On the weekend of March 1 to 3, 2019, the Belgian city of Antwerp was the place to be for numerous classic car enthusiasts from the Benelux countries as well as from neighbouring France and Germany. The 42nd edition of the annual 'Antwerp Classic Salon' once again attracted around 30,000 visitors to the diamond city.
Special exhibition "Lamborghini, la sensazione Italiana"
"Absolutely satisfied," said Danny Van Broeck, exhibition manager of the organizer SIHA, about this year's event.
The highlight in the largest of the three exhibition halls at 'Antwerp Expo' was a special exhibition entitled 'Lamborghini, la sensazione Italiana', which was organized in collaboration with the Lamborghini Club Belgium. The entire history of the sports car brand from Sant'Agata Bolognese was represented, from the beautiful 350 GT from 1965 in the color Blu Azurro, which once belonged to company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini and which was specially equipped with a four-liter engine for the boss, to the current models Aventador and Huracán, the latter also in Trofeo racing version.
There were also several examples of Lamborghini tractors, including the 'Centenario', which was built in 2016 in a limited edition of just five to mark the 100th birthday of the company founder. For the proud sales price of 250,000 euros that the German seller was asking, a Lamborghini sports car with considerably more engine power than the 39 hp of the anniversary tractor could also be purchased...
100 years of Citroën
The second special theme of the classic car fair in Antwerp was 100 years of Citroën, an anniversary that is the focus of almost all events this year. In contrast to the 'Rétromobile' in Paris, where the manufacturer itself shone with an impressive exhibition of rare exhibits from the factory collection, the importer for Belgium and Luxembourg was not represented with its own stand in Antwerp.
Representation was left to the club scene, as will also be the case next month at the 'Techno Classica' in Essen, according to information from Zwischengas.com - a somewhat surprising decision in the anniversary year, but the ways of marketing departments in large corporations are sometimes unfathomable.
The 'Belgian Oude Citroën Club' (Belgian Old Citroën Club) and the 'DS-SM Club Belgium' had brought together almost a dozen vehicles with the double angle. The pre-war era was represented by the rear-wheel drive models C2, C4 and B14. A Traction-Avant in Familiale design with three rows of seats represented the beginning of the front-wheel drive models, while the legendary D model series was represented by a Pallas in the popular 'Gris Palladium' color.
The unconventionally shaped Ami 6 and a red Dyane stood for the popular A-types with the air-cooled two-cylinder boxer engine.
The rare GS Birotor with Wankel engine, the SM sports car, which was created in collaboration with Maserati, and a CX 25 GTi Turbo rounded off the presentation. Strikingly, although over one million Citroëns were produced at the Citroën factory in the Forest district of Brussels between 1926 and the closure of the plant in 1980, this Belgian chapter in the brand's history was not mentioned at all at the anniversary presentation. A typical Belgian 2CV such as the AZAM6 with Ami 6 engine was also completely absent.
60 years of Mini
The 60th anniversary of the Mini was honored on an unfortunately relatively small presentation area. Even if the space required for Sir Alec Issigonis' creation is naturally not so generous, a somewhat more spacious layout would have been appropriate here.
Here too, around a dozen vehicles were represented, from the well-known standard version to the panel van version and the rather exotic Marcos and GTM compact sports cars based on the Mini.
Of course, the open-top Mini Moke beach car was not to be missed, nor was the Riley Elf variant with the minimal hint of a stepped rear end.
There was little to be seen of the special exhibition theme '65 years of the Chevrolet Corvette', which had also been announced, apart from a few Corvettes at dealerships.
Mercedes-Benz pre-war vehicles
There was an impressive collection of pre-war Mercedes-Benz vehicles on the stand of Belgian dealer Nijsmans Classic Cars. A dark blue 200 Cabriolet from 1934 for 300,000 euros was the most expensive, but for many also the most beautiful exhibit.
An absolute rarity was a Tracta Grégoire Sport with bodywork from Henri Chapron's French luxury workshop from 1958.
There were also some Panhard cars on display, including a Z1 from 1953 with a completely chrome-plated body.
Older and younger cars
Numerous cars showed that the trend towards youngtimers is also gaining ground in Belgium, although some vendors had rather optimistic price expectations. For example, a Dutch vendor asked 17,500 euros for an Opel Kadett (D series) from 1982, albeit with a mileage of just 13,000 kilometers.
One of the most expensive cars on offer was the Rolls-Roye Silver Wraith Limousine Landaulette from 1957, which was once part of the royal family's fleet in Great Britain. For 495,000 euros, you can feel a bit like the Queen in this vehicle, one of only six built.
Overall, the 'Antwerp Classic Salon' had a lot to offer, although we had expected a little more from the Citroën presentation and the Mini anniversary would have deserved a somewhat more appropriate setting.
Some clubs that were always present in previous years, including the otherwise very active association that maintains the heritage of the Belgian luxury car brand Minerva, were absent this year.
Other clubs, on the other hand, went all out with great presentations, including the Peugeot Club, which had recreated a French-style village café. There was also plenty on offer for collectors of automobilia. The date for 2020 has already been set: the 43rd edition of the event will take place from March 6-8 next year.
