Star attraction of the Antwerp Concours d'Elegance at Kasteel Belvédère in Wijnegem was a Belgian-bodied 1951 Jaguar XK120. The much-admired Ferrari-alike by Martial Oblin of Brussels, however, did not take top honours – André Plasch won Best of Show with his splendid 1932 Ballot Coupé Aérosport with closed coachwork by Brandone of Nice (below).
Steve Crijns, Lotus designer and member of the judging panel, was delighted to see many Lotus on display on 11 September, with some 20 different models in a special display in front of the castle ranging from an ex-Blaton 23B to a brand new Evora GT4.
At 2pm, the oldest car, a 1898 Delahaye Type-O was driven in front of the public for judging, followed by 1926 Bugatti 35B, 1932 Alfa Romeo 6C-1750 and a couple of great Minervas. A 1948 Delahaye 135M with Antem-coachwork took the early lead in the post-war category, which also starred a two-tone 1955 Jaguar XK140 Ghia.
In the end, though, Gaston Lenaerts’ 1933 MG L2 Magna (lead picture) was awarded best pre-war car and Marc Blembergs’ 1962 Jaguar E-Type, beautifully representing the 50th anniversary of this great icon, took the post-war class (lead picture). Most original car was a 1957 Alfa Romeo 1900 Super presented by Frank Rameckers.
