InterClassics opened its gates this Friday, marking the 9th edition of Belgium’s premium classic car event. The show is open until 17 November, offering all the usual spectacles to fans of classic and exotic cars.
The show encompassed three halls, offering the same surface areas as last year, though we were used to seeing more halls before COVID. The organisers managed to fill these halls with exciting cars and quite a few add-ons.
The event offers art dealers and simulator corners beyond the usual companions of trade fairs. The Art Area showcased art pieces with a passion for automotive. The artworks are diverse, ranging from paintings to model cars and from visual artworks to car-inspired furniture.
Each InterClassics feature a central theme, and this year’s show honours the 110th anniversary of Maserati.
To honour the iconic Italian brand, the organisers gathered an impressive section of Maserati vehicles, from post-war motorcycles to modern-day MC12 race car. Our only concern was the not very camera-friendly lighting, which made photography rather challenging.
Nevertheless, the exhibition was pleasant, and if you see it in person, you will surely enjoy the spectacle.
The organisers managed to secure the participation of brands, even if not at the manufacturer but at the importer level. This is an essential difference for classic car shows, as manufacturer participation ensures exhibits from factory museums.
InterClassics Brussels never really reached the levels of the golden age, like the factory stages at pre-Covid Techno Classica and Retromobile. Nevertheless, the brand-specific stages outshone all others at InterClassic, apart from the Maserati-themed exhibition.
Local hero D’Ieteren arranged the participation of VW’s luxury brands Bentley, Lamborghini, and Porsche, as well as Audi, VW, and Skoda, with a pairing of a classic with a contemporary model.
We also found corners dedicated to the Lotus and Donkervoort brands, represented at the importer level. A few other brands were represented at club level, like Peugeot, and we spotted a dozen Honda motorcycles.
InterClassic usually secures the participation of museums, and the Belgian national car museum Autoworld is a recurring contributor to the InterClassic events. This year, Autoworld joined the celebration of 110 years of Maserati.
In Hall 6, they showcased a 1956 Maserati A6 Berlinetta to announce their upcoming Maserati anniversary exhibition. The announcement went so well that the blue Maserati won the Best of Show prize. Until the new special exhibition, we recommend checking out their outgoing Art Car exhibition.
In addition, we spotted the Squadra Abarth & Rally Collection stage, the brand-new museum to showcase the cars of the Abarth Works Museum.
The construction works of the new museum building are proceeding well, and the grand opening of the new museum is scheduled for this spring. For more info on their planned opening, check out their website.
We also appreciated the return of Officina Caira, a workshop dedicated to the afterlife of Formula One cars, specialised on recent models, in contact with the racing teams, and providing restoration, technical assistance and authenticity certificates to owners of retired Formula One Classic.
The largest share of cars arrived courtesy of traders. Their stages are usually loaded with impressive classics and exotics.
We will post another article on the most memorable cars and moments. Get ready for a few surprises.
