It is a recurring tradition to rank the best car events in a last-day article. As we usually attend about a dozen local and global car events and another dozen automotive pilgrimage sites, finding 10 memorable ones is an easy task.
Ranking them, however, is much more challenging. None of us are full-time professional journalists. Thus, our priorities differ from those of professionals. We never cared about new car premieres, but seeing exciting cars of all epochs, shapes and forms or getting new impulses from fresh experiences is far more important. We also need enough wow factor to justify the hundreds of kilometres we travel to see them.
This year, we attended most major events on our bucket list but missed a few A-listers that should have been featured high. We covered the very first IAA Munich in 2021, but did not see the 2023 edition large enough to justify the 2000km road trip. We seriously wanted to attend Retromobile, but ultimately, we missed it for private reasons. A pity, as this year’s edition should have finished on the podium.
With the benefit of hindsight, we conclude this year along the same motto we said after our first car show of the year: we are back to the age of car shows.
10. InterClassics Maastricht is still a great show
After two years of hiatus, InterClassics returned to Maastricht, filling the halls of the Maastricht expo area with timeless classics and a unique program aimed at younger generations. With this sidekick programme and a dense field of classics amassing all the available exhibition halls, the show attracted over 35.000 visitors on a four-day long weekend. Already in January, we foretold that we are back into the age of car shows.
So this show finished last on our list, but make no mistake, InterClassics Maastricht was another fine event that had a lot to offer.
9. Spa Classic is good as always
In the past 6 years, we have always attended this event and left with lasting memories. This year was no different, as the Spa Classic brought back all the virtues of past events.
We could give any rank for this event in the 10-5 range, but others offered more fresh impulses hence it is ranked at nr 9.
8. Antwerp Concours continues to impress
This year’s edition was not as great as the best Antwerp Concours we have seen (in 2021), but the 2023 event still delivered on all fronts. Prewar and postwar classics, modern cars or supercars, the show had it all.
Our third time at the Antwerp Concours d’Elegance proved to be a time well spent. The nearly 100 cars selected by the organisers excelled without exception, even the visitor parking of the Concours could make it a standalone event. But a show of this size could not be featured higher on this list.
7. Flanders Car Triangle was our first, but definitely not our last
In parallel to the Essen Motor Show, the finest of Belgium was gathering in the area of West-Flanders, where three events will take place during the same weekend: a show specialised on prewar cars in Kortrijk,
another exhibition with post-war cars in Waregem,
while a classic rally was happening in the wider area of Ypres.
Unfortunately, the heavy snowfall deterred us from attending the Rally and shortened our visit to Prewar Days. Nevertheless, the trio earned a stable spot on our bucket list.
6. InterClassics Brussels
Even if the show encompassed only three halls, InterClassics offered another action-packed event. In addition to the central theme honouring Le Mans, semi-official stages, museums, and stages announcing events to come, this year’s show still had all the ingredients that make classic car shows so much fun.
While the hall dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Le Mans featured some exciting specimens, It did not transpire the same grace as last year’s Ferrari stage, and the size of InterClassics could not match the spectacles offered by the shows in Essen. Nevertheless, this show was still a treat.
5. Essen Motor Show follows the same recipe with less ingredients
EMS is all about size and quantity: the organisers promised over 500 exhibitors from 18 countries. That should guarantee a colourful offering encompassing performance & racing, tuning & lifestyle, motorsport and classic cars.
While the exhibitor space is certainly there, some pillars have lost their strength. The festival’s popularity for sporty vehicles seems unbroken, but we saw fewer signs of factory stages than ever before.
4. Techno Classica is still far from its top-form
The king of classic car shows went through tougher times since the pandemic, but it is gradually recovering. Upon its return in 2022, the show lost its most valuable assets, the factory stages. Now, they are back with factory support and size, making full use of the entire Essen Expo area. Last year, the show was already quite big but lacked much of the ingredients that used to put Techno Classica above all others, namely the factory stages. The organisers promised the return of manufacturers, and they did deliver on that promise.
Nevertheless, the show is still far from its top form: the manufacturer stages were less prominent, and the traders did not erect stages comparable to the factory ones or those built at Retromobile. We also missed the auctions, which are a signature element of A-lister classic car shows. In 2020, even two major auctioneers attended with full presence. This year, the show did not host any auctions.
3. The 100th anniversary Le Mans Classic could be the best classic car race ever
The 100th anniversary of Le Mans is one of 2023’s most affluent anniversaries. Several museums and events launched anniversary exhibitions, and we also visited the anniversary edition of the Le Mans Classic in July.
This year’s Le Mans Classic was simply massive. It’s not just the magnificent race track that offered hours of casual walk and lovely spectacle from the trackside tribunes. The compound hosted a wide range of activities, and its fields and parking lots were filled with clubs and shows, offering endless hours of walks.
Paris actioner Artcurial returned to Le Mans with a fine selection of cars, and the race track’s official museum added a special exhibition. In the end, we also added the Tank Museum to our itinerary, which is located fairly close to Le Mans.
We spent a day full of fresh impulses and witnessed a historic event in every sense of the word. With the anniversary celebrations, Le Mans Classics 2023 might have been the best classic car race ever.
2. The Zoute Grand Prix still aims at the top
The Zoute GP became our instant favourite and won our choice for the best car event in 2021 and 2022. Their concept varied throughout the years, but the key elements remained the same: a three-day historic car rally, a GT-Tour for modern luxury sportscars, the Prado tent filled with luxury and premium manufacturers showing their latest models, and a Concours de Vente, built around an auction organised by Bonhams, that grew into one of the most essential car auctions in Europe.
The Zoute’s second place is partly due to the fact that the brilliant Concours d’Elegance did not occur this year, reducing the show considerably in size, but the rest was as great as always. Altogether, the show was a bit less than we are used to, but the winner was so much more convincing that Zoute might have had trouble beating even with the show’s best-ever form.
1. The 100th Brussels car show was the best of the year, one of the best ever, but perhaps also the last
Belgium’s Autosalon celebrated its 100th anniversary and delivered on all fronts. This show has everything we’ve been missing in the past four years! And so much more…
An incredible number of cars, decorations, sights, and activities were packed into the factory stages, with many brands present like we had not seen before. Like EVER! We counted over 60 brands represented one way or another. Mass market giants, premium brands, and exotics from around the world came, and at least 20 traditional brand stages (or segments) were built.
The big novelty of Brussels this year is the inauguration of the Car of the Year award. For that, a stage featuring all candidates was accommodated in Palais 9, and the Dome hosted the ceremony and a hall showcasing a selection of classic and modern cars that made history, like the Benz Patentwagen, the Ford T, or the Topolino, 2CV, the first VW Golf, the first Prius and the Tesla Model S.
The show offered a lot of entertainment, beyond buying a new car, like simulators of all kinds (from Playstations to purpose-built hydraulic systems), and the participation of the Belgian armed forces with various military vehicles. In addition to the car show, Palais 1 hosted a truly impressive James Bond exhibition.
In January, we celebrated the comeback of the car show, and we knew we had a podium finish for this show. Though we did not see two top candidates, we can not imagine that IAA or Retromobile could have threatened the position of this show.
Unfortunately, the Brussels Car Show consumed so much firecrackers that they did not leave enough ammo for the next show. Organiser FEBIAC announced the cancellation of the 2024 edition, and new organisers will launch the revamped Brussels Auto Show with a different concept.
