The 2026 Broad Arrow Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este Auction delivered a spectacular performance over two days in Italy, achieving total sales of €40.8 million and an impressive sell-through rate of 87 percent. Held at the historic Villa Erba from 16 to 17 May, the auction once again cemented itself as one of the crown jewels of the global collector car calendar, where multimillion-euro Ferraris, legendary supercars and eccentric Italian rarities shared the spotlight under the chandeliers of Lake Como.
As the official auction partner of BMW AG for the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, Broad Arrow Auctions drew registered bidders from 31 countries, with bidder registrations climbing more than 70 percent compared to the 2025 event. More than 12,000 viewers also tuned in live via the company’s YouTube stream, turning the sale into a global theatre of horsepower, chrome and escalating paddles.
Ferrari emerged as the undisputed star of the auction. Leading the charge was a striking 2023 Ferrari Daytona SP3 finished in Rosso Magma Tri-Coat with a Blu Elettrico Alcantara interior. Showing just 743 kilometres, the hypercar sold for a staggering €6.250.000, making it the top result of the entire event.
Another Prancing Horse icon, the legendary 1990 Ferrari F40, achieved €2.931.250, while a beautifully presented 1968 Ferrari 330 GTS sparked one of the fiercest bidding battles of the weekend before finally selling for €1.918.750. Even newer Ferrari machinery proved irresistible to collectors, with a 2023 Ferrari 812 Competizione changing hands for €1.412.500.
Lamborghini also enjoyed a strong showing as collectors chased both modern and classic Sant’Agata icons. A 2022 Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 sold for €1.581.250, while a six-speed manual 2009 Lamborghini Murciélago LP640-4 Coupé achieved €805.000. Meanwhile, the unmistakably wedge-shaped 1990 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversario crossed the block for €523.750, proving that analogue-era supercars still possess gravitational pull strong enough to bend collector wallets into strange geometric shapes.
Modern hypercars also drew major attention. A 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach Package reached €2.256.250, while the ever-desirable 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Coupé secured €1.637.500. One of the more distinctive highlights came in the form of a 1968 Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada, which sold immediately after crossing the block for €820.000.
Japanese performance icons also carved out their own corner of the spotlight. The “Ultimate R34 Skyline GT-R Collection”, consisting of five examples of Nissan’s legendary performance coupe, achieved a combined €1.517.000. Alongside them, a rare Honda NSX Type S found a new owner for €207.000, reminding collectors that Japanese performance cars have fully graduated from cult status into blue-chip territory.
Some of the most entertaining moments of the auction came not from seven-figure Ferraris, but from delightfully eccentric Italian machinery. A charming 1963 Fiat 600 Torpedo Marina by Vignale sold for €281.750, while a quirky 1977 Fiat Bertone 850 T Visitors Bus ignited laughter, applause and an intense bidding war before finally selling well above estimate at €189.750. Somewhere in Europe, a collector now owns what may be the world’s most glamorous people carrier. School runs may never recover.
Joe Twyman, Vice President of Sales for the EMEA region at Broad Arrow Auctions, said the event demonstrated both the strength of the collector market and the enduring appeal of Villa d’Este as a gathering point for enthusiasts and investors alike. He noted that the diverse catalogue was specifically curated to attract international collectors, a strategy that clearly paid off as demand surged throughout the weekend.
Karsten Le Blanc, Senior Vice President and Head of EMEA Region and Broad Arrow Capital, added that the passion and enthusiasm shown by bidders helped create a truly memorable event worthy of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este’s global prestige.
Attention now shifts to the company’s next major event as Broad Arrow prepares to make its debut as the official auction partner of The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering during Monterey Car Week in August. Additional European auctions are also planned later in the year, including the Zoute Concours Auction in October and the Zürich Auction in November.
For the collectors leaving Villa Erba, however, the soundtrack of the weekend will linger a little longer: auctioneer hammers cracking like thunder, V12 fantasies echoing through the rotunda and the faint scent of heated brake pads and old money drifting across Lake Como like expensive perfume.
