There's no doubt about it, anyone who took part in the weekend of October 11 and 12 with a Ferrari in Knokke-Heist had the best chance of driving home from the beach in Zoute with one of the coveted trophies in 12 categories. No fewer than four vehicles from Maranello were awarded a prize by the 15-strong jury, which included one woman among the men. However, this sounds much easier than it actually was, as some of the decisions in the categories, some of which were of high quality, were probably rather close.
Sports cars from the 1920s and 1930s competed in the "Early Motoring Icons PreWar" class, with an Aston Martin Le Mans from 1933 coming out on top. There was a separate pre-war class for cars "Made in Belgium", in which a Minerva Type AD Saloon from 1925 won the race - as it should be.
It was pleasing to see that the jury apparently preferred the closed car to a convertible - which is not a matter of course when both body types compete against each other in the same class.
Luxury situation
The Fiat Otto-Vu Supersonic, designed by Giovanni Savonuzzi for Ghia, was produced in around 15 examples. However, there was also an Alfa Romeo 1900, three Jaguar XK120s, an Aston Martin DB 2/4 and even an AC Cobra with a sleek "Supersonic" body from Turin. And Virgil Exner, head of design at Chrysler, had a bodywork inspired by this built on a Chrysler chassis.
Rightly awarded for its revolutionary body shape at the time, the owner of this epochal car was presented with the "Steel & Speed" 1950 to 1960 class award by the jury. But an 8V from Turin with a Fiat factory body was also among the award-winning cars. In the case of the 1954 Otto-Vu Series Due, it was the "Best Restoration Award" for the best restoration of a car.
Maranello in cup glory and an anniversary
Ferrari everywhere: In the "Steel & Speed 1961 to 1975" category, the Ferrari 365 GTS from 1969 came out on top, despite having to compete against stiff competition from its own rivals.
The same can be said of the Ferrari F40 from 1989. It topped the list of "Iconic Cars 1976 - 2005".
But to complete the trio, the jury decided to award a special prize to the 1960 250 GT with bodywork by Piero Drogo from 1966.
The 1967 DS was also fitted with a special body, in this case a cabriolet by Henry Chapron, a Le Caddy. The occasion was the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the goddess.
Another Citroën also won a jury prize: the ID19 Grand Luxe Super Confort from 1959 belonged to the first generation of the Déesse's little sister. Other DS variants such as the Pallas and the Break estate were also entered in the Concours.
Preserving and opening new doors
The BMW 507 was presented with the "Preservation Award". The 1957 car actually shows a very minimal, very authentic patina and many a casual observer has probably hardly noticed that they are dealing with a car with minimal interventions to preserve the original substance.
The "Nippon Stars" category may have been of interest to a somewhat younger audience. Subaru XT, Mitsubishi 3000GT or Honda NSX were some of the candidates.
With the Toyota 2000 GT, however, the very finest from Japan was also in the race, as was the Toyota Sport 800, which is virtually unknown in Europe. Understandably, the Toyota 2000 GT scored the most points.
For the 1992 Honda NSX, however, a jury prize was also up for grabs.
The "Ghost Garage" class was also about preservation. Here, however, the aim was to commemorate past car brands. For example, there was a convertible Océane S based on the Aronde from the long-defunct Simca.
Iso has also not existed for decades, but the Grifo Targa was a worthy representative of the former brand of the Italian Renzo Rivolta.
That left the category of modern GTs and hypercars. Here, too, various Ferraris vied for the prize, including a Ferrari SP3 Daytona and the Monza SP2. The winner, however, was the Aston Martin Victor - a winner in the truest sense of its name.
But the Ferrari 375 Plus Spider Pinin Farina from 1954, one of six examples built of the 330 hp sports car equipped with a five-liter V12 engine from Lampredi, ended up at the top of the podium - a deserved winner. (lead picture)
The winners of the Zoute 2025 Concours d'Elégance at a glance:
1933 Aston Martin Le Mans "Early Motoring Icons"
1925 Minerva Type AD Saloon "Early Motoring Icons Belgium"
1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic "Steel & Speed 1950 - 1960"
1969 Ferrari 365 GTS "Steel & Speed 1961 - 1975"
1989 Ferrari F40 "Iconic Cars 1976 - 2005"
2020 Aston Martin Victor "Modern GTs and Hypercars"
1966 Iso Grifo Targa "Ghost Garage" forgotten brands
1967 Citroën DS 21 Le Caddy "Anniversaire de la Citroën DS"
1968 Toyota 2000 GT "Nippon Stars"
1957 BMW 507 "Preservation Award"
1954 Fiat 8V Berlinetta Series II Carrozzeria Fiat Speciali "Best Restoration Award"
1959 Citroën ID19 Grand Luxe Super Confort "Special Price of the Jury"
1992 Honda NSX "Special Price of the Jury"
1960 Ferrari 250 GT Coupé Drogo 1966 "Special Price of the Jury"
Best of Show:
1954 Ferrari 375 Plus Spider Pinin Farina
