This Thursday, the 12th edition of the Zoute GP opened its door for the public. The last one was held in 2019 and proved to be one of the year’s greatest surprises for me.
This year’s Zoute Grand Prix combines high-end lifestyle and art events, with cars at the centre of attention. )
The event offers a diverse variety of programs encompassing a classic Rallye (regularity), a GT Tour (for sports cars and supercars), Car and Art Expositions, a Concours d’Elégance and an Auction. For more info, check out their official website.
In the coming days, Egzostive will cover in detail the four chapters. Or at least as much as possible. We got two of them down already.
The Zoute sale
The official Auctioneer of the Zoute is Bonhams, who prepared an impressive fleet of high-end classic cars. The highlight of the main stage was a Ferrari F40 and a Bugatti EB110.
Bonhams Auction at Zoute GP offered real treats for every classic car fan
There was an extensive selection of beautiful Lancia classics and Aston Martins. Nevertheless, almost every classic brand was represented.
The Prado Zoute
The Prado Zoute occupied the majority of the tent erected on the plage of Knokke Heist. It is the closest thing to a traditional car show, although it is smaller and no longer free.
Zoute GP’s Prado exhibition added the secret ingredients missing from international car shows
It is also not as big or impressive as the city stages of the IAA Munich Car Show. Still, it shows far more spectacles with many brands present, who passed on major car shows even before the pandemic.
Even with small stages of 1-4 cars, the list of participants is quite impressive: Alfa Romeo, Alpine, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Carozzeria Touring, Dallara, De Tomaso, Ferrari, Jaguar, Land Rover, Maserati, McLaren, Mercedes, Maybach, Pininfarina, Polestar and Rolls Royce.
The Zoute Rallye
The Zoute Rally by Stow is a regularity race and parade for vintage cars throughout the four days.
The race usually starts in Knokke Heist (Albertplein), with a parade around the city centre.
This is a stable programme every morning, so its really worth checking out at least once (right next to the Prado tent).
In between the rounds the owners prepare by the beach, but the organisers also promised spectacles in the city centre of Bruges and Oostende.
The Zoute GT Tour
The GT Tour is a parade with spectacular speed tests for the most exclusive modern GT cars younger than 20 years.
The Concours d’Elegance
The Concours d’Elegance is a traditional highlight of the Zoute GP week. The Golf Club in Knokke Heist hosts dozens of timeless classics competing under a particular theme.
In a few categories, the selection honoured a collector representing their cherished masterpieces or cars that used to belong to them once.
The other major topic of the Concours related to automotive anniversaries.
The Zoute Concours commemorated five important automotive birthdays.
