Newsletter November 2007

A look back Another 7 months have flown by and I realise that lots of interesting classics and restoration projects have transited through our classic car garage in this lapse of time. So, high time to have a look back and share our recent memories with you! From Show to Rally After our participation at the Retromobile show in Paris (but since also present in Essen, Geneva and Brussels) a whole series of superb classics found new owners. As a result of exhibiting there the 1931 Corsica bodied Invicta Type S Low Chassis went to a Dutch classic car friend and the unique 1948 Torino Motorshow Farina designed Alfa Romeo 6C Convertible to an enthusiast Polish collector. With myself at the centre of these transactions, it turned out all 3 of us are fanatic Alfa Romeo 6C aficionado's. That's how we were all 3 reunited in front of my classic car garage in Aalst on the 1-st of June to set off together for the International 6C Raduno which just happened to be organised this year in Antwerp by my classic car friend Raoul San Giorgi.          Some attention in the press Motor journalist and friend Bart Lenaerts spotted the trio and proposed there and then to write an article on the stylish Touring Villa D'Este Coupé in company of the Farina Convertible for the Belgo-France magazine 'RoadBook'. These Alfa's look really great in the artistic snap-shots taken by his wife Lies. More Italian classics Italian classics seem to have found their way into more and more classic car hearts and logically also to our showroom. A few more Lancia Aurelia B24 Spiders went through my hands placing them in no time with collectors in the USA, the UK and the rest of Europe. On the Siata theme regular visitors of our website will have noticed that a '52 Siata Daina Sport berlinetta opened the way to a barchetta Daina Grand Sport of the same year followed very recently by a 1954 Mille Miglia eligible 1100TV Coupé. Very hard to do better when assembling this Italian exotic trio in 1 place, don't you agree? On the Lancia front a 1965 Flaminia Super Sport Zagato saw arrive a '55 Aurelia B24S Convertible and just 1 week ago a real 'barnfind' B52 Vignale convertible with Belgian history. Exhibited at the 1955 Brussels Motorshow this stylish convertible resided for many, many years in the next village from where I live, another lapse of time with a wellknown Lancia dealer and finally, after a short while with the Lancia Club president Jan Van Hoorick, into my garage. Wow, you can't believe how proud I feel to put eyes on this beauty every day… Siata 100 TV Lancia B52 Vignale British tradition Aston Martin DB4 SV Does this mean that we have abandoned little by little our interest in the British classic cars in which we have built up a solid reputation? Far from that! Come and have a look in our classic car workshop and you will discover the usual mix of pre-war Alvis Speed models (Speed 20, and 3 x 4,3's), Lagonda tourers (2 litre supercharged, M45, LG45), an almost complete Aston Martin sports car range (BD2, DB2/4, DB4 S V, DB4 GT, V8 Zagato Volante) a trio of AC Bristols (2 Ace's and 1 Aceca), plus Jaguar and Austin Healy sports cars, Talbot, Bristol, Bentley, Rolls Royce, you name it … we have it! Lets conclude this newsletter with emotions!   Difficult to describe the 'good old times' emotions I feel when driving my 1936 Riley Kestrel Sprite… So much charm in the cosy but surprisingly comfortable cabin and what an intelligent mechanical concept! The Humber Super Snipe estate is the perfect vehicle for the artist-classic-car-enthusiast, feeling totally detached from the daily problems when touring totally relaxed (thanks to the automatic gearbox) in this delightfully scruffy classic which seems to be well on her way to integrate slowly but surely with nature… German purity of design sensations when admiring my 1960 Porsche 356 B Roadster. Wild vibrations between my legs (…) and flies between my teeth when having a blast on my Velocette Thruxton café-racer motorbike! Riley Kestrel Humber Super Snipe Porsche 356 B Roadster Ahhh, classic motoring fun… lets share it together, OK?