The Zurich Classic Car Award took place for the sixth time - as usual on a Wednesday - on August 23, 2017 on Bürkliplatz in Zurich, in the heart of the banking district. Over sixty classy and elegant classic cars gathered from nine o'clock to face the strict judges. The judges did not have an easy task, even for the "Best of Show", the overall victory, several vehicles were considered.
In front of the National Bank
In view of the rolling cultural assets lined up in front of the National Bank, it was easy to wonder whether there was more money in or in front of the bank. But of course this Concours was less about money and more about elegance superlatives. After all, the most beautiful and impressive car, preferably with a good story, should win.
Almost 110 years old
The oldest car was probably also the rarest. Only a few car companies were based in Scotland, Dalgliesh-Gullane was one of the vehicles built in 1907 and 1908 by Haddington Motor Engineering in East Lothian. It was a two-seater, powered by a single-cylinder De Dion engine that produced around 8 hp from a displacement of about 1.2 liters.
The engine was and still is started by hand using a crank handle, after which the engine quickly falls back to its idling speed of 350 revolutions. Shifting is via a three-speed gearbox that transmits the power to the rear axle via a cardan shaft. Braking is by foot on the cardan shaft or by hand on rear-mounted drum brakes.
According to the authentically dressed owner, who has taken the car on long journeys as far afield as Scotland, you can reach speeds of around 40 km/h with it. He caused quite a stir there, as his Dalgliesh Gullane is the only survivor from a production run of around a dozen cars.
The people on Bürkliplatz certainly enjoyed the "Schnauferl", and the owner won third prize in the pre-war class.
70 years of Ferrari
On the occasion of Ferrari's 70th anniversary, which was celebrated in many places, a special class was set up for the cars with the prancing horse on the hood. The line-up of elegant sports cars in front of the National Bank was more than impressive - when do you see two Ferrari 250 GT SWBs side by side, framed by Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona, 250 GTE, 250 GT Lusso, Berlinetta Boxer and GTC?
The two rarest cars decided the class victory between them, the Ferrari 250 MM from 1961 and the Ferrari 312P from 1969. In the end, the prototype racing car from Group 6 at the time came out on top.
This is one of two racing cars built (chassis 0868 and 0870), which can be used in both coupé and spider versions. Technically, the car was based on the Formula 1 car of the time. The closed version in particular also impressed the aesthetes. And apparently also the jury at Bürkliplatz, because the Ferrari 312P not only won the Ferrari class, but also the "Best of Show" prize.
And this meant that the racing car had to/was allowed to drive forward under its own power, transforming Bürkliplatz into a very unusual but extraordinarily attractive soundscape.
Elegant special bodies
There were several special bodies on display at Bürkliplatz and, as always, they scored highly in their classes. The Rolls-Royce Phantom II from 1932 was only built twice in the USA with the bodywork on display. While the sister car once belonged to Charlie Chaplin, the dark blue convertible found its way to Switzerland. The freshly restored car won the pre-war class.
In the post-war class of closed cars up to 1960, a special body also took first prize: a Lancia Aurelia B52 with Vignale bodywork from 1952 based on a design by Giovanni Michelotti.
Reinhard Schmidlin and his son Serge Stotzer brought the car to Zurich and were visibly delighted to have won the prize.
It runs and runs and runs ... but not
The VW Beetle was converted into a 2+2-seater convertible at the end of the 1940s by the German coachbuilder Hebmüller, which, unlike the "normal" Beetle convertible, had a fully retractable soft top. What is special about the Hebmüller convertible shown on Bürkliplatz is that the car is still owned by the first family to this day. The convertible, which was delivered in Germany, was brought to Switzerland by the buyer's son and is still largely in its original condition.
Only the "runs and runs and runs" promise could not be kept by the car. The owner had simply forgotten to switch off the lights and with a 6 V battery, there was soon no power left to start the car.
And so the VW had to be pushed to the award ceremony by the ACS helpers, where the lucky owner received the first prize in the post-war class of open cars up to 1960.
Sporty vehicles as beauties
The audience had their own opinion as to which car was the most beautiful. A completely restored Jaguar XK 140 SE from 1954 received the most sympathy. The special thing about this car? If possible, it is driven every day, even in winter, as long as there is no salt on the roads.
In the class of closed cars from 1961 to 1970, there was an Italian three-way battle for class victory, which was ultimately won by a white Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale from 1961. It beat the equally beautiful Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ from 1960 and an Abarth 1000 Bialbero.
