A unique 1935 Lancia Astura Series III 233 C Roadster by Pinin Farina claimed Best of Show at the 2026 Zoute Concours d’Elegance, held on October 10-11, 2026 at Approach Golf in Knokke-Heist, Belgium. The event attracted 63 cars across nine classes, with special celebrations marking Lancia’s 120th anniversary and the centenaries of Mercedes-Benz and Carrozzeria Touring.
The winning Astura, chassis 33-5181, belongs to Dutch collector Piet Janssen, who has spent more than a decade returning it to its original appearance. Its history begins in 1934, when Swiss enthusiast Fredy Blaettler acquired a short-wheelbase Astura chassis and commissioned Pinin Farina to build a two-seat roadster to a design by Mario Revelli di Beaumont. The finished car appeared at the 1935 Turin Concours d’Elegance, but its distinctive proportions didn’t survive intact.
A subsequent owner had the coachwork extended to accommodate four passengers, substantially changing the original design. Janssen acquired the car in Switzerland in 2010 and commissioned Noek Stevens and Classic Skills of Lomm, Netherlands, to recreate the original two-seater. With Pininfarina’s drawings having been destroyed in a fire, the team had just three surviving photographs from 1935 to work from. Computer modelling helped establish the missing dimensions, allowing the original bodywork to be reconstructed. The restoration was completed in 2020. The Astura made its Pebble Beach debut in 2021, finishing second in class, before taking another class runner-up position and the Junior Jury Award at Wheels Mariënwaerdt in 2024.
Another car with an extraordinary restoration history was the 1942 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS ‘Trossi’, chassis 915510, which won Class III. It was commissioned by Count Carlo Felice Trossi, former president of Scuderia Ferrari and one of Alfa Romeo’s leading Grand Prix drivers. Touring created the distinctive coupé body, complete with additional headlights incorporated into its nose and an unusually restrained grey finish specified by Trossi.
The Alfa remained his personal transport through the war and his final racing years, but the coupé roof was subsequently removed. Raoul San Giorgi acquired the car in 1989, and an extensive restoration eventually returned it to its original closed configuration. Period photographs and registration records helped establish the correct body shape and detailing, while the understated grey paintwork was also reinstated.
Class VI went to a 1959 Maserati 3500 GT Vignale Spyder, identified in photographic coverage as a prototype. The silver car appears to be chassis 101.505, the Giovanni Michelotti-designed prototype displayed at the 1959 Turin Motor Show. Its distinctive grille and other bespoke details differ from those of the subsequent production Spyders.
Chassis 101.505 underwent an extensive restoration between 2023 and 2026, returning it to its original silver paintwork, ivory-and-red upholstery, blue carpets and gold-coloured detailing. It subsequently received Maserati Classiche’s 100th Certificate of Authenticity, and the car has enjoyed a successful 2026 concours season, winning its class and an interior-design award at April’s Anantara Concorso Roma, followed by another class victory at the Cartier Style et Luxe concours at Goodwood in July.
The 1959 Triumph Italia 2000 awarded Most Sensitive Restoration has also been collecting prizes throughout 2026. Identified by the Triumph Italia enthusiast community as car number 64, and associated with collector Chris Cachia, it made its post-restoration concours debut at the ASC Classic Gala in Germany, collecting multiple awards. It subsequently won its class at September’s Wheels Mariënwaerdt Concours d’Elegance before receiving its Zoute prize a few weeks later.
Among the other pre-war winners, a 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Cabriolet A (above) took Class II, while a 1936 BMW 326 Cabriolet with Drauz coachwork won Class IV. Preservation awards went to a 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing (below), which received Best Preservation, and a 1934 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio, recognised for its preserved interior. A 1911 Maxwell Type EA received one of three Special Prizes of the Jury.
Lancia enjoyed further success with a 1970 Fulvia Coupé 1.6 HF, which won Class I, and a 1951 Aurelia B20, which received another Special Prize of the Jury. The third jury award went to a 1953 Siata 208 S. A 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB won Class V, while Class VII went to a Porsche 930 Turbo. A 1995 Ford Escort RS Cosworth took Class VIII, followed by a 1989 Ferrari Testarossa in Class IX. The Exceptional Design award went to a 2023 Aston Martin Valkyrie.
The concours took place during the final two days of the wider Zoute Grand Prix Car Week, which began on October 7 with the second Iconic Rally. More than 100 cars built between 1976 and 2005 took part in the one-day event, which included regularity challenges and a route through Flanders. The three-day Classic Rally followed, with Patrick Van Remoortel and Bjorn Clauw taking overall victory in a 1951 Apal Coupé. They finished ahead of Verhage and Vander Stichele in a 1964 Mercedes-Benz 230 SL, and Van den Branden and Goossens in a 1953 Jaguar XK120 OTS.
Saturday’s GT Tour brought an altogether different selection of machinery to Knokke-Heist. Four Koenigseggs assembled on the seafront – a One:1, Jesko Attack, Agera R and CC850 – with three participating in the tour. Together, the quartet represented more than 5400bhp and an estimated value exceeding €20m. The event also introduced the 4×4 Village on Heist beach, where visitors could see contemporary off-road machinery tackling a purpose-built course. A new 4×4 Rally accompanied the attraction.
The Gallery by EY on Albertplein featured the Ferrari F80 alongside numerous Belgian and European premieres, while the Car Boulevard extended the displays along the seafront. The expanded programme also included the Zoute Kids Rally and Kids Concours. Princess Claire of Belgium attended Saturday’s Classic Rally finish and the evening gala, where a charity auction raised €65,000 for the Queen Paola Foundation.
The two collector-car auctions generated further headlines. Broad Arrow’s second Zoute Concours Auction on October 9 achieved a 91 percent sell-through rate, with a 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari setting a Belgian auction record at €5,181,250. Two days later, Bonhams’ Zoute Sale totalled €10.2m, led by a 1970 Lamborghini Miura P400S from the Keller Brothers Collection at €1,725,000. The 12-car collection sold in its entirety. Our separate reports cover the Broad Arrow results and Bonhams results in detail.
More details on the Zoute Grand Prix can be found here.
