by "Jonee" (Jonee)
Published 11/02/2017 at 12:55
by "Jonee" (Jonee)
Published 11/02/2017 at 12:55
Tags: Autoworld Brussels
; Car museums
STARS: 20
The final stop on my incredible three day weekend of amazing automobiles in Europe with Oppokook Jobjoris was Autoworld in Brussels, Belgium. And it made for a surprisingly spectacular finish. Autoworld is housed in a gorgeous exhibition hall in the Parc du Cinquantenaire that was built in 1880 for a National Exhibition in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Belgian independence.
The museum building is a gorgeous, bright open space that’s unlike a lot of other car museums I’ve been to.
And the collection, which spans the entire history of the automobile, definitely does the building justice. It reminded us of the Louwman Museum only the cars weren’t quite as impeccable. Which was refreshing. A lot of them looked like they had just been taken off the road. So, here’s some pictures of what I saw.
After this, we ate Italian food at a restaurant outside Brussels called Spinx whose floors were so uneven, I kept sliding away from the table which was both entertaining and annoying. The pasta was pretty good, though, and it was the only place open on Monday afternoon. So, if you’re ever on the way to the airport in Brussels and are starving and it’s Monday, I highly recommend Spinx.
Special thanks to Jobjoris for being my tour guide around the best car related sites in Holland and Belgium. He even got me a ride in a TVR Tuscan which was face ripping fun.
And I got witness one of its many hilarious design flaws in action when they couldn’t get the small hood flap thing closed.
Anyway, best trip ever! Oh, I also bought an old Citron and drove it from France to The Netherlands and then back across Belgium, but more on that later.
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"EL_ULY" (uly)
11/02/2017 at 13:07, STARS: 2
coooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool!!!!!!!
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
11/02/2017 at 14:23, STARS: 2
If I had to choose one of the museum cars to take home and give up any other cars for the rest of my life I would be hard pressed to choose between the Gillet
and the 037
But I would take a Tuscan MKI S over anything else.
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/02/2017 at 14:36, STARS: 1
All three are incredibly impressive cars. Seeing that Lancia in person was awesome. The Tuscan is a mean, powerful, monster of a car. That breaks something almost every time it’s driven. It’s been through 3 heads in like 5 years.
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
11/02/2017 at 15:21, STARS: 1
Mmmm, sounds like the perfect car!
"Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2" (pompei426)
11/02/2017 at 15:51, STARS: 1
Awesome! I’d take the Tatra or the 1600 Ti
"Nauraushaun" (nauraushaun12)
11/02/2017 at 22:31, STARS: 1
I went there in August ! I’d kill to be in Brussels right now, I loved my time there.
Were all the Ferraris gone?
Did you drink the beer?
I saw 1 TVR over 5 weeks in Europe. Huge TVR fan, not fair. How did you secure that ride?!
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
11/03/2017 at 07:13, STARS: 1
GIB the Montreal!
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/03/2017 at 19:20, STARS: 1
It really is the “Patina Louwman”. I’m definitely heading to Bruxelles next weekend again to see...
MORE CYCLECARS! Had a lot of fun showing you things so be sure to come back some day: We still have to see several other sites, no worries!
Regards from the girls!
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/03/2017 at 20:56, STARS: 1
Yeah, that looks awesome. I can’t wait for #cyclecarweek! There might be a prewar Rovin or two. I’m curious what you’ll see. You bet I’ll be back! I think there are many weekends’ worth of sites to see over there, so it’s definitely not the last time I’ll destroy the Money Pit. ;-) And we’ve got 3 of the Big Five left to visit.
Hello ladies!
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/03/2017 at 21:02, STARS: 0
Ah, I missed that post. Awesome. Yeah, I guess that Ferrari exhibit was gone. There was an AMG thing, but it wasn’t all that interesting. The beer in the museum? We got there late, so the snack bar was closed. I saw 2 TVR’s actually, but only rode in one. The guy who owns the blue Tuscan is a friend of Jobjoris’s in Holland.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/04/2017 at 13:49, STARS: 1
It is not next weekend, still have to wait another I think ;-)
After doing AutoWorld with you I’ve seen ‘m all 5!
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/04/2017 at 16:56, STARS: 1
Haha. Great picture.
Well, you’ve only seen 2 with me. Which means you haven’t really experienced them.
"Nauraushaun" (nauraushaun12)
11/05/2017 at 04:31, STARS: 1
Damn shame. Some nice modern Ferraris there were. Nah the beer in Brussels, Belgium is known for it of course! That’s the main reason I was there at all.
Amazing! The one I saw was like 100m away, I barely saw it. And that’s it. I’d have paid a large sum for the chance to ride in one.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/05/2017 at 10:17, STARS: 1
Yeah we were having lunch after a small stroll through the Mastbos. We ran into a hobgoblin btw.
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/05/2017 at 20:22, STARS: 1
That looks like one of her garbage pail elf guys from that show. Is that Pepe?
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/05/2017 at 20:25, STARS: 0
I’m not a big beer drinker, funny enough, but I had some Belgian beer in France. It is good stuff.
Well, if you’re ever in Holland, Jobjoris will hook you up. For only a small sum, too.
"Nauraushaun" (nauraushaun12)
11/05/2017 at 21:13, STARS: 1
I went to Holland. Where was this advice in August? ;)
Thanks man!
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/06/2017 at 14:02, STARS: 1
Nope. That’s Jesper. The son of one of dad’s friends. Great field hockey player. And loves cars! His dad couldn’t care less, drives a Golf Plus...
