Now that the door to freedom is slowly opening again, we see many organizers emerging with ambitious plans for 2022. We have selected the ten best and most prestigious classic car events in Europe for the coming months.
BELGIUM CIRCUIT – FRANCORCHAMPS
We start in our own country with two regulars and a birthday at the circuit of Spa-Francorchamps.
SPA CLASSIC 20-22 May
It has been two years since Spa Classic was organised, but in May we can again enjoy the Peter Auto series on the renovated circuit of Spa-Francorchamps. A fixed programme in which the touring cars will be put in the spotlight with a night race. And we can already report that the list of participants is well filled and that some “new” cars will be present. Spa Classic: a fixed value on the calendar!
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30 YEARS SRO – SPA FRANCORCHAMPS – 29 – 31 July
Organiser SRO is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. SRO specialises in organising races with GT cars in all parts of the world. It started in 1992 with a trophy for Venturi cars and grew later via the BPR, FIA GT, FIA GT3 and FIA GT2 to a world player. Big boss Stéphane Ratel wants to celebrate this in style during the weekend of his top race: the 24 Hours of Francorchamps. He has ordered Peter Auto to organise two one-hour races. All GT cars up to 2010 are allowed to participate. Before the races, the participants make a trip, via public road, to picturesque Spa. Highly recommended.
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SPA 6 HOURS 30 September – 2 October
A second top event in Belgium is the Spa 6 Hours. Organiser Roadbook, in collaboration with the British Masters Historic Series, offers a magnificent programme with a 6-hour race for GT and touring cars, supplemented by Formula 1, Grand Prix Cars, Formula Junior, Endurance Legends and the Historic Touring Challenge. An end-of-season organisation that you should definitely not miss.
Visit the website.
FOREIGN CIRCUITS
GRAND PRIX DE MONACO HISTORIQUE 13 – 15 May
Those who prefer something more “posh” can go to the Azure Coast in Monaco. There, two weeks before the current Formula 1 cars, the older ones drive in the Grand Prix Historique de Monaco. Beautiful cars in a unique location. And the older F1 cars fit the circuit much better than the more recent ones. All series up to the 80s are covered.
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LE MANS CLASSIC 30 June to 3 July
After three years of waiting, classic racing cars will be back on the Le Mans circuit in 2022. Peter Auto was forced to cancel the event twice in 2020 and 2021. More than 600 racing cars will compete in six series. Each series lasts one hour and starts with the pre-war category. The pre-war category starts, followed by the others, and after the sixth race, the pre-war participants take over again. And to make it really look like a 24 hours race, this is also done at night. Three years ago, Le Mans Classic was attended by 195,000 spectators, making it the biggest event of this top 10.
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AVD OLDTIMER GRAND PRIX NÜRBURGING 12-14 August
In the full holiday period, the AVD Oldtimer will take place for the 49th time at the legendary Nürburging. This makes it the oldest oldtimer event on a racetrack. Fans of the typical German series such as the DTM and DRM will get their money’s worth here. Besides all this beauty, the Masters Historic Series will be back after a few years of absence. A classic event that is definitely worth the effort!
Visit the website.
CONCOURS D’ ELEGANCE
What do you need for a top Concours d’ Elégance? Of course, beautiful and unique cars are requirement number 1. In addition, the location is very important and a beautiful castle gives an extra shine to such an event. We can recommend two.
HAMPTON COURT PALACE 2 – 4 September
Hampton Court Castle near London is a former royal residence of Henry VIII. In early September, it is the venue for one of the finest and largest Concours d’ elégance in Europe. Each year, beautiful and unique automobiles appear on the estate. No details are known yet, but it is definitely worth a trip. See the cars or see the beautiful castle: you can do both at Hampton Court.
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CHANTILLY ARTS & ELEGANCE RICHARD MILLE 23 – 25 September
The castle of Chantilly near Paris, where James Bond once took on the villain Zorin, is the location for Cantilly Arts & Elégance. Once again, it is Peter Auto that is responsible for this wonderful organisation. The participating cars compete in 17 classes for the first prize in the competition. Roland D’Ieteren, who passed away last year, will be honoured with three themed series on the Italian coachbuilder Touring. Jean Paul Belmondo’s cars will also make an appearance and brands such as De Tomaso and Hispano will be highlighted. Sports fans can already look forward to the series on the centenary of the Le Mans 24 Hours, with two series on aerodynamics and performance.
Visit the website.
GOODWOOD
FESTIVAL OF SPEED 23 – 26 June
A classic in our series is of course the domain of Goodwood. At the end of June, the world-famous Festival of Speed takes place there. Every car and motorsport enthusiast must have attended this at least once in their life. It is simply a playground with cars from the early 1900s to today and even future ones. All types and series pass by in the legendary hill climb. The big theme this year is “Masterminds in Motorsport”.
Visit the website.
GOODWOOD REVIVAL 16 – 18 September
If you want to go back to the 60s, you should definitely go to the Goodwood Revival. The track is in perfect condition as it was used then and the atmosphere around it is truly unique. On the circuit there are also races with cars from 1965. Every year there is also a commemoration and a demo but these themes have not been announced yet.
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All these trips can be done perfectly by car or oldtimer. We from Wheels & Things will try to attend as many of these events as possible and cover them on our blog. Keep an eye on it!
Report: Joris de Cock
Photo’s: Patrick Verheeken