Your complete guide to the 2016 Villa D'Este show

Talk of rain threatening to wash out the proceedings cast a gloomy spell in the week leading up to this year's Concorso D'Eleganza, held at Villa D'Este. In the end, even the heavens appreciated that extravagant headwear and a multi-million pound roster of the world's finest classic - and prototype - automobilia deserved to bask in the sun.

And thus it was: this year's concours, held on the banks of Lake Como in Italy, was a sunshine-packed event showcasing that when the car world gets it right, boy, does it get it right.

What's a Concorso D'Eleganza? It dates way back to 1929, when the Automobile Club of Como and Villa D'Este joined forces to show off innovations in the car industry. It was, if you will, a sort of pre-war motor show. It continued right up until the late 1940s, went into hiding and re-emerged in the 1990s where it continues today. And today, well, it stands as a marker for showing off beautifully maintained and equisite machinery, each one almost painfully rare and cared for. Well, nearly all of them.

This year's theme was 'Back to the Future', and as such, we got a glimpse of a few concepts littering the glamorous lawn which we may or may not see in the future. We'll have more on that later this week on TopGear.com, so stay tuned. 

But for now, we would like to present all the cars from the show, which included stuff you've probably never heard of, stuff you've probably put up on your bedroom wall, and stuff that - if you owned it - would make your life infinitely more pleasurable.

So, ready your finest straw hats and ankle-bearing chinos, and step forth into the brave waters of the classic car world...

We start, as any good story should, with a bright red and rather immaculate Lancia Stratos. The current owner - a Mr Marco Magnani from Italy - bought this in the 1980s and converted it to rally spec in 2002. As such, it develops 240bhp.

Oh yes, an original A110. We all know the concept Alpine is a glimpse into the future, but this is where it all began. This one is an original car from the 1973 works team.

The very car with which Hannu Mikkola and Gunnar Palm won the '72 East African Safari Rally, and one that, to this day, still bears the scars of that race after 44 years. Magic.

Another rally winner, this little works car, now in the custory of Stefano Macaluso from Italy, was the very car Timo Makinen drove to victory in the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland.

This one has recently been treated to a full restoration at the Porsche plant, and remains in its original rally livery.

It's one of just two AH works racing cars that have never been significantly modified... from just 24 cars ever built. It has seen action at the Alpine Rally, the Targo Florio and the 1000 miles at Brands Hatch.

Want to channel your inner Outrun fantasies? Let us present to you Ronald Stern's UK-based Testarossa. Ferrari commissioned this open-top version specifically from Pininfarina, and the first owner? None other than Gianni Agnelli; at the time it would represent his 20th anniversary at the Fiat Group.

Special thing, no? Sure, it's not a traditionally-styled Aston, but who cares: this is one of just four prototypes that remains in its original, unmodified specification. Which means 432bhp from a 5.3-litre V8. 

This is the only Camargue (of 531 made) to have been fitted with a sliding roof, and from 1982 to 2013, it remained in the hands of its original owner. Now resides in Germany. Still lovely.

It's the Turin Motor Show concept car, replete with a 3.0-litre V8 and 260bhp, and all the 1980s styling Marc Deschamps (who succeeded Gandini as Bertone's chief scribe) could muster. Named after a sun god, and thus, you will see there is no roof.

Bedroom walls were filled with Countachs in the 1970s (we suspect, anyway). And this one's a special one: built in honour of F1 driver Walter Wolf, it came - as he so desired - with those special gold wheels, flared arches and a socking great rear wing. Just three 'WW' Countachs were built. This one, part of the Jota Collection, has a home in Italy.

We've already told you about this one, because it's the first car to have been restored by Lamborghini's 'Polo Storico' department. And it's an absolute stunner. This very car was the SV (which means 385bhp from a 3.9-litre V12) that graced the Bertone stand at the '71 Geneva Motor Show. And why restore this car, this year? Because 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the Miura.

Just 11 pre-production units of these 1.9-litre, four-cylinder GTs were built - complete with plastic bodies, before Bizzarrini filed for bankruptcy. Rare, then.

The first time Aston and Zagato worked together on a car, and this - one of 19 DB4 Zagatos built between 1960 and 1963 - features the bumpers and alloy 'embellishments' of just a handful of those.

This one's seen quite a few locales across the globe: from Italy it went to Paris, then to California, then Hawaii, then onto Canada and, after more hustling around, finally settled in Belgium.

This one was styled by Vignale, and comes equipped with an aluminium, 2.0-litre V6, and is one of just 98 B52 chassis built.

This particular 250 has lived its entire life in the US, and is one of 21 Europas featuring the 200bhp 3.0-litre V12.

A what, you might cry? This Pegaso, a Spanish sports car, was the work of former Alfa engine designer Wilfredo Ricart. It came with a 2.8-litre V8, and this one is only the second Pegaso prototype.

You will never guess who owned this BB. Nope. Nope. No, not even close. It was...

...none other than Clint Eastwood. Yep, Dirty Harry himself. He got it in 1977, and at the start of the '80s, had it converted to a targa-like Spider with a removable roof. He is tall, after all. He sold it in 1985 though, and it went through a few owners in the US and Japan before settling for a life in Thailand.

Another Ferrari with Hollywood provenance. This was formerly the property of one Steve McQueen, who ordered it new in 1967. It was supplied in metallic brown, and McQueen did the honourable thing and immediately had it painted red. He then sold it onto Guy Williams, and the car would later be transformed into a Spider, only to be transformed back into a coupe by Vern Schuppan. Oh, he only won Le Mans in 1983. It's now settled in the UK.

