From October 5 to 8, all car fans in Belgium and probably the Netherlands, France, and Germany too, had their eyes directed to the Belgian Coast. The reason why is very simple. They could indulge themselves while the 14th edition of the ZOUTE GRAND PRIX took place in Knokke-Heist. And those who visited one of the previous editions of the event know what that means. The Mundane city of Knokke transformed itself into the heart of the European automotive world.
The autumn weather was lovely, with a slight breeze and a warm sun. Approximately 250,000 (day trip) tourists descended on the fashionable seaside town. Friday and Saturday, the could enjoy the passage of the historic cars that participated in the Zoute Rally. Among the 250 historic cars on the start list, from 1929 to 1976, you could find a whole bunch of Porsches. The early birds could even enjoy these cars a day earlier, as they all lined up for scrutineering and a first RT. On Sunday, about 170 modern dream cars drove the GT Tour,
Two giant beach pavillions drew about 30,000 visitors which made the 2023 edition of the Zoute GP the most successful yet. 13000 square meters, that is the total area of the two impressive beach pavilions constructed for the event. The highlight was the brand new and no less than 8,000M2 ZOUTE GALLERY by EY. The pavilion gathers all the historic cars that were auctioned in the Bonhams Zoute Auction, of which we already made a preview and will make a report in the future. The 5,000M2 PRADO ZOUTE by Kindy Capital, built a little further on the beach housed the cars of today and those of the future. The eye-catcher at the Porsche stand was the brand-new Porsche 911 ST.
Results of the Zoute Rally
1st: De Jaeger-De Jaeger in a 1964 Sunbeam Tiger
2nd: Balcaen-Thiers in a 1964 Ac Cobra 289
3rd: Verstraete-Verstraete in a 1953 Jaguar XK 120 SE OTS Roadster
Picture gallery 2023 Zoute GP
All pictures by Tim Havermans (please contact us for high-res pictures of your car)
