Last week, Knokke-le-Zoute was hosting the Zoute Grand Prix 2016. This event is similar to Spa Rétrofolies. However, it is a little more posh, allowing the visitors to enjoy rarer cars scattered between the beach, the seawall and the town centre.
The Zoute Grand Prix 2016 is split in three events:
- Zoute Rally: It’s a rally dedicated to cars built between 1930 and 1965. For two days, drivers could enjoy regularity races and nice rides.
- Zoute Concours d’élégance: Evenything is in the name.
- Zoute Sale by Bonhmans : Auctions in Knokke are on the rise. We will talk about that sale in another article.
Modern cars also have a dedicated rallye, the GT Tour, but it’s not our point, let’s focus on the classic cars.
The Zoute Rally
Last year, the Zoute Rally headed to Bruges, this year, the drivers could discover the area around Courtrai, including the Castle of Nokere. There, the drivers could enjoy a lakefront aperitif after a morning driving. On the Friday, they drove in plains that used to be battlefields during WWII.
The grid gathered astonishing cars once more. However the Porsche 356, Jaguar E-Type and Mercedes SL “Pagoda” made half of it. Fortunately, some manufacturers brought some of their most iconic cars, like BMW with a 328, that ran the Mille Miglia, or Audi, who brought Auto-Unions that ran Liege-Rome-Liege.
There was a lot of Italian cars as well. The more noticeable were a Lancia B24 Spyder America, several Ferrari 275 GTB and a couple of Maserati 3500 GT. Jochen Mass was driving one of the numerous Mercedes 300 SL there.
Zoute Concours d’élégance
The Sunday was dedicated to the Concours d’Elegance that took place in the Royal Zoute Golf. It was one of the main events of the Zoute Grand Prix 2016. From pre-war to 1975, the cars were just astonishing. It was also hosting both the Spider and Coupe versions of the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante designed by Touring in 2013.
The jury was more demanding than it was in previous years. The criteria were similar to Villa d’Este or Pebble Beach ones, ensuring a higher quality. Here are the results:
POST-WAR CLOSED 4 SEATER CLASS
Winner: 1955 – LANCIA AURELIA B12
COMPETITION CLASS
Winner: 1967 – PORSCHE 911 R
POST-WAR CLOSED 2 SEATER CLASS
Winner: 1954 – PEGASO Z102
POST-WAR CLOSED 2+2 SEATER CLASS
Winner: 1961 – ASTON MARTIN DB4 SERIES III ‘GT’ SPORTS SALOON
SPECIAL DISPLAY CLASS
Winner: 2016 – SUPERLEGGERA DISCO VOLANTE
SPECIAL AWARD BY THE JURY “COUP DE COEUR”
Winner: 1965 – OSCA 1600 GT COUPÉ
FERRARI 275 GTB – 365 GTB/4 CLASS
Winner: 1968 – FERRARI 365 GTB4 ‘DAYTONA’ PROTOTIPO
MOST ELEGANT OR SPECIAL INTERIOR
Winner: 1949 – LANCIA APRILIA FARINA CONVERTIBLE
OTTO VU CLASS
Winner: 1953 – FIAT 8V BERLINETTA RAPI
MOST SPECIAL & UNIQUE BODYWORK
Winner: 1938 – LANCIA ASTURA CABRIOLET 4TH SERIES
MOST EXCITING DESIGN
Winner:1972 – LAMBORGHINI MIURA SV
MOST ICONIC CAR
Winner: 1956 – MERCEDES 300 SL GULLWING
BEST PRESERVED CAR
Winner: 1925 – BUGATTI TYPE 35 GRAND PRIX TWO-SEATER
MOST SENSITIVE RESTORATION
Winner: 1953 – FIAT 8V SUPERSONIC
ENGINEERING AWARD
Winner: 1968 – TOYOTA 2000 GT
PROTOTYPE AWARD
Winner: 1952 – MERCEDES-BENZ 300SL PROTOTYPE ‘AIRBRAKE’
PRE-WAR CLASS
Winner: 1939 – TALBOT-LAGO T120 CABRIOLET
POST-WAR OPEN CLASS
Winner: 1961 – 1951 – ASTON MARTIN DB2 DHC
The Zoute Grand Prix 2016 is now a must-see in Belgium, like the Spa Six Hours, the Legend Boucles or Spa Classic. If you want to go next year, it will be from the 5th to the 8th of October 2017.
Thanks to Gaultier Vilour for his pictures, you can look at his photos on his Facebook page or on Instagram.