a soft regularity race, with games of skill to involve not only passionate drivers but also their families. In collaboration with Telethon, it also offers their children the chance to experience the thrill of the route onboard a vintage car.
Or even those who do not compete can exhibit their jewel: those who wish to attend Lugano Elegance by arriving onboard their vintage car have the opportunity, depending on availability, to show their car in Piazza Luini. There would be no numbers without the genuine passion and motivation of all the friends, institutions, organisations and sponsors who are personally committed to the ever-increasing success of the event.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone from the organising committee! Over the years, the event has collected and distributed more than 120,000 Swiss francs to charities and research organisations operating in Switzerland and abroad. The Lions in Classic regularity rally kicked off with a participation of 30 cars in 2013, to count more than 90 cars in 2019.
For the first edition of Lugano Elegance in 2019, 33 participating cars were registered. This year, with its second edition, it will already reach 50 cars, 10 classes and 10 first-class judges active in the world’s major “Concours d’Elegance”. Let’s keep the passion alive!
Enjoy even more @ Lions in Classic
Article edit by Massimo Basile
Editorial Manager