As in previous years, the Prado Zoute is the heart of the Zoute Grand Prix. The Prado building hosts the rallies’ starting grid and finish line, and it’s even a spectacle to witness the cars leaving.
The main hall, a large pavilion tent built on the beach, hosts a high-end car show with modern super and hypercars along with concepts and a few selected classics.
The organisers promised 21 premium exhibitors with their most beautiful and latest car designs and technical innovations, including European and Belgian premiers. The brands include Alpine, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Dallara, Ferrari, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati, McLaren, Mercedes, Pininfarina, Polestar, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, and RUF (now try this with one breath : ) ), while Jaguar. Mini and Rimac bunked in the other tent.
Their stages are small but functional, with luxury decoration for those interested in buying an Aston or a Range Rover. Even if on a small stage, they are present, and this is much more than what you can say about IAA and the Mondiale.
Apart from this year’s Brussels car show, there are few opportunities to see Maseratis at car shows. At Zoute, they prepared a comprehensive show with a yellow MC20, its mid-size SUV and the new Gran Turismo Folgore, the new model’s electric version.
BMW Fans are used to a massive presence at car shows, but BMW could never fit into such a small booth. Thus, the Bavarians focused on essentials and brought three cars: a massive X7, the electric version of the 7 series, and the latest addition, the i5.
The also got help from the neighbouring stage showcasing a BMW Formula 1 car, with one of the best F1 liveries.
Polestar outdid its presence at the Autosalon, showcasing concepts and its recently unveiled Polestar 3 model. The Polestar Precept is a four-door GT concept we saw at the IAA2021. Another Belgian premiere is the electric roadster concept, exhibited behind the main wall of the front stage.
The 2+2 electric roadster concept will be called to life as the Polestar 6, with a 500 series limited edition for the model year 2026.
Alpine also presented an exciting concept, the A290 β. The car with a strange name is an electric sports car to compete in the future compact B-segment. The model seems closely related to Renault’s new take on its iconic Renault 5 series but with more spices.
The A290 was surrounded by the current generation of A110s to illustrate that combustion engines are exiting with a bang (literally).
Mercedes occupied a similar-sized stage but filled it with a diverse set of attractions. The stage featured the Belgian premiere of the Vision One-Eleven concept and the CLE Coupé, in addition to the new E-Class.
The Bonhams tent showcased the Project Mondo G, a G Klasse designed by Moncler and several high-end cars among the auction lots. The Zoute Rally also featured a new SL 63 and a classic Mercedes-Benz 280 SE from 1971, while the beachside hosted two AMG models, the SL 63 and S 63 E Performance.
The Vision One-Eleven is one of the show’s absolute highlights, combining the iconic orange colour of the C111 concept with an innovative electric drivetrain.
Audi brought the A6 Avant e-tron concept to foreshadow the future of Audi’s design language. The A6 Avant e-tron is a tangible preview of Audi’s 100% electric estate scheduled for next year. The other car is an Audi e-tron GT Art Car designed by Belgian visual artist Musketon.
The opposite side is occupied by Britain, like Brexit never happened. Aston Martin returned, this time with an elegant green, though nothing compared to what you will see in the Bonhams tent.
Land Rover brought an elegant Range Rover, while Lotus focussed on models with sales potential. The Eletre SUV is now accompanied by the upcoming electric four-door car, the Emeya.
The other side starts with a Ferrari stage, guarded by two hypercars, the Dallara Stradale and the Pininfarina Battista.
Ferrari arrived with a complete lineup, including the brand-new SUV Purosangue and the SF90 XX Stradale.
The next stage was dedicated to British luxury brands, paring McLaren sportscars and Rolly Royce models, including the latest electric coupé, the Spectre.
The last stage leads us to the VW Group’s realms with Porsche, Bentley and Lamborghini.
Altogether, the Prado show was comparable to last year and proved to be another fantastic spectacle. It is no replacement for the Autosalon but offered a better show than the IAA and Mondiale, reduced to a fake show of unknown and still unavailable brands from the Far East.
