The Gstaad Classic Rally, organized by Isabelle Sadeleer and Patrick Peter, attracts classic car fans from all over the world to Switzerland every two years. This year, the third edition took place from September 26 to 28.
As in previous years, the hub was Gstaad in the Bernese Oberland. From here, the route followed fascinating mountain roads accessible to public transport. This year, the Gstaad Classic Rally was a pure regularity event.
The victory went to Georges-Henri Meylan/Julien Stervinou (CH/F) in an Alpine A110 1600 S from 1973, followed by Franco Lupi/Peter Livanos (CH/GR) in a Volkswagen Golf GTI from 1979. Jean-François Nicoules/François Nicoules (F) in a Chevrolet Corvette from 1960 and Alexandre Axarlis/Didier Buffat (GB) in a Porsche 356 SC from 1962 finished third and fourth respectively.
Alain Prost with his son Nicolas in an Alpine A110
It is always a very special moment in motorsport when father and son compete together. This year's Gstaad Classic was one such highlight. Four-time Formula 1 world champion Alain Prost and his son Nicolas drove an Alpine A110 together.
"This is the first time I've driven an Alpine A110. It's also the first time I've been in the same racing car with my son Nicolas. And this is the first time since my only rally in 1982 (Rallye du Var 1982 - Renault 5 Turbo - retired after the 3rd special stage due to an accident) that I have competed in a rally," Alain Prost told Zwischengas.
At the side of his famous father, Nicolas Prost was overjoyed. "It was a really great experience to take part in the Gstaad Classic Rally with my father. Incidentally, it was my first time as a rally co-driver. But we only drove the first stage because we were expected in Le Castellet on Saturday for the World Series by Renault," Nicolas Prost told Zwischengas.
The now 32-year-old racing driver graduated from Columbia University in New York with a degree in both economics and mathematics. At the same time, he worked on his motorsport career. At the age of 22, he made his racing debut in the Formula Renault Campus in 2003. This was followed by Formula Renault 2.0, Formula 3 and appearances in GT racing. In 2008, Nicolas Prost won the Euroseries 3000, today's Auto GP World Series. He then successfully switched to endurance racing with the Swiss team Rebellion. His highlights include victory in the 2012 Petit Le Mans and 4th place in the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Rebellion Lola alongside ex-Sauber F1 driver Nick Heidfeld and Neel Jani from Seeland. In between, Nicolas Prost, who has held a Swiss passport since last year, has tested for several Formula 1 teams and has been an official test and development driver for Lotus F1 since 2011.
However, Alain Prost and his son Nicolas were not the only celebrities at the start. Renate Ojjeh, the mother of Geneva-based Karim Ojjeh (CEO TAG Finance SA), who drove the 24 Hours of Le Mans eight times (8th overall in 2012 and winner in the LMP2 category in a Zytek Z11SN-Nissan), crossed the finish line in Gstaad in 22nd place. She was Jean Brandenburg's co-driver in a 1965 Jaguar E-Type.
Picasso's son in a Porsche Carrera Abarth
Claude Picasso provided additional celebrities. Pablo Picasso's son drove his very rare 1961 Porsche 356 Carrera GTL Abarth (official type designation: Porsche 356 B/1600 GS Carrera GTL) in a rally for the first time.
The Porsche 356 Carrera GTL Abarth was only built 20 times. It marked the pinnacle of the sporty 356 series. The GTL (the "L" stands for light) was assembled at Abarth in Turin. It was given an aerodynamic aluminum body designed by Franco Scaglione and Zagato and weighed around 140 kg less than the standard 356. In addition to the very flat overall appearance, the many transverse cooling fins on the rear section, which ensured good ventilation of the engine compartment, are typical of the GTL.
"This is the only 356 Carrera GTL Abarth in the world that is blue," Claude Picasso proudly told us. "I had it painted like this because it's the only 356 Carrera GTL Abarth that was sold new in France. It also spent almost its entire life in France. Its top speed with the 135 hp engine was over 230 km/h and it won several races. Its first owner was Pierre Monneret. The Carrera GTL Abarth was then sold to Doctor Pierre Roueylou. He then bought a Porsche 904 and sold the Abarth on to Guy Hospitalier," explains Claude Picasso, who also owns the last Porsche 356 Beutler built.
