Italian mansions and rare automobiles are a wonderful combination, as the inaugural Fuori Concorso proved back in May on the estate of Villa del Grumello on Lake Como, where the bespoke Bentley Continentals of the 1990s were celebrated. Now, the head of the iconic Italian fashion brand Larusmiani and founder of the event Guglielmo Miani has announced a Fuori Concorso ‘pop-up’ event on the occasion of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, which will focus on the history of Formula 1 and its heroes. The cocktail and dinner party will take place on the Saturday evening prior to the race in the garden of Villa Necchi Campiglio, a key building of Milan’s Novecento era and arguably the city’s most elegant address.

Five Formula 1 cars with special histories will star at the Fuori Concorso Monza. Especially mythical is the McLaren-Honda MP4/4 which won 15 of 16 races in the 1988 season and helped Ayrton Senna clinch victory in the Drivers’ World Championship. With a win rate of 93.8 percent, no other Formula 1 car has ever been so successful over the course of a single season. Also on display will be a Ferrari 312, which was piloted by Gilles Villeneuve in 1979, and a 1977 Ensign, both from the Kessel Racing collection, a 2008 Torro Rosso and the Alfa Romeo P3 in which Tazio Nuvolari won the 1932 Italian Grand Prix. 

With entrance granted only by personal invitation, the Fuori Concorso Monza will be one of the year’s most exclusive events. But that doesn’t mean you have to miss the spectacle – as the official media partner, Classic Driver will be reporting live on Saturday night from the garden of Villa Necchio Campiglio. All you need to do is follow us on Instagram or come back here on Sunday to see all the highlights.  

Another veritable Formula 1 legend, the 1951 Alfa Romeo Tipo 159 ‘Alfetta’ made famous by Juan Manuel Fangio, will be displayed in Larusmiani’s shop window from 3 September 2019. 

Fotos: FAI / Getty Images / FCA Heritage