Mantua Elegance Concours 2025
My Day at Villa Schiarino Lena with a Maserati 3500 GT Touring Superleggera
by [Your Name]
Among Italian elegance concours, the Mantua event stands out as one of the most refined. Credit goes to its setting — Villa Schiarino Lena, a Renaissance jewel on the outskirts of the city — and to its curated selection of vehicles, never too numerous yet always exceptional, ranging from 1911 to the 1990s. This year, on June 8th, 2025, I was privileged to be part of it, with my Maserati 3500 GT Touring Superleggera, ready to tell a story of style, engineering, and passion.
The awakening of the villa
Morning welcomed the participants with a soft, suspended light. At 8:30 a.m., the park began filling with arrivals: a succession of shapes, chrome, and details from eras in which the automobile was a cultural object before being a technological one.
My Maserati took its place among a diverse selection: 1930s Fiat sports cars, early-1900s American rarities, prestigious Lancias, and icons of Italian design.
The atmosphere was one of quiet enthusiasm, enriched by the aroma of coffee from the breakfast buffet and the first conversations among collectors. A warm human overture before the official start.
The judges at work
At 10:30 the jury — a team of designers, coachbuilders, automotive historians, and restoration specialists — began their evaluations. I watched them move with method: notebooks in hand, expert eyes, fingers tracing body lines and checking alignment.
When it was my 3500 GT’s turn, a small spontaneous crowd gathered — this model always draws attention. The Touring Superleggera has innate allure: harmonious proportions, lightweight construction, and a stylistic purity that synthesizes the best of 1950s Italy.
The judges’ questions were precise: ownership history, maintenance, condition of the interior, originality, correspondence of colors. The Maserati responded with effortless elegance.
Between culture and conviviality
Late in the morning, a conference offered a cultural interlude: discussions on engineering, restoration techniques, and industrial history. It transformed the concours into a true forum for exchange.
The aperitif and gala lunch that followed provided opportunities to speak with restorers, experts, and fellow collectors — all united by a shared passion for vintage motoring.
Conviviality is part of the experience: at the table, stories of cars become stories of people.
An afternoon of anticipation
From 3:00 p.m., judging resumed as the public filled the park. My Maserati attracted constant attention: some visitors recalled having seen one in their youth, others asked technical questions, and many simply admired it silently.
Such cars don’t just pass by — they remain.
The parade and applause
At 4:00 p.m. the parade onto the stage began. When I started the inline-six and the Maserati rolled forward, its deep, smooth voice made many heads turn. The announcer presented the car’s history, highlighting the Touring bodywork and the 3500 GT’s role as a symbol of Maserati’s post-war resurgence.
The short parade was an intense moment: the crowd, the applause, the light reflecting on the curved hood. A small, personal celebration.
The awards ceremony
At 5:00 p.m., the ceremony crowned the Mercedes 300 SL Roadster as the 2025 “Best of Show” — a choice that is hard to dispute given the quality of the example present. But beyond trophies, what remains is the satisfaction of being part of a day celebrating genuine automotive beauty, in a refined setting among true enthusiasts.
Driving away
When I left the villa in the late afternoon, the sun was dropping behind the trees and reflecting off the Maserati’s chrome. With the gentle hum of the engine and the scent of fresh grass entering through the windows, I felt as though I was closing a precious chapter.
The 2025 Mantua Elegance Concours will remain a special page in my journey as a collector —
a day in which my Maserati was not only a car, but emotion, story, identity.