The open-top cars from 1961 to 1970 were won by a Mercedes-Benz 220 SEb from 1964, which has been with the same owner for many decades.
A De Tomaso Longchamp Spider from 1976 won the post-war cars after 1970.
Lots of raisins among the non-winners
It was worth taking a closer look at all the participants, even if they did not win any prizes. For example, the black Fiat Viotti Cabriolet from 1939 with its largely preserved original paintwork, a VW 1300 Beetle was almost completely original, and the elegant AC 428 from 1967 was a convincing Cobra in a ball gown.
The Tatra T 600 from 1949 proved that even streamlined vehicles can be beautiful, while the Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz showed that the Americans also had an abundance of aesthetic sense.
One of the most elegant cars on the square was certainly the Delahaye 135 M with Guilloré convertible body from 1948. The electrically assisted Cotal gearbox was typical of the top French products of the time.
And the four Bentleys standing so beautifully in a row should not go unmentioned here either.
It was actually hard to get enough of the Bürkliplatz, only the constant cell phone photography and the narrowness of the square prevented some people from enjoying the sensual viewing of the beauties. And the event came to an end far too quickly, as the Concours vehicles disappeared in all directions from 4 p.m. onwards.
Participating vehicles and awards
The following table shows all participants in the Zurich Classic Car Award 2017. The award winners are noted accordingly.
The table can be sorted by clicking on a column heading, for example by year or brand. Almost all vehicles can also be seen in the picture gallery.
| No | Class | Make | Model | Year | Awards/Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pre-war (open/closed) | Alvis | Speed 20 | 1934 | Best unrestored |
| 2 | Pre-war (open/closed) | Alvis | 12/70 Brooklands | 1938 | |
| 3 | Pre-war (open/closed) | Belsize | RM6 | 1925 | |
| 5 | Pre-war (open/closed) | Dalgliesch Gullane | 1908 | Class 3rd place | |
| 6 | Pre-war (open/closed) | Fiat | Viotti Cabriolet | 1939 | |
| 7 | Pre-war (open/closed) | Hotchkiss | AM 680 Graber | 1937 | Class 2nd place |
| 8 | Pre-war (open/closed) | Jaguar | SS 90 | 1935 | not on the course |
| 9 | Pre-war (open/closed) | Jaguar | SS DHC | 1938 | |
| 10 | Pre-war (open/closed) | Plymouth | PE6 Langenthal | 1934 | |
| 11 | Pre-war (open/closed) | Rollks-Royce | Phantom II Brewster | 1932 | Class winner |
| 15 | Pre-war (open/closed) | Studebaker | Dictator | 1937 | |
| 16 | Post-war until 1960 (open) | Delahaye | 135M Guilloré | 1948 | Class 2nd place |
| 17 | Post-war until 1960 (open) | Austin Healey | 100 BN1 | 1954 | |
| 18 | Post-war until 1960 (open) | Jaguar | XK 140 | 1954 | Public winner |
| 20 | Post-war until 1960 (open) | VW | Hebmüller Cabriolet | 1950 | Class winner |
| 22 | Post-war until 1960 (open) | Mercedes-Benz | 300 SL | 1958 | |
| 21 | Post-war until 1960 (open) | Cadillac | Eldorado Biarritz | 1960 | Class 3rd place |
| 24 | Post-war until 1960 (closed) | Riley | RMA | 1951 | |
| 25 | Post-war until 1960 (closed) | Bentley | MK VI | 1951 | Class 3rd place |
| 26 | Post-war until 1960 (closed) | Bentley | R-Type Rippon | 1954 | |
| 27 | Post-war until 1960 (closed) | Bentley | R-Type Abbott | 1953 | Class 2nd place |
