The 2021 InterClassics Brussels is on!

Today it’s official: nothing can stop Belgium’s prime classic car show. As the latest COVID restrictions left the show unharmed, the 2021 InterClassics Brussels opened its gates today with an extra opening hour until 21.00. The Show will await visitors until Sunday (21 November) with the standard weekend opening hours between 10.00 and 18.00 (for more info, visit their website).

As usual, the show is located in the massive expo area at the northern outskirt of Brussels, with enormous parking spaces and also accessible via the city’s metro line. The Show occupies four larger halls, each offering a special area with a featured topic like the 2021 themes or the Art area.

Among the themes of 2021, the most important one is the long-overdue tribute to Belgian racing legend Jacky Ickx celebrating his 75th birthday.

Belgium’s most successful race driver has built an impressive record of achievements as the six-time winner of the 24-hour Le Mans race, eight-time winner of the Formula 1 Grand Prix, five-time winner of the 1000-kilometre Spa Francorchamps event, winner of the 1983 edition of the Paris-Dakar rally just to name the essential wins…

The organisers put together over a dozen cars, with the help of Porsche Belgium, the IMR Club (Jacky Ickx Club), the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart and several private collectors.

In addition to the spotlight on the 75th birthday of Jacky Ickx, InterClassics Brussels also revisited the history of the British race car brand Elva.

Even though it may not be that well-known among the general public, this brand also played an essential role in the birth of McLaren’s road car operations. The last Elva to be built was also the first McLaren, the McLaren-Elva MK 1A and 1B. As a tribute to this classic, McLaren designed an 800-hp McLaren-Elva Barchetta that was also showcased at the Elva stage.

In addition to McLaren at the Elva stage, there are also a few stages with factory support, like Bugatti and Porsche.

Beyond that, there are a few special stages, and some 400 exhibitors participate at the event with a total of more than 1,000 classic cars.

This is not a simple second-hand trade show, with iconic cars like pre-war Bentleys modern-day Bugattis, classic De Tomasos and Bizarrinis to McLarens from the 2020s.

That makes InterClassics one heck of a car spotting experience. Also  several brand and model clubs attends the show. These clubs usually showcase a careful selection of their members’ cherished masterpieces, often in a striking diorama.

In the coming days, this article will be updated with detailed reports on the main topic and some of the favourites exhibits.

And for an overview of this years car events, check the Egzostive’s ultimate European automotive bucket list!