The star of La Dolce Vita himself, Marcello Mastroianni, was the first owner of this 300bhp, 4.0-litre V12 Ferrari. And in a stable of cars including Lancias and Triumphs, we're told this black 330 was his favourite. All the better to whisk away his (many) female companions, apparently...

It's been in the same ownership since 1972, and is one of just 117 built using original Ghia bodies and mechanical bits shipped from Italy.

Another one with a name from the silver screen on its V5. None other than Clark Gable used to own this exquisite XK, and he had it delivered to him on the set of Never Let Me Go in 1952. He even drove it down to Switzerland to have it serviced (while he went on to enjoy a holiday at the Grand Hotel Villa D'Este with his girlfriend).

This one, whisper it, has actually raced around the Nürburgring. Five times, in fact. In 2010, it was fully restored and now lives in Greece.

Coachwork by Barchetta and Fantuzzi, a 190bhp 2.0-litre straight-four, this 200 SI remains in original condition.

Just in case the Porsche's cabin needed downforce, here's Swiss-engineer Michael May's contribution to the world of aero. Yup, an adjustable spoiler. Inside. Apparently, his lap times during the 1956 1000km race at the Nürburgring "generated protests from the competition". It was fully restored, wing and all, in 2015, and now lives in Italy. Just mind your head when you get in...

It's raced in the Mille Miglia, and took victory in the 2.0-litre class in 1957. Body by Zagato (of course), and replete with a 2.0-litre V8.

Only 14 225 S Vignale Spiders were built, each with a 2.7-litre V12 producing 210bhp. 

When the current owner found this C-Type in 1997, it was dismantled and in a barn. He then commissioned a replica of the aluminium body, and fully restored it. 

Aww, a little rear-engined Fiat with a 903cc motor. Bless.

Another Zagato (the profile is unmistakable), this car was the SZ Coda Tronca prototype. Just 30 of those were ever built. A 1.3-litre four-pot sits inside. Outside, it remains a little, um, original...

The only 'roadworthy' AC in existence (one was destroyed in an accident in 1965, the other in need of a thorough restoration in Germany).

It's got a 190bhp 2.0-litre, straight-six Formula 2 engine, and is one of only four ever built.

Supersonic. So named because it came a short while after Chuck Yeager broke through the sound barrier for the first time (1947). 

This one had a Chevy V8 to start with, then made way for a 2.0-litre Otto Vu unit, only then to be replaced by a Ford V8 in the '90s. Then, the current owner changed the engine again while restoring it, installing... another Chevy V8.

Lovely, isn't it? It's the property of Mr Anthony Bamford, and it has a 6.2-litre V8 underneath that Pininfarina body.

Hartmut Ibing from Germany wanted to find the car his father used to own, but that had sadly disappeared. So he settled for one just like it - the one above. A 6.3-litre Chrysler V8 lies beneath, complete with a manual gearbox.

We're told there's never been a Bentley S2 Conti with a V8 and 'fastback' design like this one. So it's a bit special. This or a Bentayga?

Rollers just have the coolest names, don't they? The two-seater, retractable soft-top model was given the unofficial name of 'Honeymoon Express'. It was Freestone & Webb's coachwork, that housed a 4.9-litre straight six underneath.

You have to feel a bit sorry for the 503, because it was revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1955 alongside BMW's gorgeous 507 roadster. Still, it was the most expensive German car of its time, and this is one of the first of 273 models built.

Just 17 of these were built, and this one was supplied to His Majesty Sultan Mohammed Shah, Aga Khan III in 1952. It later went through a few RR collectors, before settling in its current home in the hands of Romanian tennis player Ion Tiriac.

Just three 6C 2500s were built, and this, delivered new to Sweden in 1946, was one of them. Now lives in Italy.

Yep, a proper Bugatti, this one delivered first as a 57 S in 1937. It returned to the factory just three years later to have a supercharger fitted. Today, it lives in Greece. Gorgeous. Notice too how the new Chiron's design cues pay homage to that curved cabin.

In 1935, this Lancia took to the start line of the Pescara 24-hour race, and just five weeks later was presented at Villa D'Este for the first time.

'Bergmeister'. It means 'mountain champion', and gives you some indication as to what it was intended for.

A pre-war Aston! During its long life, it's had a variety of engines, including a 3.0-litre Sunbeam and a Rover 200 four-pot. Fully restored last year, it now lives in Switzerland.

It was given a mechanical overhaul in 2002, and fully restored in Germany since. Underneath that Pininfarina bodywork lies a 3.0-litre V8.

Since 1937, this Bentley soft-top has never been restored. And it lives in the UK.

The first of only two Squire cars with a long chassis, it features a supercharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine. Just seven Squires were built in total, and only six survive to this day.

We're told the first owner was a Mr Nubar Gulbenkian, an Armenian business magnate. It now resides in the UK under the auspices of Michel Doret.

Who knew Alfas ever looked like this? The RL arrived in 1921, and this was the one to debut the 'Normale' version. Only a few were exported, this one first to Spain in 1925. Now lives in Germany.

The name says it all - underneath this Delage sat a 4.5-litre straight six. And just think - it's nearly 100 years old...

That's all for the historic lot - we'll have a little round-up of the concepts on offer, and stay tuned for more later this week.