Antwerp Classic Salon 2016

by admin March 12, 2016

Report from: http://www.antwerpclassicsalon.be

The topic of conversation this year on the 39th edition of the Antwerp Classic Salon was not some rare classic car or an amazing boot on the event. The topic was the low emission zone that the city of Antwerp is going to implement soon, for obvious reasons this will have a huge impact on all classic car owners. Antwerp classic saloon, open for 3 days, used to be the most important oldtimer event in Belgium. Interclassics in Brussels seems to have stolen a lot of Antwerp’s thunder, a lot of the international dealers were absent this year. Replaced by local classic car dealers, this has a huge impact on the variety of cars at the Antwerp Saloon. A lot of the same models and most of all a lot of Porsche. Exception to this general rule in Antwerp was the Speed8classics boot, they brought a Jaguar XJR15, Abarth SE10 and the Minerva type AE (built in Antwerp). Lagonda Specialist LMB racing managed to get their fair share of attention with an Excelsior Albert I cabriolet, it even won the “Best of Show” at the Antwerp Classic Salon Concours d’elegance.

SIHA, the organiser of the Antwerp classic salon chose to build a boot around “Belgian Racing Victories”, they managed to get together about 15 cars who were used by Belgian racingpilots. Some of them with international fame: Thierry Boutson, Jacky Ickx and Yvette Fontaine. Fontaine is a true icon of Belgian motorsport, she won the 1969 Belgian Touring Cars Championship and managed to win (in her class) at Le Mans in 1974 in a Chevron B23.

The last couple of years people could come to hall 1 and follow up on the multiyear restoration of the unique Vixen GT, this year however the finished car was presented at the Scuderia Antverpia boot. As is tradition, hall 1 is mainly reserved for the car clubs. BMW Bavaria for example, who celebrated the 50 years anniversary of the 02 series. Fiat Club Belgio also had a reason to celebrate: Their 30^th anniversary. At the corvette club the very impressive Corvette C3 Greenwood Daytona was on display and in its shadow stood the brand new C7 Corvette Z06.

BRAVO is the organisation behind the Belgian Historic Cup. They offer owners of Historic cars to race at Zolder, Spa-Francochamps and this year even at the Nürbugring.

Because of Renault’s announcement to revive Alpine, the Brussels Autoworld museum decided it would put Alpine on display during the upcoming summer.

One of the other personal highlights from the Antwerp Classic Salon were the rare Fiat cars for sale in Hall 2. For example at display at Scioneri Sportinia’s boot: the last remaining model (20 estimated ever built) of the Michelotti designed Fiat 1500. Or this rare Fiat 1100 Autocarro truck from 1957.

Anything Oldtimer related: Parts or documentation could be found in Hall 3. Apart from that there were also some eclectic oldtimers to be found like the Tatra 603 ,youngtimer Alpina B6 2.8 or a Ford Cortina GT (slightly damaged).