mario laguna
Award-winning cars
Among the prizes of 15 categories, we will highlight the following:
The art of design
A class award fittingly awarded to a magnificent 206 Dino 1968GT. Indeed, it is a model of rapid appreciation in large part due to the studied design of the aluminum body that identifies the innovative work of Pininfarina in the sixties. The car in particular was the one on display at the Brussels show of the same year.
During the jury's inspection, the Dino's rear-center V6 engine refused to start and it needed the help of an external battery. Among the practical inconveniences of the Ferraris (similar also in other models), it should be noted that the battery is located in the forward position under the spare wheel. If you need to access it, you have to remove the wheel. Perhaps for that reason in more recent models ... the spare wheel has been omitted!
Most iconic car
The jury would find the 1953 Chrysler Special Ghia a representative icon of its time. Iconic can be, also impractical, since despite a bulky trunk there is no room for luggage, which must enter through the passenger compartment doors and be placed in the back seat. As exercise cars of style the practicalities were not important since they were not cars intended for series production, in this case only three examples were produced.
Centennial Maserati
A special class had been planned to celebrate the centenary of the brand. The award was attributed to a 1968 Maserati México (Mexico in the official name) bodied by Frua. The car in particular is a unique example presented at the Geneva motor show of the same year.
Class A: Open cars from before the war
Prize awarded to an Excelsior Alberto I cabriolet from 1927, commissioned by the Romanian ambassador in London, who did not pay the bill, and was then sold to a private individual in South Africa. The car returned to Belgium in 2002, where it was restored.
C-Class: Pre-War Sports Cars
A Delage D6-7C Figoni & Falaschi from 1936 was awarded in this class. The car was commissioned to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1936, but due to the difficult social conditions at the time it canceled its registration. On the contrary, in 1937 he participated in the race, finishing fourth in the general classification. The original body was lost and another was built respecting the same style.
Better interior
This is an aspect that is usually valued with the whole of the car, but at Zoute there was a class award exclusively dedicated to the interior. The award was won by an original mint green interior paired with a white steering wheel and bone instrumentation buttons, which enhanced the Art Deco look of a 6 Alfa Romeo 2500C 1950.
Best preserved car
The current trend in contests of elegance is to reward cars in original condition, in preference to those that are over-restored. A 52 Lancia Aurelia B1951 Bertone won the award in this class, with the incredible feature of totalizing only 3.500 km on the scoreboard.
More special and unique body
Prize won for a 166 Ferrari 1953 MM Oblin. Belgian bodybuilder Martial Oblin rebooted this car after its original bodywork was lost in the vicissitudes of competition. Originally it was a Vignale coupe.
Best of Show
Having won the "Most Elegant Car" class award, a 250 Ferrari 1958GT Pininfarina cabriolet was proclaimed the overall winner of the contest. As it usually happens, the jury's decision was harshly criticized left and right since the car in question does not have a particularly interesting history nor, in the opinion of many, is it the most beautiful 250GT made by Pininfarina.
In the environment of the participants, it was even stated that the prize was awarded for a revaluation of the car with a view to a future resale. Rumors that we naturally cannot confirm from a reliable source.
Curiosities
The FIAT 1100 Abarth Zagato are not cars that are seen frequently when turning any corner; however, in Knokke there were two, one in the rally and one in the contest of elegance.
The owner of a Chevrolet Corvette participating in the rally has adapted his engine, perhaps frightened by the high consumption of gasoline, to run on bioethanol from corn and was adorned with leaves of that plant.
For its part, local art galleries they turn to works related to the automobile.
