19 cool classic cars on tour in Portugal

Pre-war Portuguese pioneers

121 years ago, a group of enterprising Portuguese got together to see if it was possible to race an automobile from the coastal town of Figueira da Foz to Lisbon.

It was. Eleven cars competed, joined by three motorcycles, with ‘Edmond’, the winner of the October 1902 Paris-Vienna race, expected to emerge victorious for Darracq.

However, having performed a recce during the run-up to the event, the exhausted works ace fell asleep on a train en route to Figueira and missed the start.

The race was won by Giuseppe Bordino in the Fiat 12HP belonging to the Infante D Afonso (the king’s brother). The event was so successful that it led to the creation of the ACP (Automóvel Club de Portugal) in 1903. 

120 years later, a group of 30 competitors participated in the Corrida dos Fundadores – The Founders Run – for cars and ’bikes produced until 1939. The event started in Figueira da Foz, before passing through Alcobaça, Óbidos, Torres Vedras and Mafra. On day two, the cars headed south, passing through Estoril before taking the flag in Lisbon.

This, the second year for the event (not including a trial run), was a huge success, even if the weather took a turn for the worst.

Classic & Sports Car joined the tour, on 14-15 October 2023, so here are some of our favourite classic cars on this year’s event, presented in chronological order.

1. 1904 Mercedes Simplex Open Tourer

Cascais-domiciled Swiss Albert Eberhart starred aboard his Mercedes Simplex (to the left of this photo), the oldest car on the 2023 edition of The Founders Run.

The ever-smiling collector shared the 6786cc machine with Roy Sullivan, the Simplex having been among the finest – if not the fastest – cars in the world in period.

2. 1920 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost

This imposing Brougham-style limousine was bodied new by Belgian coachbuilder D’Ieteren-Frères-Bruxelles.

The 7428cc straight-six-powered leviathan was acquired by Museu do Caramulo founder João de Lacerda in 1956 and co-restored in partnership with the marque’s Portuguese importer, Harry Rugeroni.

3. 1926 Peugeot 5CV (172 R)

Generally the first to leave a stage on the event and last to arrive at the next stop, Nuno Melícias Correia and Bruno Vaz Bravo’s diddy Peugeot charmed everyone.

Power, for want of a better word, came courtesy of a 720cc four-cylinder unit.
 

4. 1928 Ford Model A 

Rugged, dependable and relatively easy to drive, Ford Model As featured prominently on the 2023 edition of the Corrida dos Fundadores (The Founders Run).

Here, Manuel José Ribeiro da Silva and Maria José Pedroso Brilhante are flagged away at the start of day one at Figueira da Foz.

5. 1929 Bugatti Type 40 Grand Sport

Team Classic & Sports Car participated aboard this superb little Bugatti, a 1.5-litre four-seat tourer with a top speed of around 75mph.

Magazine contributor Richard Heseltine and Adelino Dinis shared the car that’s owned by the Museu do Caramulo.

6. 1929 Chevrolet International

The Series AC Chevrolet International was the marque’s rival to the Ford Model A, and powered by a new-to-1929 straight-six engine.

More than a million were made across the globe, the car pictured here being campaigned by Vasco Delgado Carla Delgado, Rui Catalão, Marta Catalão and Eduardo Catalão.

7. ‘1930’ Pur-Sang Bugatti Type 35B

Pedro Filipe and Margarida Patrício Correia drove the only ‘modern’ car on the event, so maybe we are cheating a little by sharing it at this point.

This Argentinian-made Pur Sang ‘Bugatti’ T35B is a near millimetre-perfect recreation of the original car first produced in normally aspirated form in 1924.

8. 1932 MG F-type Magna 

This skimpy straight-six-engined MG was driven with verve by Pedro Villas-Boas, a veteran of the Paris-Dakar Rally and uncle of the famous football manager André Villas-Boas.

Pedro was ably assisted by Ana Barbosa, the duo threatening to return next year in an SS Jaguar 100.

9. 1933 Buick ‘Eight’

Here, Fernando Laranjo’s Buick is seen leaving the Alcobaça Monastery on the event’s opening day.

Americana was rife on The Founders Run, and this straight-eight-powered Series 50 sedan has previously been used for prohibition-era ‘gangster’ themed events for many years.

10. 1934 Citroën Traction Avant 7A

Here you can see António Vilar braving the rain on day two of the run, aboard his incredibly rare 1934 Citroën Traction Avant, the 7A powered by a 1303cc four-cylinder unit.

It was in production for barely two months before it was superseded by the 1.5-litre 7B variant.

11. 1936 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio

Tiago Patrício Gouveia shared this fabulous 1936 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio with his daughter Madalena.

The car employs a non-supercharged 3.3-litre straight-eight, one that its makers claimed was good for 135bhp in standard form.

12. 1936 Lagonda LG45 Drophead

This supremely elegant drophead coupé was fielded by Felix Machin and Angelina Carreño.

Built a year after Lagonda famously won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and refined by WO Bentley, this 4.5-litre Meadows straight-six-powered machine was among the finest cars of its day.

13. 1937 Renault Celtaquatre Coupé

This bijou coupé was one of the most popular cars on the 2023 Corrida dos Fundadores.

Powered by a 1.5-litre sidevalve four-cylinder engine, and featuring late-run styling revisions that rendered the car more curvaceous, this example was fielded by Filipe Vasconcelos and Ricardo Marques.

14. 1937 Bentley 4¼-litre

João and Maria Cortez de Lobão participated aboard their distinctive 1937 Derby Bentley 4¼-litre.

The car was bodied in Germany and its first owner was Joseph Goebbels. He was obliged to sell the Bentley shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War.

15. 1937 Wolseley 10/40

British marques abounded on this event, including António Jorge Fernandes Ribeiro and Ana Isabel de Mascarenhas Segurado Ribeiro who participated in their immaculate 1937 Wolseley 10/40.

This represented the final year of production for the saloon made by the Nuffield Organisation. 

16. 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III

Fit for a queen? This imposing Rolls-Royce was also fielded by the Museu do Caramulo at this event.

This car was built for the Prince of Berar, the son of Nizam of Hyderabad, India.

In 1957, this Windovers-bodied cabriolet was acquired in London and transported to Portugal ahead of HRH Queen Elizabeth II’s state visit. 

17. 1939 Aston Martin 15/98

Daniel Carvalho Santos and his wife Luiana cut a dash in their Aston Martin 15/98, one of the more youthful cars on this pre-war event.

Powered by a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder engine, the Feltham-built sports car was offered in open and closed configurations.

18. 1939 Riley TT Sprite

Here, Filipa Sousa Ribiero is at the helm of this highly developed Riley racer, shared on this event with her husband Inês.

It is powered by a 1.5-litre engine allied to a preselector gearbox, and this car has been campaigned extensively on the Iberian Peninsula, as well as at the Le Mans Classic.

19. 1939 Alvis 4.3-Litre Sports Saloon

This handsome Alvis was entered by the Ribeiro family.

It is believed to have been one of only three such cars bodied with a ‘Razor Edge’ outline by coachbuilder Vanden Plas.

It was one of few saloons capable of attaining 100mph in period.

The Corrida dos Fundadores (The Founders Run) returns on 27-29 September 2024 – find out more here.