At this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, FIVA was invited to present the “Trofeo FIVA” to the best-preserved pre-War car. The car chosen by the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens was the remarkable 1927 Hispano-Suiza T49 ‘Weymann’ Sport Saloon by H.J. Mulliner, owned by Marco Gastaldi (above, Petra Sagnak photo courtesy of the BMW Group).
“The ‘Trofeo FIVA’ at Villa d’Este is the latest in FIVA’s on-going series of awards presented to the best-preserved cars at the world’s top historic car events,” said Patrick Rollet, President of FIVA. “Not only were we impressed by the beautiful patina of this unmolested and original Hispano-Suiza, but we greatly appreciate owner Marco Gastaldi’s ‘mission’ to share the enjoyment of his car with enthusiasts around the world. Until recently the car had never ventured outside the UK, but Mr. Gastaldi decided to take his beautiful Hispano first to America for Pebble Beach, then to the Middle East and on to Villa d’Este. Happily, he tells us that as a result of winning FIVA’s preservation award, he feels even more inspired to continue with the car’s ‘world tour.’”
Rarely are cars of the quality of this “time warp” Hispano-Suiza discovered unmolested, and it’s doubtful that any of the other surviving T49s, believed to number a dozen or so, are as original as 7874. Initially purchased by Gallipoli hero Colonel Guy Geddes from Albemarle Motors, London in 1927, upon his death in 1958 it passed to Mike Slay, who shortly placed it in storage. Its next owner, Clive Sherriff, needed a few months to get it running again, although much of the car was found to be in remarkably good order. The car’s current owner, Mr. Gastaldi, has continued with the meticulous maintenance, as evidenced by this award. For complete information about this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este please visit http://concorsodeleganzavilladeste.com
