Ex-King of Belgium Bugatti wins Car of the Year at the 2024 International Historic Motoring Awards presented by Lockton

A preserved 1930s Bugatti once owned by the King of Belgium has been named as Car of the Year at the prestigious International Historic Motoring Awards (IHMA) presented by Lockton Insurance, which took place at the Peninsula London on Friday November 22.

The Car of the Year was just one of 16 important awards announced on the night to an audience of more than 400 guests from the UK, US, Europe and Asia at London’s newest luxury hotel.

Guests 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 world’s most important car collectors were in attendance, including 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.

Hothouse Media co-founder and managing director Geoff Love, said: “We were delighted to host the biggest and best edition of the International Historic Motoric Awards so far, with many of the world’s most important car collectors and industry movers and shakers, proving once again that the IHMA is the only truly international awards event in the collector car industry.”

And the winners are…

Book of the Year, sponsored by Hortons Books:
The Last Eye Witness, by Doug Nye (Porter Press International)
Brilliantly bringing early motor racing (1902-1914) to life through Maurice Louis Branger’s period photography and Doug Nye’s commentary.

Breakthrough Event of the Year:
The Oberoi Concours d’Elegance
Uniting India’s rich motoring heritage at The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, this event showcased 81 cars, including significant royal collections from five Indian principalities.

Club of the Year, sponsored by Lockton Performance
Vintage Sports-Car Club
The VSCC’s 90th anniversary shows how organisations can embrace modern challenges while preserving their heritage. Its pop-up hillclimb at Chateau Impney was exceptional.

Museum of the Year, sponsored by The Yohan Poonawalla Collection:
Revs Institute
Revs Institute’s revolutionary ‘Active Matter’ philosophy transforms automotive preservation through dynamic conservation. Its innovative gallery workshop allows visitors to witness live restoration, while 2024 saw breaking ground for a dedicated Archives and Research Centre.

Specialist of the Year:
Jim Stokes Workshops
Over almost 45 years Jim Stokes Workshops has grown from one man into a group of companies employing over 50 people. The recent addition of a state-of-the-art in-house engine dyno means that every engine built or rebuilt is checked, tuned and perfected before reaching the road.

Young Achiever, sponsored by The Petersen Automotive Museum:
David Kibbey
Starting in the Hagerty Youth Judging Program at age nine, David founded the Northville Concours d’Elegance in 2021 with fellow enthusiasts Chase Ziegler and Drew Lehnert, at the Northville Historic Mill Race living village museum.

Motorsport Event of the Year:
Goodwood Revival Meeting
When it rains, Goodwood shines, an epithet that was never truer than in 2024, when the Revival also made motorsport history as the first historic racing event to mandate sustainable fuels across its entire programme as well as unveiling the relocated Tyrrell Shed.

Industry Supporter of the Year:
Historic & Classic Vehicles Alliance
Since the HCVA’s formation in 2021, a number of pivotal steps have ensured the historic motoring industry can be more confident of its future. In the past year it has been instrumental in furthering the accountability of the DVLA and introducing HCVA Heritage Matters Days (HMD).

Bespoke Car of the Year, sponsored by Octane:
Auto Union Type 52 ‘Schnellsportwagen’, by Audi Tradition / Crosthwaite & Gardiner
Though the plans for this pre-war V16 supercar were drawn up during the 1930s, by none other than Ferdinand Porsche, it’s taken 90 years for the car to be built – created for Audi Tradition by Crosthwaite & Gardiner after years of painstaking research.

Personal Achievement of the Year:
Bruce Meyer
Bruce Meyer’s dedication to automotive heritage extends far beyond traditional collecting. His transformative influence on the Petersen Automotive Museum exemplifies his philosophy that every vehicle carries a story worth preserving, devoting equal enthusiasm to both prestigious collections and grassroots enthusiasts alike.

Outstanding Use of Media:
Goodwood Road & Racing
Goodwood Road & Racing’s multi-platform approach to storytelling is truly comprehensive and extends well beyond Goodwood’s own events to international gatherings such as the Grand Prix Historique de Monaco and Rétromobile.

Restoration of the Year, sponsored by Classic & Sports Finance:
Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport by Saoutchik, restored by Chropynska
The five-year restoration of Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Saoutchik chassis 110101 exemplifies the highest levels of preservation, meticulously returning the car to its 1948 Paris motor show specification and culminating in a Best of Show nomination at Pebble Beach.

Rally / Tour of the Year, sponsored by SBX Cars:
The Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, by HERO-ERA
Following the historic route of the 1907 original, 2024’s Peking to Paris Motor Challenge tested 100 crews across 14,000km of demanding terrain. The 37-day odyssey crossed nine countries and eight time zones, representing one of motorsport’s most gruelling endurance events.

Motoring Event of the Year, sponsored by Magneto
The 73rd Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
2024 marked a watershed with a shift towards post-war vehicles, which outnumbered pre-war classics by over 20%, and the first preservation car to win Best of Show – a 1934 Bugatti Type 59 (see below).

Car of the Year:
1934 Bugatti Type 59
Uniquely, this award is decided by a public vote. Thousands voted, and the runaway winner was Fritz Burkard’s ex-King Leopold of Belgium 1934 Bugatti Type 59, the first preservation car to take Best of Show at Pebble Beach.

Lifetime Achievement:
Sylviane and Patrick Peter
Embarking on a well-earned retirement after decades of serving up the best classic car events in the world are Sylviane and Patrick Peter, of Peter Auto. As well as their hallmark events such as the Tour Auto and tier-one race meets across France, the team has masterminded Richard Mille Arts et Elegance at Chantilly and the sensational Le Mans Classic festival.