Seven great concepts revealed at Villa D'Este

It's safe to say the annual Villa d'Este concours show - or the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este to give it its full name - is a classic car show like no other.

The show itself was kick-started way back in 1929, held "in the heydey of aristocratic cars" right up until 1949, at which point it was shelved - the planned 1951 show never got off the ground. It wasn't until 1995 that the show enjoyed a revival, which has blossomed into the present day. It stands as a gathering place for the world's very finest classic, concours-spec motors.

But, fine as this is, it's the concept car reveals that really pique TG's interest. Because for a while now, Villa has previewed some outrageously excellent machinery, and this weekend promises no different. We've already seen the Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato - the fifth to emerge from Aston and Zagato's 50-year partnership - and expect to see much, much more, including stuff from BMW.

So to get you ready, here are seven of the finest concept reveals we've seen from the idyll of Lake Como. Ready your finest blazer, and step forth...

You can't have forgotten this one already. It's last year's outrageously excellent -BMW CSL tribute car. The original 3.0 CSL - better known as the ‘Batmobile’ - was an endurance racing legend, of which only 1265 were built between 1972 and 1975. 

This concept lifts bits from the original, and places them alongside i8 reference points. Just check out those wraparound front wings and the aero blades, plus carbon fibre side elements. BMW head of design Karim Habib said: “Some of the parallels are not immediately obvious. We wanted people to sense the family resemblance rather than see it straight off.”

Another 2015 debut, this time from Zagato, and the appropriately named 'Mostro'. It’s a track special that’s road-legal, and features a ‘MonoCell’ carbon fibre chassis coupled to steel tubing to accommodate the cabin and the subframe.

The bodywork is made entirely of carbon fibre, and up front - but behind the front axle - sits a dry-dumped, Maserati-sourced V8 engine. No power output is given, but we can assume it has at least 460bhp.

Built to celebrate Zagato's 95th anniversary, this 2014 concept - officially dubbed the Lamborghini 5-95 - reimagines the Gallardo into something collector Albert Spiess could put in his garage. Alongside his Alfa Romeo SZ, Aston V8 Zagato and V12 Zagato.

Mechanically the 5-95 is pure LP570-4, which means a 5.2-litre V10 producing 570bhp, 397lb ft of torque, permanent four-wheel-drive, a 0-62mph time of 3.4 seconds and 202mph top speed. The body shape? You decide whether it's cool or not, but there's no denying it's a striking thing.

Another BMW (they've been Villa hosts for years), and another Zagato (come on, it's Italy). Using the Z4 as a base, this concept gets the classic BMW face, while the contours of the bonnet sweep into the iconic Zagato double-bubble roof, right back to that familiar vertically-cut 'Kamm tail' rear end for which the company has become famous. We’re told it was formed from a single mould, complete with a rear bumper that feeds down into a large diffuser.

The whole thing sits on 19in wheels - with a “hint of propeller” that nods to both companies’ heritage - in light alloy construction. They’re finished in matt, complementing that exclusive Rosso Vivace paintwork. Inside, there’s dark grey leather, red decorative stitching, embroidered ‘z’ logos in the seats and even two bags - one for luggage, one for your hat.

When unveiled in 2011, it marked the 50th anniversary of the 1961 DB4 Zagato. Quite a lot riding on its shoulders, then, but there's quite a bit of shoulder. 

Based on an Aston Martin V12 Vantage, Zagato hand-finished the aluminium design flourishes and then grafted them together. The front wings alone are built in seven pieces.

Engine? A 6.0-litre V12, though untouched, so producing 510bhp and 420lb ft of torque. Don't forget, this Zagato raced at the Nürburgring too.

Words fail us. This, the TZ3, is simply gorgeous. A one-off, it features a dry-sumped 4.2-litre V8 - good for around 420bhp - weighs just 850kg, and is good for a 0-62mph time under 3.5 seconds. Top speed is in excess of 180mph. The power reaches the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential race box.

But forget the power for a second and just look at the thing. Drool.

Our final entry goes to another BMW, this one referencing the all-important M1 supercar from the 1970s (the car that practically invented the M Division). Built to celebrate the then 30th anniversary of the original M1, this concept sits wide and low and features four headlights that hide behind the front fascia. A clever nod to the original M1's pop-up headlights.

BMW, if you're listening: there's still time to build this...