Show Review: Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2013

Firmly among the top three classic car events in the world – arguably alongside UK's Goodwood Festival of Speed and USA's Pebble Beach – Italy's Villa d'Este is perhaps the most design-led of the three and took place again on the beautiful shores of Lake Como last weekend (24-26 May). Less is more at Villa d'Este, with only 49 classics up for the coveted ‘Best of show' prize and another seven modern concepts vying for a separate award. It's all about quality not quantity.

Driven: Ford Flex

When Ford unveiled the Fairlane concept in 2005, the company attempted to "rewrite the people mover story", according to Group Vice President of Design and Chief Creative Officer, J Mays. The Minivan, once the symbol of suburban America, had fallen out of favor - its dowdy, "soccer mom" image eschewed in exchange for upscale, aggressive SUVs. According to Mays, the idea with the Fairlane was to "move people emotionally as well as physically", something few minivans had done before.

Unbelievable SSC Ultimate Aero EV

Prius was an easy way out for celebs who didn’t want their ‘Public’ to think them flash Jacks, but they always had a Cayenne Turbo or a Lamborghini LP640 tucked away in the garage. But the rise of cars like the Tesla, despite its drawbacks, has pushed the maker of the world’s fastest production car, the Ultimate Aero SSC, to look at ways to keep their clientèle happy in these changing times. SSC must feel there is a danger their market may disappear if truly powerful and appealing cars appear that are perceived as green and start to take over the marketplace.