A well-preserved 1930s Bugatti that once belonged to the King of Belgium has won Car of the Year at the “prestigious” International Historic Motoring Awards (IHMA) in Peninsula London. The award was one of 16 announced on the night to 400 guests from the UK, US, Europe, and Asia.
They included actor Rowan Atkinson, World Land Speed Record holder Andy Green, car designers Ian Callum and Peter Stevens, TV’s Richard Hammond, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance chairman Sandra Button, motorsport company Prodrive founder David Richards and social media sensation Supercar Blondie, aka Alex Hirschi.
Many of the planet’s most important car collectors were present as well. These include Miles Collier, Bruce Meyer and Fritz Burkard, along with teams from the Petersen Automotive Museum, Revs Institute, Goodwood, Silverstone, Audrain Motorsport, Brooklands Museum, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar Land Rover, and more.
After months of nominations, shortlisting and intensive judging by an international panel of 34 experts, the winners were announced on the night by broadcaster and race driver Amanda Stretton, after a speech by Rowan Atkinson extolling the virtues of classic cars.
Uniquely, the Car of the Year award was voted for by the public, resulting in thousands of votes.
Now in its 14th year and back in the ownership of Geoff Love and David Lillywhite who launched the awards in 2011, the 2024 IHMA celebrated the elite of the collector car world with the support of Lockton Insurance, Hortons Books, Classic and Sports Finance, the Petersen Automotive Museum, Nyetimber, The Yohan Poonawalla Collection, SBX Cars and Octane and Magneto magazines.
The car that won the prestigious prize was a 1934 Bugatti Type 59 that once belonged to King Leopold of Belgium. Thousands voted for this ex-royal car that was the first preservation car to take Best of Show at Pebble Beach.
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