The Turbo-Rocket: December 2018

International Curves

There are only so many cars you can see in the outside world and at car meets. As for museums, you can hardly approach all of these magnificent moving works of art on display. However, a classic car show will most likely let you meet your "heroes" from close-up. This year's Interclassics at Brussels Expo was no exception and I think there's a high chance you'll also agree with me.

In case you didn't know, Interclassics is Brussels' yearly classic car show, taking place at Brussels Expo, near the historic Atomium building. Dealerships and restorers who specialize in a wide array of classics can participate, so most of the rides there are for sale. Are you up to spending 50k for an original, unrestored FJ40 Landcruiser? How about a chewing-gum cheap 300SL Roadster for a cool 1,3 million Euros? Whatever your budget, if you want to buy a mostly overpriced oldie, this is the place to be.

Original Cali Speedster

Of course, no car show is complete without a few themes on tap. Porsche's 70th Anniversary as well as 60 years since the historic Brussels Expo were this year's specials. The Expo stand showcased classics from '58, with everything from a majestic Oldsmobile 88 Fiesta wagon to an Alfa Guilietta Sprint. Nevertheless, the Porsche presence takes the cake, starting with an original 356 right by the entrance.

A Swedish "Gmund" Coupe 356

Porsche-Abarth 356 Carrera

Originally sold in California, this red Speedster surely does make you dream, mostly because it is totally untouched since the day it was sold new. Having seen quite a few restored 356s, one that wears its battle scars with pride is a very rare sight. Add the black and yellow, period correct Cali plates to the mix and you get one of the most attractive 356's ever. I'll take a well preserved example over anyone with a nut and bolt restoration. In the next warehouse, you would find the Porsche stand with a few of the rarest and first cars the company ever built. There were two out of 52 356 "Gmund" coupes, the starting point of the company that we know and love today. They're quite special because of their aluminium construction, compared to the steel of the later ones. Gmund, Austria was the place the cars were built before proper production started at Zuffenhausen. Then, you had the Abarth Carrera, a redesigned 356 for racing purposes with the help of Carlo Abarth. Probably my favourite one of the bunch. Behind the Abarth was a 550 Spyder with period racing pedigree, but it is a model remembered as James Dean's death bed. A few pre-A 356s were also sprinkled around the stand. Almost every single car on that platform had been raced during its heyday years, which adds a little spice to their story.

Pictures don't do the artwork justice

Incredible amount of detail

In the art section, I discovered this unbelievable artist called Reginald Kruger. Owner of Reginald Art, Mr. Kruger will turn any of your car related dreams into reality by creating something between painting and photography. By taking thousands of pictures of your own car, as well as anything else you want to add (ex: your wife and kids, your county home, etc.), he can create your own "universe" in one single frame by using the magic of Photoshop. Furthermore, everything is printed by airbrush on brushed aluminium. The result is nothing short of stunning. The amount of detail is jaw-dropping, with every movement and little reflexion found on the car challenging you to say that it's a picture taken in one go. And the aluminium template, under the right light, offers color-shifting attributes to the elements. I was moving from left to right and it was as if I was seeing a real car under actual daylight. To be honest, I hadn't ever seen such a work of art. I really wish I could show you the effects at play, but for that you have to check out the paintings in real life. Reginald Art has a totally unique and extraordinary method of constructing your tailor made car world. (I'll put Mr. Kruger's contact details at the end of the article)

Anniversary stand across
this 930 Turbo

In conclusion, if you ever happen to visit Brussels in early-mid November, I highly recommend you stop-by Interclassics if you love classic rides. Also, reserve between four and eight hours of your day if you really want to geek about and take everything in. I was there for four hours and they were far from enough to enjoy all the cars in peace. Like in any other car show, you'll wish you could simply move your bed there, next to all these glorious automobiles and sit in every single one of them throughout the night, in "A Night at the Museum" style.

You thought it was over, didn't you? Well, here our my personal favourites from the 2018 Interclassics. Or, in other words, if I had dressed up as a sheikh with a reasonable 5-10 million bucks to spend, here's what would I buy: