Seat, Citroën and Bentley shine at ClassicAuto Madrid

By Malcolm Thorne

| 27 Feb 2019

Classic & Sports Car – Seat, Citroën and Bentley shine at ClassicAuto Madrid

Citroën and Bentley were the stars of the weekend's ClassicAuto Madrid show, with plenty of Spanish marques also on hand to provide a bit of variety.

With the Spanish capital bathed in gloriously warm winter sunshine, cars and enthusiasts flocked to the Casa de Campo showground from Friday to Sunday (22-24 February) for the 10th running of the event.

As with most other shows this year, Bentley and Citroën were well represented in their centenary years, with special displays encompassing some of their most emblematic models.

Bentleys were everywhere as the marque turns 100

The Bentleys ranged from Derby saloons and dropheads right up to the latest Continental GT, and included some beautifully turned out coachbuilt Crewe models, while across the hall the WO-era cars were represented by a magnificent supercharged 4½ Litre wearing Le Mans-style open four-seater coachwork.

The packed Citroën showcase, meanwhile, encompassed everything from the pre-war Cloverleaf to an SM, particular highlights including a Traction roadster plus a spotless lime-green Méhari and an early 2CV van.

Clockwise from top: Seat 850s were out in force on their 50th anniversary, while Renault Floride, Facel Vega and Buick convertible could all be found in the car park

The Spanish-built Seat 850 Spider and Coupé are also celebrating a significant milestone this year, with 2019 marking the 50th anniversary of their introduction, and a vast and colourful array of each – plus the ever-popular saloon model upon which they are based – lined-up outside the exhibition halls to the delight of visitors.

Not to be outdone, the W123 Club España was also in attendance with an impressive selection of the increasingly coveted Mercedes-Benz saloon and coupé basking in the sun.

Other notable vehicles in the nearby area reserved for classic-car parking ranged from a stunning 1964 Ferrari 330GT 2+2 to a beautifully restored late-’40s Buick convertible, plus a super-rare Facel Vega, as well as a gorgeous Renault Floride and a delightfully shabby Willys Jeepster.

More modern fare included a very smart Renault 5 GT Turbo and striking yellow Ferrari F355 spider.

Clockwise from top: Authi Victoria is a rare sight, Jaguar SS100 with coachwork by Willy Bernath and 1922 Hispano-Suiza T30E racer

The ADO16-based Authi Victoria was a once-common sight in Spain, but these locally-produced four-doors are now virtually extinct – making Alejandro Caballero’s smart 1973 example a welcome sight. Looking like a scaled-down Triumph 2000, the Victoria has been in his family since new.

Other domestic oddities included a superbly rebuilt Renault Siete (a three-box version of the first-generation R5) and an ultra-rare Seat 600 Milton roadster, while an 88in Land-Rover Santana in Policía Nacional livery was a superb example of the Pamplona-built version of the British 4x4.

Elsewhere, a wonderfully flamboyant Jaguar SS100 on the Saica Classic Motor Sport stand provided some 1930s glamour. Featuring Art Deco coachwork by Swiss coachbuilder Willy Bernath, the flowing aluminium lines of the partially restored and unpainted car were a delight to behold.

Among the other pre-war rarities was the sole surviving factory-built 1922 Hispano-Suiza T30E racer, as well as a 1927 Hibbard & Darrin-bodied H6B, plus a 1939 Cadillac V8 roadster and a strikingly voluptuous Delahaye.

Clockwise from top: Seat-engined Selex, Renault 4 and Maserati Shamal

Competition machinery, meanwhile ranged from a Seat-engined Selex single-seater to a gargantuan Paris-Dakar Unimog, plus immaculate rally-prepared versions of the Mercedes 190SL and Datsun 1200.

As ever, in addition to an extensive autojumble area and specialists’ stands there was an extensive selection of vehicles for sale at the event, spanning everything from mass-market Europeans via Detroit heavyweights to thoroughbred exotica.

Standing out from the crowd was an aggressive-looking 1991 Maserati Shamal. One of only 369 built, the 326bhp GT was being advertised at for €96,000.

More affordable was a wonderfully unmolested one-owner 1963 Renault 4 for €3000 that had been hidden away in storage for 35 years, as well as a tidy-looking metallic blue 1964 Acadian Invader. Based on the Chevrolet Chevelle, the one-owner Canadian-built four-door was on offer for €7500.

Another single-owner GM model that was up for grabs was a ’63 Chevy Impala. A V6-engined example in original unmolested condition, the Impala had been in Spain since new and its owner was asking €15k.

Seat 1430 (left) and Alpine A110 were on sale

Among the local fare, a modified Seat 1430 (Spain’s answer to the Escort RS2000) looked very appealing for €12,500, while for fans of load-luggers there was also a beautifully presented 1970 Seat 1500 estate.

Alpine-Renault has a strong following in rallying-mad Spain (the cars were assembled there in period by the French manufacturer’s local subsidiary FASA) and besides a stand showcasing the latest mid-engined A110 alongside a competition-prepared original, a stunning 1969 example was also among the cars seeking a new home.

Finished in bright yellow, it looked refreshingly original on its rare factory wheels and skinny tyres.

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