The Antwerp Concours proved to be another excellent launch for the autumn season, with its usual strengths and well-oiled organisation. This year marked the 21st anniversary of this brilliant event,
We’ve covered this event since 2021, and the concept has remained pretty constant over the past few years. The main focus of the Antwerp Concours is a traditional classic car beauty competition, mainly featuring prewar and early postwar classics, but we also spot rare and exotic sports cars, and a few high-end brands exhibit with tents and test-car fleets.
The event itself lasts only a single day, but it’s anticipated by a classic car tour, so most cars arrive on their own wheels on Sunday morning. The show opens at 10.00, but it’s worth checking in a bit earlier.
Even the Concours’ official parking lot (opposite the Castle) works like a stand-alone exhibition, and it’s worth checking back during the day, as owners arrive and leave.
For those who could not muster an oldtimer, there is a dedicated parking lot a hundred metres away with very stylish shuttles (courtesy of Lotus cars). Traditionally, quite a few guests end up parking along the roadsides on the streets around the castle, and even then, the shuttles were sometimes stopping by to offer a lift to the cars.
The event is hosted by the Belvédère Castle in Wijnegem on the outskirts of Antwerp, and follows the traditional Concours d’Elegance layout, where a jury inspects each car, and the owners open up the cars and start the engine for them. So you can see all the beauties in action, from prewar Bugattis to modern V12 cars.
The timing follows an established programme, refined and proven throughout the decades. The programme might look nearly identical, but every year brings new themes, and we hardly ever see the same car twice.
After 8:00 AM, the concours cars arrive at Belvédère.
From 10:00 AM, the show opens to visitors. The jury also starts its tour, inspecting the cars and discussing their stories with the owners. As a visitor, all you have to do is follow the referees in their distinctive uniforms while they are inspecting the vehicles, and you’ve got yourself a priceless spectacle.
13:00 marks the start of the Parade, with the 60 participating cars presented on the stage, offering a chance to see them in action.
At 17:00, the event concludes with the prize award ceremony.
The Flemish chateau offers an appropriate setting with its elegant structures and curated parks. The cars are lined up per topic, which the organisers announce well before the event. The concours entrants are usually accompanied by a few tents set up by importers and auctioneers.
The primary topic is usually showcased on the front yard of the castle, so this year we spotted a dozen exquisite prewar Bugattis and a black EB 110, and half a dozen Panhard specimens.
Prewar cars were parked on the right side by the auxiliary buildings and postwar cars were lined up in the backyard.
We will come back to the categories and winners in more detail in our next article
