The 52nd Grand Prix de l’Age d’Or, the oldest meeting for historic cars organized in Europe, fulfilled its promise again last weekend at France’s Dijon-Prenois Circuit, despite changeable weather conditions. Although Friday morning’s free practice took place on a track soaked by a heavy drizzle, the afternoon’s qualifying sessions enjoyed a dry circuit, and the weather stayed fine over the following two days, to the delight of the 14,000 spectators on hand.
More than 270 cars took up their places on nine grids to perform for the crowds, with some 20 pre-war machines — Alfa Romeo 8Cs, Aston Martins, Bugatti T35 and T37s, Delahaye 135Ss, a Maserati 8CM, Rileys and Lago Talbots — contesting the Legends Trophy, which was sponsored by the Departmental Council. Other categories included: Formula Junior, steppingstone to F1 in the ’50s and ’60s; Sixties Endurance, where a field of 60 GT cars included Fords, Ferraris, Porsches and Jaguars; the Heritage Touring Cup and Under Two-Liter Touring Cars; the Trofeo Nastro Rosso for superb Italian cars (above, Photosports image courtesy of Peter Auto) like Alfa Romeo TZs, Ferrari 250 GTs, LMs and the famous Breadvan, Maserati Birdcages and a Bizzarrini; a pair of Classic Endurance Racing contests for prototypes and GTs from the mid-’60s to the ’70s; and the fastest class of all, for Group C cars from the “Golden Age” of endurance racing such as the Peugeot 905 and Porsche 956 and 962,
This was the third straight year the event has been organized by Peter Auto, and as the participants enjoyed themselves on the track, in the paddock the crowd could stroll among the numerous stalls selling scale models, books, accessories and motor car souvenirs of all kinds. For further information, please visit https://peterauto.peter.fr/en/evenement/retour/id/166/nom/grand+prix+de+l%27age+d%27or
