Wheels Mariënwaerdt 2025 saw an exquisite 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GTC boded by Touring take home top honours, topping off an excellent weekend of classic and modern motoring excellence at the Mariënwaerdt Estate in the Netherlands.
Held over September 12-14, 2025, the event kicked off on Friday with a club concours, with representatives from Mercedes-Benz, Maserati, Citroën, Morgan and Lamborghini taking part. Saturday provided a chance to take an informal look at the cars, before judging proper commenced on Sunday. Not even a soggy Saturday with a thunderstorm could dampen the spirit – and the muddy conditions on the Trial Experience and the Pre-War Sprint led to plenty of sideways action and enthusiastic crowd splattering.
The winning Alfa Romeo is one of only a few fitted with the Coupé Royal body by Carrozzeria Touring, nicknamed Fugientem Incurro Diem – And The Time Flies. It was a good concours overall for Alfa Romeo, with a Falco-bodied 1914 20/30HP – the first car sold as an Alfa, by the brother of Alberto Ascari – winning the Evolutionary Pioneers class. Meanwhile, a 1947 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport by Pinin Farina took the Special Coachwork Post-War class.
Here are a few of the other highlights from the weekend.
Some of the highlight winners at Wheels Mariënwaerdt 2025 were, from top left, the 1903 White Steamer D RET that won the Most Original (innovative, rather than preservation) award, the 1939 Mercedes-Benz 320 Cabriolet B that won the Prix des Dames and the Dutch Heritage award-winning 1926 Amilcar CGS3 Duval. This latter car has been in the same Dutch family for nine decades, and its second owner was famous Dutch racing driver Tom Meylink. The AC 16/90 Competition-Supercharged-16 pictured bottom left won the Judges Compliment award.
From top right, this 1957 T14 LS Sport 2500 took home top spot in the Talbot Lago 90 Years class, while this 1952 Lancia Aurelia B20 GT Low Roof Competizione Pinin Farina won the Italian Sportscars of the ’50s and ’60s class. This particular car, one of five built, was sponsored by Road & Track magazine in return for a road test from Texas to Mexico City. Having collected the Lancia from Dallas, they had two days to get it to Mexico so Formula 1 driver Felice Bonetto could take on the 1951 Carrera Panamericana.
Due to an engine fire on one of the aeroplanes, necessitating the Mexican army to supply one, the Lancia got to its location half a day late, receiving special dispensation for the registration and technical inspection. Although it was competitive early on, it blew its head gasket and, rather than have the expense of shipping the car back to Europe, the Aurelia stayed in Mexico. It was then acquired by Enrique Ortiz Peredo, who along with co-pilot Manuel Armida, competed the Lancia and finished fourth and ahead of two of the three Works entries. After one more race, very little was known about the car for 43 years before it was shipped to the Netherlands.
Bottom left is the 1913 Hispano-Suiza 15T Alfonso XIII that won the Challenge Cup Autosport Award, and above that is the 1949 Talbot Lago T26 Grans Sport by Barou that won the Junior Jury Award.
From top left, this 1959 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster won the Top Restoration Award after going through a nine-year restoration with Mercedes Classic following a garage fire; this UK-RHD 1990 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary with orange paint (which Lamborghini initially refused but was eventually convinced to do by Valentino Balboni, in order to match the original owner’s early Countach) won the Sports cars of the ’80s and ’90s class, while the German Engineering of the 1970s class went to this 1973 BMW 3.0 CSL Batmobile. The Iconic Sportscars of the ’60s and ’70s Award went to this 1965 Porsche 911 on account of its owner-led restoration that incorporated recreating stickers and collecting parts that matched its strict production date.
Wheels Mariënwaerdt 2025 also saw the European debut of the Bugatti Broulliard (in green, above), and to celebrate the Perridon Collection was on rare public display, with highlights including an ex-Renato Balastrero Type 35C, the only Type 32 to retain its original engine, a Type 15 Alphenfahrt, a Type 17 original sold to the US, a Kelsch-bodied Type 30 Skiff-bodied Tourer originally sold to the UK, and several Veyrons, a Chiron and an EB110SS. Bugatti was also represented on the popular Pre-War Sprint, which saw enthusiastic crowds enjoy vintage cars ripping past in a flurry of mud and noise.
One of the most popular parts of Wheels Mariënwaerdt 2025 was the trials section, with vintage cars and more modern rally machines taking on the challenge. With Audi’s Quattro system celebrating 45 years, a number of rally-prepared machines had a go, in addition to a display of road cars on the concours field.
Other highlights included a display of Spykers in both their very earliest form and their 2000s incarnation, a car club concours on the Friday, manufacturer displays and dealer installations – incorporating one British car dealer who brought along a replica Big Ben as part of the stand display, and was suitably rewarded with some very British weather on the Saturday. This didn’t dampen the enthusiasm.
Yours truly was invited to judge the Iconic Sportscars of the ’60s and ’70s class, and had a thoroughly good time – unlike some concours, Wheels Mariënwaerdt 2025 was a pleasingly relaxed and friendly affair and it was certainly one I’ll be returning to. It’s also well placed for British visitors arriving by car – I took the overnight ferry from Harwich and the event is around an hour’s drive from the Hook of Holland.
Here are four of my favourite cars from the weekend below: from top right, a one-of-30 Alpina B7 Turbo S found in the car park on Friday, a one-of-four Dutch imported Puma 1600s now fitted with a Porsche 914 engine, a Maserati Quattroporte I in the club concours and a Savali-tuned Alfa Romeo SZ with an enlarged 3.5-litre Busso V6.
You can find out more about Wheels Mariënwaerdt 2025 here – the dates to look out for next year have yet to be announced. Full list of winners is below.
Wheels Mariënwaerdt 2025 Concours d’Elegance results
Best of Show: 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GTC Touring (also won Special Coachwork Pre-War).
Special Awards
Junior Jury Award: 1949 Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport Coupé Jean Barou
Dutch Heritage Award: 1926 Amilcar CGS3 Duval
Most Original Award: 1904 White Steamer D RET
Top Restoration Award: 1959 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster
Best Preserved Car: 1953 Talbot-Lago T26 Record Panoramique
Prix des Dames: 1939 Mercedes-Benz 320 Cabriolet B Sindelfingen
Judges Compliment Award: 1938 AC 16/90 Competition-Supercharged-16
Most Travelled Distance Award: 1954 Frazer Nash Le Mans Coupé Works body
Turien Award: 1921 Bentley 3 Litre Harrison
Challenge Cup Autosport Award: 1913 Hispano-Suiza 15T Alfonso XIII
Class Awards
Talbot Lago 90 Years: 1957 Talbot-Lago T14 LS Sport 2500
100 years of Rolls-Royce Phantom: 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Brewster
Evolutionary Pioneers: 1914 Alfa Romeo 20/30 by Falco
Special Coachwork Post-War: 1947 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Pinin Farina
Rich & Famous: 1963 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III
Iconic Sportscars of the ’60s and ’70s: 1965 Porsche 911
Italian Sportscars of the ’50s and ’60s: 1952 Lancia Aurelia B20 GT Low Roof Competizione Pinin Farina
German Engineering of the ’70s: 1973 BMW 3.0 CSL Batmobile
Sports Cars of the ’80s and ’90s: 1990 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary
Pure & Patina: 1934 Buick 56S Fisher
