Hong Kong Gold Coast Motor Festival

Hong Kong 10-12 November

The Macau Grand Prix was first run in November 1954 as a club motoring event for the locals. Exactly 63 years on from that inaugural event, the Best in Show winner of the 2nd Gold Coast Motor Festival Concours d’Elegance in Hong Kong, just 60km away from Macau by fast ferry, was a car with Macau GP history. The winning Chevrolet Corvette Stingray was driven by M Corazza in the Macau Grand Prix that was won by Dieter Quester 47 years ago.

The event was held at the picturesque waterfront precinct in Hong Kong’s New Territories, half an hour from the busy City district. The Concours d’Elegance was the highlight of the festival, which showcased some 90 cars, from prized classics to the latest hypercars, including the Pagani Huayra Dinastia and Zonda, the electric newcomer Nio EP9 from China, and the new Bugatti Chiron, which made its Hong Kong debut.

In stark contrast to the Chiron was a diminutive Type 13 Brescia. And, naturally, it was to the classics that many were drawn, a stand-out element of which was a special Ferrari class, to celebrate the marque’s 70th anniversary. It was won by an exceptional Dino GTS. To my mind, though, it was hard to walk past the Miami Vice-style brilliant white Ferrari Testarossa.

Visiting judges included Adolfo Orsi from Italy, and class winners included a Bentley 3 Litre Red Label, which has been in Hong Kong for many years, plus a superb Mercedes-Benz 280SL and a Toyota 2000 GT. A Jaguar E-type Series 1 and Aston Martin DB5 were also on display, and heartstrings were plucked by a sweet little Austin-Healey ‘frogeye’ Sprite – appropriate, considering that an Austin-Healey won at Macau in 1955, when drivers from Hong Kong took all three podium places.

Clockwise from left Ex-Macau GP Corvette won the concours; hypercars on display; Ferrari class celebrated 70 years; judges included Adolfo Orsi (on right); Bugatti Brescia.