Yves Amiat, the fourth owner of the Porsche 356 Carrera GTL Abarth, bought the car in September 1966 for 12,000 francs, about 14,500 euros today. He won the Rallye du Roussillon on October 23, 1966. In 1967, he had the 1.6 l engine replaced by a 2.0 l engine (160 hp instead of 135 hp) in Zuffenhausen and achieved several podium finishes in various hill climbs in Spain and France, as well as 4th place in the Rallye du Roussillon on October 22, 1967.
The car then spent more than a year for sale on a sidewalk in front of a BMW and Porsche dealership in Perpignan in the south of France. From 1973, the Abarth ended up at Rudi Klein's car graveyard in California, where it remained until 2004.
According to the French magazine Sport Auto, the 356 Carrera GTL Abarth is worth 1.4 million euros today!
Automotive rarities in the Saanenland
The special ambience and the excellent connections of organizer Patrick Peter once again attracted owners of many automotive gems to the Saanenland. In addition to the Alain Prost-Alpine A110 and the Claude Picasso-Porsche 356 GTL Abarth, there were, for example, an Alfa Romeo 1750 GS and a Talbot 105, both from 1931, a BMW 328 from 1938, a Jaguar C Type, an Alfa Romeo 1900 SSZ, a Lancia Stratos, as well as several Mercedes 300 SL Roadsters, Aston Martin DB4s and Ferraris, including a 275 GTB from 1965, a 250 GT Lusso from 1964, a 275 GTB/C from 1965 and a 365 GTC/4 from 1972.
Beautiful landscapes and excellent cheese
The owner of the latter Ferrari, Frenchman Lucien-François Bernard, told us that he took part in the Gstaad Classic Rally because the area is "tellement magnifique" ("so beautiful"). "And it's the end of the season. The participants are much more relaxed than at the beginning of the season," says Lucien-François Bernard.
And speaking of the beautiful region, the Gstaad Classic - first organized as a regularity rally in 2013 - headed into the heart of the Gruyères district, known for its cheese and the Château de Gruyères, on the first day. From there, the route led to Vaulruz, Romont, Moudon, Cossonay, the Col du Mollendruz, which rises to 1,184 meters above sea level, and the "Le Chalottet" cheese dairy near the Brenet and Joux lakes. During the lunch break, the driver and co-driver were able to convince themselves of the much-vaunted quality of Swiss cheese...
This culinary delight was followed by a visit to the Audemars Piguet watch manufactory. The tour then returned to Gstaad. The route went over the Marchairuz mountain pass - which offered a wonderful view of Lake Geneva - and along the "Route d'Aigle" between flatlands and towering mountains. The "Col de Mosses" pass, also known from the Tour de France, marked the end of the first day's stage with its breathtaking panorama.
The second day took riders and classic cars through a whole series of natural spectacles: Lakes Thun and Brienz and the impressive Giessbach waterfalls. They then drove to Kandersteg (Lötschberg tunnel), Brig, over the Grimsel Pass and back to Gstaad.
Cows and cow pats
The third and final day was also very interesting. Before the well-earned lunch was ready in Saanen, drivers and cars had to conquer the mountain passes "Col de la Croix" and "Col du Pillon" with gradients of around 11 percent. Between Château-d'Oex and L'Etivaz, known for its excellent cheese, the participants had to give way to several alpine passes.
The show of beautifully decorated cows was great. The only problem was that the beautiful cars soiled their tires on the cow pats... But they were cleaned up in time for the slalom on the Saanen airfield, which concluded the rally!
The individual results of the rally can be viewed on the event website.
