But remember, don’t drink and drive!
Story and photos by Hugues Vahnoolandt
Zoute Grand Prix, Belgium October 9-12 2014 Now in its 5th edition, the Zoute Grand Prix, held in Knokke-le-Zoute on the Belgian Coast, has become a key event of the classic car calendar and marks the last Concours d’Elégance of the year, at least in Europe.
Apart from the Zoute Concours, there is also the Zoute Rally for classic cars built between 1920 and 1965, and the Zoute GT Tour for recent supercars.
Together with an auction sale by Bonhams, all these events form the Zoute Grand Prix, attracting thousands of enthusiasts and simple spectators.
But let’s see now what was notable this year:
The Rally
Start of the 2nd leg of the Zoute Rally in the early morning. Rain and slippery roads are on the menu for this 1958 Lancia Aurelia B24S.
The 1963 Lancia Appia Sport Zagato faces the same weather.
If there was a prize for the most elegant car of the Rally, no doubt that the 1947 Cisitalia 202 SMM Nuvolari spider of this female Belgian team would be awarded.
Many ‘etceterinis’, small displacement Italian cars of the 50’s, are now owned by Belgian collectors who are not afraid to face the autumnal weather conditions with them, like the owner of this Giannini.
Only three Fiat Zagato 1100 E Abarth like this one are known to exist. One was in the Zoute Rally.
Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Spider in the Flemish lowland.
This Bugatti Type 57C has been rebodied following drawings from Gangloff, dating from 1935.
Finish line for the Zoute Rally and rewards for the brave crews.
End of the day and time to admire the simple but elegant lines of the Maserati Mexico by Vignale, on the waterfront of The Zoute.
The Concours
The 1936 Delage D6 70 Figoni ‘Le Mans’ awaits to be placed on the lawn, in the early morning. This body was reconstructed on an original Delage chassis in the same manner as Figoni & Falaschi’s period design.
One of the oldest entries in the Concours was the 1922 Bugatti Type 29/30 fitted with an 8 cylinder engine composed of two blocks of 4 cylinders and featuring three valves per cylinder. It is the earliest surviving two-seater Bugatti.
Commissioned for Tony Parravano of Inglewood, California, this Ferrari 340 America coupé by Ghia s/n 0150A took part in the 1952 Carrera Panamericana in Mexico where it finished 5th overall, driven by Jack McAfee.
Delivered new with a Vignale coupé body, this Ferrari 166 MM participated in rallies like the Tour de France or Liège-Rome-Liège with its Belgian owner. After a crash, the car was rebodied in spider form by Oblin of Brussels and continued its racing career until 1956.
It is believed that five or six Fiat Zagato 1100 Es were built. Of the three still in existence, two were in The Zoute, one in the rally (see above) and this one in the Concours, which is the 1954 Torino Motor Show car. The 3rd car is in California.
This 1950 Cisitalia-Abarth 204 is one of five examples believed to have been built. All five are still in existence. The 204 is notable by being the last ‘real’ Cisitalia, the first Abarth, and the car in which Nuvolari achieved his final victory.
At the end of the 40’s and in the early 50’s, the Fiat 1100 engine block was very popular among the Italian craftsmen. Another example is this Ermini 1100 Sport berlinetta Motto, raced between 1950 and 1956 including in the famous Mille Miglia.
The ‘Best Preserved car’ award went to this 1951 Lancia Aurelia B52 by Bertone. It is said to have only 3,500 kms from new!
This Maserati A6G 54 Spyder s/n 2181 went to coachbuilder Frua as a rolling chassis and then delivered in December 1956 to the Maserati representative for San Francisco.
This well preserved 1947 Delage D6 received the prize for the most original car. It has been driven at Pau, Spa and Le Mans by the star drivers of the era named Etancelin, Trintignant and Pozzi.
And finally, the Best in Show award went to the 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina cabriolet ‘Series 1’ s/n 0791 GT, the 14th car built on a production of 40 cars.