One of the motoring world’s best-kept secrets

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The Zoute Grand Prix held at the chic, affluent Belgian coastal resort of Knokke Le Zoute is one of the motoring world’s best-kept secrets. The 9th Edition held on 4 – 7 October, however, drew an amazing crowd of nearly a quarter of a million spectators to the elegant seaside resort which is normally home to just 30,000 inhabitants.

And what was it that these Belgian, Dutch and French spectators had come to experience. Well certainly not a Grand Prix in the normal motoring sense, despite the fact that according to the informed, former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone did try to put the mockers on the name when he first heard about it. This Grand Prix is an amazing amalgam combining a Rally for classic cars pre-1965; a GT Tour for modern super and hypercars; a Flying Mile and a GT Sprint; an auction; a display of 15 ‘Top Marques’ including the latest releases from Mercedes-Benz et al; cocktail parties and gala dinners; and my prime rationale for being there, a Concours d’Elegance, for which I was a Jury member.

Held on the fairways of the prestigious Royal Zoute Golf Club, oft home to the Belgian Open and other major tournaments and with a distinguished history dating back to 1899, the Concourse d’Elegance featured 107 magnificent automobiles, the oldest of which, the single cylinder Benz Patent-Motorwagen featuring electric ignition, recognised as the first practical petrol car designed as a complete vehicle, was built in 1886!

As well as this venerable offering there were some amazing pre-war cars on display. Notables to catch the eye were the 1938 Talbot Lago T150 C “Lago Speciale” Cabriolet with coachwork by Figoni delivered to America when new, which was deemed the best pre-war car at Zoute, with the 1935 Lancia Belna F234 Labourdette first seen at the 1935 Paris Salon picking up a prize for special bodywork. The Belna was a French version of the Augusta and built in the Lancia factory opened near Paris in 1932. The stately 1927 Renault 40CV, a limousine découvrable with unique coachwork by Binder, based on the largest European production car of the 1920s, won the prize for the best-restored car on show, no mean feat considering the hugely impressive cars on display in the autumn sunshine.

After much deliberation by the jury in the Bridge Room of the beautiful Royal Zoute Clubhouse and by the narrowest of possible-margins, it was decided that the winner of the Best of Show 2018 Zoute Concours d’Elegance was the 1948 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Touring Superleggera coupé.

Words and photographs by James Nicholls.

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