The 4th Spa-Classic held between16 - 18 May was a great success with the public. The organiser, Peter Auto, saw an increase in attendance with more than 15 000 spectators present this year.Spa-Classic, held in blazing sunshine over the three days, brought eight grids to the Francorchamps circuit for a total of almost 350 historic racing cars. Once again the entertainment on offer to the public was paramount. The on-track spectacle and the amusements in the paddock were aimed at the greatest number, all generations combined.The public loved the fact that they were able to rub shoulders with the entrants/drivers and they formed guards of honour around the cars about to go out onto the track.The Belgian circuit, a real temple for endurance races for touring cars hosted two grids devoted to them: the Heritage Touring Cup and the U2TC with nighttime races recalling the great era of the Francorchamps 24 Hours.The grids on the track, which attracted huge numbers of cars, confirmed the expansion of Spa-Classic since its first running in 2011 ranging from the Sixties’ Endurance grid with more than 50 cars at the start (AC Cobra, E-Type Jaguar Type E, Porsche 904, Chevrolet Corvette, Austin Healey,..). to Classic Endurance Racing with 40 entries in CER 1 (Lola T70, Ford GT40, Ferrari Daytona Gr 4, Porsche 911 RSR 3L, etc) and more than thirty in CER 2 (March, Sauber, Lola, Porsche 935, BMW M1, etc).The Trofeo Nastro Rosso, reserved for Italian Sports and GT cars from 1950 to 1965, is receiving an increasing number of entries with 27 cars. It was without doubt one of the most beautiful grids of the meeting thanks to some exceptional Italian cars: Ferrari 250 LMs, GT Berlinettas and 275 GTBs, Maserati 300s, Alfa Romeo Giulia TZs and Giuliettas, Bizzarrini 5300 GTs.The Heritage Touring Cup set up last year by Peter Auto to bring back to Francorchamps the touring cars that shone in the famous 24 Hours also attracted more entries with nearly 30 saloons on the grid on Saturday (BMW 3.0 CSLs, Ford Capri 2600 RSs and Escorts, Alfa Romeo 1750 GTAMs, Chevrolet Camaros, Ford Mustangs, etc). The U2TC reserved for under 2-litre touring cars received almost 20 entrants (Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTAs, Ford Cortina Lotuses, BMW 1800 Tis, etc).Finally, the spectators were able to enjoy historic Formula 2 races from the 70s plus those reserved for the fabulous Group C cars, which were the pride of the World Endurance Championship in the 1980s (Sauber Mercedes C11s, Porsche 962s, Spice SE90Cs, Mazda 767Bs, Nissan R90CK…).Clubs & amusementsIn the Clubs’ zone, almost 1000 collectors’ cars were on display while they waited to cover a few laps of the Ardennes roller coaster between the different races.In the Village, the crowd could revel in mouth-watering excitement with the Wall of Death on which the riders defied the laws of gravity. Then to add to their pleasure they could also enjoy various forms of amusements (soap box races, Slot Racing, orchestras, etc) and visit the stands with their scale models, clothes, books, etc.

Bonhams’ auctionFor the second year on the trot the Bonhams’ auction attracted a lot of interest. On Sunday 18th May at 14h00, more than 60 prestigious cars went on sale. The following prices were reached by the most eagerly-awaited lots:- Ferrari 308 GTB Group B Michelotto 1976/1983: 609.500 €- Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta 1973: 471.500 €- Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Sports Saloon 1967: 350.750 €- Porsche 911 Type 930/935 Turbo Coupé 1983: 230.000 €- Maserati Khamsin Coupé 1977: 178.250 €The turnover of the second auction in the context of Spa-Classic reached 3 million euros. Philip Kantor, Bonhams Europe International Business Development manager, was very happy with the outcome.Thanks to this year’s success the next Spa-Classic will take place in mid-May in 2015 for an even more exciting weekend!