The Brussels Motor Show opened its doors last Thursday, so it is time to start with the detailed reviews. The crown jewel of the event is the Dream Cars Exhibition in Hall 1, accessible for a surcharge of EUR 7. From classics to hypercars from 3 wheelers to flying cars, visitors will find something worth remembering.
The concept is simple: the high-end cars of the Brussels Motor Show are usually showcased in a separate hall with a single design. This dedicated exhibition provides a sleek and elegant atmosphere while waiving the exhibitors from the challenge of furnishing a fully-fledged luxury stage for one or two cars.
In addition to the exotics, premium brands (the three Germans, Volvo and the Jaguar / Land Rover) also exhibit their 100.000+ EUR models. At the same time, they also set up their own stages in one of the 11 halls.
The VW Group remained a major player at this year’ Dreamcars every year, showcasing their luxury car line up from Audi, and Porsche to Bentley and Lamborghini.
The R8 Le Mans race car might be familiar from the Zoute GP, while the long-wheelbase Bentley adds another dimension with its impressive size.
The lineup includes two Lamborghinis, a not so practical roadster and the SUV Urus.
Next up there is a Chiron, in a tricolour body (even if not in the usual French Tricolore) with intensive use of carbon.
Outside the official VW Group lineup, there was a duo of classic and modern Bentleys, a rather fitting ending to the 2019 anniversary year.
Also outside the official VW Group lineup, an Aventador with unique decoration will steal the show from the neighbouring white supercars.
Mercedes and BMW also showcased some of the high-end models. BMW came with a green M8 and an Alpina accompanied by an X6.
The Ginion group also brought along a Rolls Royce and a McLaren GT.
Merc was represented by a few of their excessive models (G Class and AMG V8) but also a historical CLK GT1.
Aston Martin brought along the brand new DBX, the British Marque’s first SUV, built on an entirely new architecture. DBX is designed to carry occupants in true Aston Martin style, remaining true to the heritage.
I managed to take a quick look inside, and I can fully understand if one would fall for this new model.
Like last year, British car enthusiasts are well served, as the Dreamcars exhibition covers almost every aspect of the British car industry.
The racing version of the electric I Pace, or the legendary classic Jaguar E Type (with a “so British” sign and paint as an advertisement for Autoworld’s 2019 British Motor Show), fit in as much as the street version of the Range Rover.
What Brexit?! Britain’s automotive legacy just invaded Brussels big time!
France is also quite well represented from legendary Classic Bugatti through the modern the day Alpine A110 to the future hypercar Genty Akylone.
The Genty Akylone is a supercar from the French company Genty Automobile. The vehicle production is limited to 15 coupes and 10 roadsters and undoubtedly stole the show from series production supercars like the GTR and the Ford GT.
The Akylone is powered by a 900 hp V10 engine in front of the rear axle supported by a 300 hp electric motor bringing together about 1200 hp.
The sports car accelerates to 100 km / h in 2.7 seconds also thanks to an all-wheel-drive powertrain and reaches a top speed of 350 km / h.
Interestingly, the Italian delegation was smaller than the previous years, encompassing a few Ferraris (the BBuragos not counted : ) ).
A more interesting proposition is Touring Superleggera’s Sciàdipersia concept that pays homage to a particular version of the Maserati 5000 GT of the 60s. This model was sometimes referred to as the Shah of Persia (the new car takes up the Italian denomination: Scià di Persia).
In 2018, Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera announced that the Sciàdipersia will be produced based on the Maserati GranTurismo, and a total of 15 vehicles were planned. That figure included both coupé and cabriolet versions, and both were showcased at the Zoute GP this year.
Legends, rarities and beauties – the Zoute Concours is a truly refined car spotting experience
The Zagato Mostro follows a similar concept. It is also an exotic car on a Maserati basis, conceived by Belgian constructor Gillet.
The Mostro pays homage to the legendary Maserati 450s of the late 50s, (the original cars were also dubbed Mostro meaning monster in Italian). The modern Monster is a GT coupe built by legendary Italian designer Zagato and produced in just five copies in 2015.
Powered by a Maserati V8 engine, it is inspired by the unique model of Maserati 450S Mostro Zagato from 1957. It was presented at the 2015 Villa d’Este elegance competition, in tribute to the 100 years of the Maserati brand, but I also met one in the 2018 Essen Motor Show. The chassis of the car was produced by the Belgian manufacturer Automobiles Gillet that erected the stage at Dreamcars (as last year too).
Japan is also represented by a few exciting cars, even if the GTR and the Supra are not as high-class as some of the exotics.
Polestar came down on Brussels with full strength, showcasing very nice cars in their main exhibition stage, and also a Polestar 1 in this hall.
This dark grey car was not as accessible as the other one on the Polestar stage, so stay tuned for more details in the coming days when the Polestar report gets live.
There are also quite a few crazy concepts at the exhibition, like the Dutch flying car or the Belgian retro-futuristic custom single-seater.
The PH Pio is an actual flying car from the Netherlands, with licence plate and road-legal papers.
The Krugger FD is the latest creation of Fred Krugger, a Belgian creator of custom-built rides. The vehicle features an impressive technology under the metal sheet: the retro-futuristic four-wheeler houses a magnificent Bentley W12 in the back.
With that power to weight ratio, it must feel like being tied to a cannonball. The car stole the show at the Zoute Concours, and it will leave visitors speechless here too.
This post detailed one of the 12 halls of the Brussels Motor Show. I believe this should give a sense of the size of the exhibition that makes use of the full exposition space, similarly to last year.
You have a few more days to see it (the show closes on Sunday), but I suggest to allocate a full day.
First impressions and digital shortcut to the Brussels Motor Show
