WORDS: SIMON DE BURTON | PHOTOS: ZGP
‘Knokke Heist Le Zoute’ might sound like a fictitious town beneath Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’s flight path to Vulgaria – but the way it operates is certainly no joke.
Thanks to the efforts of baron mayor Leopold Lippens, who ruled over the three-part municipality from 1979 until his death in 2021, the area boasts some of Belgium’s most expensive and prestigious real estate as well as one of the greatest concentrations of billionaires in Europe.
And, depending on where you get your information, between three and seven kings have holiday homes there.
The event has grown into a four-day automotive festival that draws entries from all over Europe and beyond
Tax on properties (most of which are ‘second’ ones) is virtually nil, an immediate €350 fine for dropping litter keeps the streets pristine and the favoured methods of getting from A to B are bicycles and electric golf carts – Knokke Heist being the only town in Europe where using the latter on public roads is not only permitted, but encouraged.
There’s a lot more about this peculiar locality beside the bracing North Sea that’s decidedly unusual, but you’ve probably gleaned enough to know that it approaches a level of social perfection that makes The Truman Show’s Seahaven Island seem positively shabby.
But that’s not to say the population (30,000 off-season, 200,000 ‘on’) doesn’t know how to have fun – especially when it comes to cars.
Back in 2010, local brothers David and Filip Bourgoo decided they could create a classic rally of a far higher standard than others organised in the region – one with better routes, better cars, better food and better camaraderie.
So they rounded up a group of other motoring fans and the Zoute Grand Prix was born – and now, 14 editions later, the event has grown into a four-day automotive festival that draws entries from all over Europe and beyond.
This year’s, which took place from Thursday October 5 to Sunday October 8, 2023, attracted around 300 classics cars to the Zoute Rally, with more than 130 moderns (20 years old or younger) taking part in the GT Tour on Sunday.
But the driving aspect is only part of the story. The Zoute Grand Prix has grown into a remarkable festival of the car that looks set to rival Goodwood, with two vast beach pavilions covering an area of 17,000 square metres.
The pavilions showcased some of the latest models from marques ranging from Alpine and Aston Martin to McLaren and Ruf, with a major electric vehicle display featuring the Belgian premier of the Rolls-Royce Spectre and Alpine’s A290 concept.
Bonhams, meanwhile, marked its decade of Zoute auctions with an inventory of 147 lots that realised a total of €27m, with a Ferrari 250GT Berlinetta TdF from 1959 topping the bill at €4.8m, a 1929 Bugatti Type 37 Grand Prix making €1.1m and a 2014 Porsche 918 Spyder realising €1.2m.
It is, however, the three days and more than 1000km of classic rallying around Flanders fields and the Dutch polders that remains the lynchpin of the Zoute Grand Prix, while this year’s successful conclusion was celebrated on Saturday night with a gala dinner and prize-giving ceremony for no fewer than 1000 guests.
And, taking a leaf from Hollywood’s annual Academy Awards, the winners of each driving category were presented with the Zoute GP’s own version of an Oscar – a ‘David’ statuette made in the likeness of one of the rally’s co-founding brothers.
Next year the winners can probably expect to get a ‘Filip’… but if you can’t wait until then to find out, take a look at Zoute GP’s other events, which include a one-day Family Rally on March 24, 2024, the Luxembourg Rally and GT Tour (June 5-9, 2024) and the Zoute NextGen Rally for 15-45-year-old crews. (August 10, 2024).
The next Zoute Grand Prix is scheduled for October 3-6, 2024. See here for more information.
ZOUTE GRAND PRIX 2023 – THE WINNERS
Touring
3. #257 – Louis Vande Wiele – Pauline Mylle – Sunbeam Tiger Works (1964)
2. #209 – Johan Slabbynck – Sandra De Volder – Porsche 356 Speedster (1956)
1. #201 – Patrick Cauwels – Thibaut Cauwels – Jaguar XK120 Roadster (1954)
Regularity
3. #29 – Christophe Verstraete – Anthony Verstraete – Jaguar XK120 SE OTS Roadster (1953)
2. #127 – Simon Balcaen – Paul Junior Thiers – AC Cobra 289 (1964)
1. #129 – Geert De Jaeger – Cedric De Jaeger – Sunbeam Tiger (1964)
Lucky 21 (random prize for the 21st finishers)
#14 – Werner Lemmens – Bart Declerck – Jaguar XK120 Roadster (1951)
Ladies
#133 – Cindy Cokelaere – Melissa Debackere – Porsche 356 C Coupé (1964)
NextGen
#127 – Simon Balcaen – Paul Junior Thiers – AC Cobra 289 (1964)