| 28 | Post-war until 1960 (closed) | Bentley | R-Type Standard | 1953 | |
| 29 | Post-war until 1960 (closed) | Lancia | Aurelia B52 Vignale Coupé | 1952 | Class winner |
| 30 | Post-war until 1960 (closed) | Renault | 4CV | 1950 | |
| 31 | Post-war until 1960 (closed) | Aston Martin | DB2 | 1952 | |
| 32 | Post-war until 1960 (closed) | Nash | Ambassador | 1952 | |
| 33 | Post-war until 1960 (closed) | Tatra | T 600 | 1949 | |
| 35 | Post-war 1961-1970 (open) | Jaguar | E-Type Series 1 OTS | 1961 | Class 2nd place |
| 36 | Post-war 1961-1970 (open) | Jaguar | E-Type Series 2 OTS | 1969 | |
| 38 | Post-war 1961-1970 (open) | Ford | Thunderbird | 1964 | a/K |
| 39 | Post-war 1961-1970 (open) | Mercedes-Benz | 220 SEb | 1964 | Class winner |
| 40 | Post-war 1961-1970 (open) | Pontiac | Bonneville | 1964 | a/K |
| 41 | Post-war 1961-1970 (open) | Austin Healey | 3000 Mk III | 1967 | |
| 42 | Post-war 1961-1970 (open) | Maserati | 3500 Vignale Spider | 1960 | |
| 43 | Post-war 1961-1970 (open) | Maserati | 3500 Vignale Spider | 1961 | |
| 44 | Post-war 1961-1970 (open) | MG | C Roadster | 1968 | Class 3rd place |
| 47 | Post-war 1961-1970 (closed) | Abarth | GT 1000 Bialbero | 1963 | Class 3rd place |
| 48 | Post-war 1961-1970 (closed) | AC | 428 Coupé | 1967 | |
| 49 | Post-war 1961-1970 (closed) | Alfa Romeo | Giulietta Sprint Speciale (SS) | 1961 | Class winner |
| 50 | Post-war 1961-1970 (closed) | Alfa Romeo | Giulietta SZ | 1960 | Class 2nd place |
| 51 | Post-war 1961-1970 (closed) | Aston Martin | DB5 | 1964 | |
| 52 | Post-war 1961-1970 (closed) | Chevrolet | Corvette | 1967 | a/K |
| 53 | Post-war 1961-1970 (closed) | Fiat | Abarth 850TC | 1962 | |
| 54 | Post-war 1961-1970 (closed) | Jaguar | XJ6 | 1969 | |
| 55 | Post-war 1961-1970 (closed) | Jaguar | 420 | 1968 | not on the course |
| 56 | Post-war 1961-1970 (closed) | Jaguar | E-Type Series 1 3.8 FHC | 1962 | |
| 57 | Post-war 1961-1970 (closed) | Maserati | Ghibli | 1968 | |
| 58 | Post-war 1961-1970 (closed) | Iso Rivolta | Grifo | 1969 | a/k |
| 59 | Post-war 1961-1970 (closed) | VW | 1300 (Beetle) | 1966 | |
| 60 | Post-war 1961-1970 (closed) | Maserati | 3500 GTi | 1962 | |
| 62 | Post-war after 1970 | Alfa Romeo | Alfasud Sprint Veloce Trofeo | 1982 | Class 3rd place |
| 63 | Post-war after 1970 | De Tomaso | Longchamp Spider | 1976 | Class winner |
| 64 | Post war after 1970 | Ligier | JS2 Maserati | 1975 | Class 2nd place |
| 65 | Post-war after 1970 | Maserati | Khamsin | 1975 | |
| 66 | Post-war after 1970 | Porsche | 911S/R | 1972 | not on the course |
| 70 | 70 years of Ferrari | Dino | 246 GT | 1972 | a/K, not on the course |
| 73 | 70 years of Ferrari | Ferrari | 365 GTC/4 | 1971 | |
| 74 | 70 years of Ferrari | Ferrari | 250 GT SWB | 1960 | |
| 75 | 70 years Ferrari | Ferrari | 275 GTB | 1965 | |
| 76 | 70 years of Ferrari | Ferrari | 250 GT Lusso | 1963 | |
| 77 | 70 years of Ferrari | Ferrari | 512 BB | 1980 | |
| 78 | 70 years Ferrari | Ferrari | 365 GTB/4 Daytona Plexi | 1970 | |
| 79 | 70 years Ferrari | Ferrari | 250 MM | 1953 | Class 2nd place |
| 80 | 70 years Ferrari | Ferrari | 250 GT SWB | 1961 | |
| 81 | 70 years Ferrari | Ferrari | 250 GTE | 1961 | Class 3rd place |
| 82 | 70 years Ferrari | Ferrari | 365 GTB/4 Daytona | 1974 | |
| 83 | 70 years of Ferrari | Dino | 246 GTS | 1973 | |
| 84 | 70 years of Ferrari | Ferrari | 312P | 1969 | Best of Show, class winner |