Registered vehicles
| Start no. | Vehicle | Year | Coeff. | Nat. | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alfa Romeo 1750 GS | 1931 | 0,80 | BEL | |
| 2 | Talbot 105 | 1931 | 0,80 | GBR | Rank 6 |
| 3 | BMW 328 | 1938 | 0,80 | USA | |
| 4 | Austin Healey 3000 Mk 3 | 1964 | 0,90 | BEL | |
| 5 | Abarth 1000 | 1964 | 0,90 | CHE | Rank 10 |
| 6 | Jaguar XK 120 | 1953 | 0,90 | CHE | |
| 7 | Jaguar XK 120 | 1953 | 0,90 | GRC | |
| 8 | Jaguar XK 120 FHC | 1953 | 0,90 | CHE | |
| 10 | Jaguar XKC | 1954 | 0,90 | CHE | |
| 11 | Jaguar Type E 3.8 Roadster | 1964 | 0,90 | DNK | |
| 12 | Alfa Romeo 1900 SS Zagato | 1955 | 0,90 | CHE | |
| 14 | Shelby Cobra 289 | 1964 | 0,90 | FRA | |
| 15 | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL | 1957 | 0,90 | FRA | |
| 16 | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster | 1957 | 0,90 | FRA | |
| 18 | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster | 1962 | 0,90 | DEU | |
| 20 | Porsche 356 B Coupe 2000 GT | 1962 | 0,90 | GBR | |
| 21 | Porsche 356 B Carrera Abarth GTL | 1960 | 0,90 | FRA | |
| 22 | AC Bristol | 1956 | 0,90 | BEL | |
| 23 | Lotus Elite | 1960 | 0,90 | FRA | |
| 25 | Jaguar XK 120 | 1949 | 0,90 | FRA | |
| 26 | Jaguar XK 120 Roadster | 1950 | 0,90 | USA | |
| 27 | Austin Healey 100/4 | 1954 | 0,90 | FRA | Rank 7 |
| 28 | Aston Martin DB 4 | 1960 | 0,90 | FRA | |
| 30 | Aston Martin DB 4 | 1962 | 0,90 | FRA | Rank 5 |
| 31 | Aston Martin DB 4 Convertible | 1965 | 0,90 | ||
| 32 | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL | 1959 | 0,90 | BEL | |
| 33 | Ferrari 365 GTB/4 | 1970 | 0,95 | GBR | |
| 34 | Ferrari 250 F | 1961 | 0,90 | BEL | |
| 35 | Ferrari 275 GTB 2 | 1965 | 0,90 | USA | |
| 36 | Ferrari 250 GT Lusso | 1964 | 0,90 | USA | |
| 37 | Ferrari 275 GTB/C | 1965 | 0,90 | CHE | |
| 38 | Chevrolet Corvette | 1960 | 0,90 | FRA | Rank 3 |
| 40 | Alpine A110 1600 S | 1970 | 0,95 | FRA | Rank 1 |
| 41 | Jaguar Type E | 1965 | 0,90 | DEU | |
| 42 | Jaguar Type E | 1967 | 0,95 | CHE | Rank 9 |
| 43 | Jensen 541 R | 1960 | 0,90 | CHE | |
| 44 | Porsche 356 C | 1962 | 0,90 | GBR | Rank 4 |
| 45 | Chevrolet Corvette | 1964 | 0,90 | CHE | |
| 46 | Shelby Cobra 289 | 1964 | 0,90 | BEL | |
| 47 | Ferrari 365 GTB Daytona | 1974 | 0,95 | CHE | |
| 48 | Porsche 911 2.2 S Targa | 1970 | 0,95 | FRA | |
| 50 | Alpine A110 1600 S Gr. IV | 1970 | 0,95 | Rank 8 | |
| 51 | Porsche 911 2.2 S Targa | 1972 | 0,95 | CHE | |
| 52 | Ferrari Dino 246 GT | 1971 | 0,95 | CHE | |
| 53 | Ferrari Dino 246 GT | 1972 | 0,95 | FRA | |
| 54 | Ferrari 365 GTB/4 | 1971 | 0,95 | FRA | |
| 55 | Ferrari Dino 246 GT | 1971 | 0,95 | FRA | |
| 56 | Ferrari 365 GTC/4 | 1972 | 0,95 | FRA | |
| 57 | Lancia Stratos | 1976 | 0,95 | ITA | |
| 60 | Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.0L | 1974 | 0,95 | FRA | |
| 61 | Porsche 911 RSR3.0L | 1974 | 0,95 | ITA | |
| 62 | Ferrari Dino Spyder | 1974 | 0,95 | CHE | |
| 63 | Ferrari 308 GTB | 1985 | 1,00 | CHE | |
| 64 | Ferrari 308 GTS | 1984 | 1,00 | ||
| 65 | Ferrari 308 GTSI | 1981 | 1,00 | CHE | |
| 66 | Austin Healey 3000 Mk 1 | 1959 | 0,90 | CHE | |
| 67 | Porsche 911 2.0L | 1965 | 0,90 | GRC | |
| 68 | Volkswagen Golf GTI | 1979 | 1,00 | GRC | Rank 2 |
