Last weekend, spread over 4 days, the 15th edition of the ZOUTE GRAND PRIX took place in Knokke-Heist, Belgium. Once again, the event lived up to its reputation as the highlight of the autumn, marking the definitive end of summer for the seaside resort. Participants in the Zoute Rally by Stow, the Zoute GT Tour, as well as hundreds of thousands of day visitors, enjoyed a sun-drenched edition.
After last edition of the Zoute Grand Prix, the organisation faced heavy weather. Actually, they were virtually bankrupt. Luckily, a group of investors, among them Mark Coucke, decided to take the risk and keep the largest automotive event in the Benelux and probably far beyond alive. In the press conference kept August 1st, the new management explained about the future of the Zoute Grand Prix. The event last weekend revealed that they didn’t make vague promises.
Zoute Gallery and Car Boulevard
The location was once again the beach at the Albertplein in Knokke Zoute. An 11.0000 square metre tent, a true giant named Zoute Gallery by EY, hosted both the Bonhams Zout sale, and a stage for 17 exclusive contemporary car brands. Over 12.000 visitors paid a, to be honest, staggering 85 Euro, to be allowed to the Zoute Gallery by EY. Visitors that did not buy a ticket, had the opportunity to see 30 more cars displayed on the 500 meter Car Boulevard ,rouped into themes such as “Past meets Future,” “Let’s Dream,” and “Electric Avenue.” Nice to see, but we must admit that we liked the atmosphere of the cars displayed in the first editions of the Zoute Grand Prix better.
Zoute Grand Prix Rally and GT Tour
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the Zoute Grand Prix looks back at the past. Thursday, there is the scrutineering and the prologue of the Zoute GP Rally by Stow. Friday and Saturday, the 225 classic cars from 1927 to 1975 tackle a tulip-diagram roadbook that even brought them to France. On Sunday, about 170 modern GTs are challenged to do a route using the same technique too.
The Zoute Sale Becomes Bonhams|Cars’ Most Important Auction of the year, worldwide.
The Zoute Grand Prix is also a key event in the autumn calendar for the auction house Bonhams|Cars. For the 12th edition of the Zoute Sale, a unique selection of cars was once again gathered and auctioned off on Sunday afternoon. The total revenue of the Bonhams Zoute Sale was over €22.000.000, which is a drawback compared to last edition. However, with about 30 cars less auctioned, that gives that figure a completely different exposure. A sale rate of 70% is generally considered a healthy rate. In the 2024 Bonhams Zoute Sale, an impressive 94% sale rate was the final result. These figures make the Zoute Sale by Bonhams worldwide the most important auction of the year.
In a later report, we’ll bring you all the hammer prices of the Porsches that went under the hammer. Good to know is that the iconic 1956 Porsche 550 Spyder, chassic 550-082 was sold for €2.530.000 incl premium to a Belgian collector. We wonder whether we’ll see the car next year in the entry-list of the 2025 Zoute Grand Prix, that will take place from October 9 to October 12 2025
All pictures copyright Tim Havermans. Please contact us for pictures in high-resolution.
