Centennial car from Brazilian museum wins prestigious award for automotive elegance in the United States

A 1925 Isotta Fraschini belonging to the Carde museum, in Campos do Jordão (SP), finished second in its class at the 75th edition of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the most prestigious automotive elegance contest in the world, held on Sunday in California. The result was confirmed in the official list of winners released by the organization.

Carde’s car, a museum maintained by the Lia Maria Aguiar Foundation, competed in the J-2 Class, reserved for European cars built before World War II, with a body made by independent bodybuilders and engines above 4,000 cm³. It was second only to the Delahaye 165 Figoni et Falaschi Cabriolet 1938, from the Swiss Pearl Collection — which, in addition to winning the class, was one of the four finalists for the Best of Show, the main prize.

In this edition, the contest brought together 218 cars, including 33 international entries from 14 countries. The Best of Show went to the 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster that belonged to actor Clark Gable, presented by American collector Harry Yeaggy. It is one of only two examples built.

A wedding gift in 1920s Rio

The Brazilian example is a Type 8A Cabriolet d’Orsay, chassis 810, considered unique in the world in this exact configuration. The seven-seater body was signed by Carrozzeria Castagna, from Milan, and the engine is a 7.4-liter in-line eight-cylinder with 110 hp — numbers that, in the 1920s, placed the car among the most powerful in circulation.

The limousine has been in Brazil since the 1920s. It was imported by industrialist Henrique Lage as a gift for the Italian opera singer Gabriella Besanzoni, his wife, for whom he transformed the property that now houses Parque Lage, in Rio de Janeiro. “The result of a beautiful love story,” defined Luiz Goshima, director of Carde, before boarding for California.

Restored in the 1950s by Eduardo André Matarazzo, the car spent decades in the businessman’s private collection in Bebedouro (SP) before being part of the collection of the Jordanian museum. For this year’s competition, it underwent a new intervention, which included replacing the chrome with nickel plating and returning to the original gray paint.

Second consecutive year of award

It is the second time in a row that the museum returns from California with a trophy. In 2025, in the Brazilian debut at the event, Carde received the Lap of Luxury Award, a special award given to the most luxurious car in the contest, with another Isotta Fraschini: the Tipo 8A SS Cesare Sala Guida Interno Super Sport 1928. In the same week, a Ferrari F50 from the collection won the category dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the model.

To get to the 18th hole lawn of the Pebble Beach golf course, the cars go through a screening that analyzes more than a thousand entries a year.