For a city with such a rich history, the capital of a country that has produced the world’s most beautiful cars and greatest racers, you’d think Rome would have had more concours. But last weekend’s inaugural Anantara Concorso Roma was the first in the Eternal City since 1960. It was worth the wait.A total of 70 cars, all of them Italian, naturally, gathered April 16-19 for three days of celebration of Italian automotive elegance and sport. First was the Giro Anantara, or Lap of the Anantara. The latter is the name of the luxury hotel chain that sponsored the event and on which grounds the Concorso was held. That was followed by two days of Concorso. Why do just one day?The winner presented Sunday was the gorgeous green V16-powered 1932 Maserati V4 Sport Zagato you see pictured above, the engine of which once held the land speed record at 153 mph. It was the crown jewel of a splendid field of great cars. 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C Spider Touring...on the Giro d’Antanara.1968 5300 Bizarrini GT...on the Giro d’Antanara.ACR 1932 Maserati V4 Sport ZagatoACR 1932 Maserati V4 Sport ZagatoAccording to Concorso organizers, the car was first purchased by a wealthy physician in Rome. It returned 94 years later to win the Best in Show.The V4 is an extremely rare and interesting example of experimental Italian automotive engineering in the 1930s, combining two two-liter Tipo 26 engines in a single crankcase to create a 16-cylinder behemoth. This unique engine enabled the model to beat the world speed record in 1929, setting an astonishing new benchmark of 246 km/h, or almost 153 mph.Only two Maserati V4 Sport Zagato were produced, with this example being the second. In 1934, it was rebodied by Zagato as a roadster with a unique two-tone green paint scheme. It was sold to Dutchman Erik Verkade, who dismantled the car shortly after the German invasion, hiding the V16 engine in his bedroom for five years. It was sold to a collector in the UK in the late 1940s, where it remained until the 1990s, when it was bought and restored by its current owner. Class I featured pre-war Zagatos, including a 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Sport Zagato and the show-winning green 1932 Maserati V4 Sport Zagato. A car cover company was one of the sponsors.Villa Aldobrandini was one stop on the Giro Anantara.Class V included this 1972 Miura SV.Ferrari interior.A trio of Ferraris.The Giro d’Antanara1959 Maserati 5300 GT Vignale Spider prototipo1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Cabriolet1965 Ferrari 275 GTBClass IX – Le berlinette Ferrari di Pininfarina1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Berlinetta Pinin FarinaWinner of Class IV — Le Coupé del primo dopoguerra 1955 Lancia Aurelia B24 Spider Pinin FarinaWinner of Class VI — Le aperte del dopoguer1935 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Gran Turismo Pescara Spider TouringWinner of Class III — Le Alfa 6C 23001951 Ferrari 340 America Barchetta TouringWinner of Class V — Le barchette Ferrari 1955 Ferrari 375 MM Coupé Speciale GhiaWinner of Class VII — Le prime granturismo di Modena 1968 Lamborghini P400 MiuraWinner of Class XIV — Le granturismo sportive degli Anni Settanta 1962 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ “coda tronca”Winner of Class VIII — Vestite leggere da Zagato 1993 Bugatti EB 110 GTWinner of Class XV — Le sportive degli Anni Ottanta e Novanta1959 Maserati 3500 GT Vignale Spider “prototipo”Winner of Class X — Le spyder di Viale Ciro Menotti1965 Ferrari 500 SuperfastWinner of Class XIII — Le eleganti Ferrari di Pininfarina 1966 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2Winner of Class VIII — Vestite leggere da Zagato 1986 Ferrari Testarossa SpiderWinner of Class XI — Le spider di Maranello Class I — Le Zagato anteguerra, won by Lawrence Auriana for his gorgeous 1932 Maserati V4 Sport ZagatoSignore Auriana accepts the winner’s laurels.The judgesThe action at Casina Valadier