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/06/2017 at 14:29, STARS: 1
Jesper’s a great field hockey player who loves cars? I like his sneakers. I imagine they are quite blinding on the hockey pitch.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/06/2017 at 17:07, STARS: 1
Yeah he is! One of the few kids in my circle of trust that actually appreciates cars. Pepe also of course. And Josje. I’m surprised his sneakers don’t have any lights in it, that seems to be all the rage amongst all the youngsters!
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/06/2017 at 23:05, STARS: 1
Cool kid. Yeah, instead of wheels, it seems to be lights now. A friend of one of my nieces had a pair that made rocket engine noises when he walked. They drove everyone crazy, but he thought they were hilarious.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/07/2017 at 03:51, STARS: 1
Oh yeah, the wheels! That was last year, right? Rocket engine noises sound hilarious. Especially on not-your-own-kid!
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/07/2017 at 23:23, STARS: 1
The wheels have been around for a while now. I don’t understand how kids don’t break their necks with them, but they haven’t been banned like hover boards, so I guess no one’s died wearing them. Yeah, if those rocket shoes were on my kid, they’d have been destroyed after 2 minutes.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/08/2017 at 09:02, STARS: 1
Hover boards have been banned? You and your claim culture really prevent innovation...
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/08/2017 at 21:37, STARS: 1
Haha. They’re still on sale, but I don’t think many people buy them any more. And you can’t bring them on planes.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/09/2017 at 05:42, STARS: 1
Haha, taking one on a plane sounds EPIC!!! There has to be something on YouTube about that. Wait a minute... STOP!
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We need a fly board on board!
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/09/2017 at 21:42, STARS: 1
Wow! If you’re flying while you’re flying, what are you doing? Maybe you enter an alternate dimension. And does the plane weigh less while you’re hovering as opposed to sitting in your seat?
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/10/2017 at 10:05, STARS: 1
Yeah, this is low cost carrier material right here: Less weight means less fuel consumption!
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/10/2017 at 22:06, STARS: 1
Good idea. If everyone was equipped with one, that would make for a cheap flight. And it would be the funnest plane ride ever.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/11/2017 at 14:46, STARS: 1
Can you imagine the advertising campaign? Every single commercial will go viral!
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/12/2017 at 13:47, STARS: 1
Not only that, but on board footage of every single flight will go viral. And, I imagine the liability insurance will be through the roof. We might need to have all passengers sign a release saying they’re flying at their own risk.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/12/2017 at 16:22, STARS: 1
Sure they will, and they will be paying extra as well! Wait, wasn’t this idea for a low cost carrier?
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/12/2017 at 22:29, STARS: 1
It was . With the extra cost of the tickets plus all we’re going to save on fuel, this is a gold mine.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/13/2017 at 15:43, STARS: 1
I hope we gain enough to finally produce Furcoat. It’s taking way too long to gather the funds for this gem.
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/14/2017 at 00:59, STARS: 1
I agree. Hollywood could really use a big movie led by women especially today. The timing is right. I think there’s only going to be women left in this town once they kick out every man that ever sexually harassed someone.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/14/2017 at 03:52, STARS: 1
#metoo!
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/14/2017 at 23:19, STARS: 1
You harassed, or were harassed?
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/15/2017 at 05:34, STARS: 1
I’m sure, with current knowledge, I’d be on both sides somehow! This whole #metoo discussion is getting out of hand...
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/15/2017 at 20:56, STARS: 1
Yeah, I feel the same way. Not recently, but being in your 20's is all about sexual harassing. For everybody.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/16/2017 at 03:54, STARS: 0
You catched my drift. The signals are all green in your teens/twenties!
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/16/2017 at 23:34, STARS: 1
Yep. Well, for most people. I got plenty of bright reds.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/17/2017 at 10:02, STARS: 1
I sometimes even gave bright reds!
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/18/2017 at 21:09, STARS: 1
I maybe gave some yellows, but I could be easily seduced to green since the opportunities weren’t that plentiful.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/20/2017 at 03:06, STARS: 1
Well, that’s the problem of course with being a guy: that red once was ignored completely. And in the end... Well... #metoobutidontcare ;-)
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/20/2017 at 23:24, STARS: 1
Haha. Yeah, it doesn’t take much persuading with us.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/21/2017 at 06:33, STARS: 1
There’s this Dutch internet meme I adore in which you hear two sides of “a story”. First “side” is about two pages in which a woman tells all about what happened at one night when she went out with her hubby. Everything is described in detail, from the wine that smelt like Teen Spirit to the fact he didn’t hold the door open anymore. How many times looks were exchanged with other people. All the way leading to a hot night in bed. Which was disappointing somewhat as nothing new happened there either...
Then his “side”: “Boring night. At least we made woopie.”
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/23/2017 at 02:53, STARS: 1
Haha. Yeah, I’ve seen something similar in English. It’s like how women talk to other women vs. men talking to men. Which is very true.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/23/2017 at 04:24, STARS: 1
My friend Ed got a book, “What men hear when women talk” that’s great as well. Every single page is stuffed with a huge amount of “Blablablabla”s. Hahaha...
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/24/2017 at 22:12, STARS: 1
Ha. Totally. That reminds me of this.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/25/2017 at 09:12, STARS: 1
Hahahaha, that one is AWESOME!!!
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/26/2017 at 18:19, STARS: 1
Ha. I like that sign. I saw a few of those in Europe, but I’ve never seen it in America. I also like this that was above the urinal in our hotel in Belgium.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/27/2017 at 10:54, STARS: 1
Totally unrealistic that picture. Or is she terrified?
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/27/2017 at 15:13, STARS: 1
She’s astonished at how far away I have to stand.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/28/2017 at 02:44, STARS: 1
Maybe she’s fantasizing how I’d look with that Lemmy Moustache. I’m not that tall.
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/28/2017 at 21:32, STARS: 1
She’s never seen a hobgoblin before.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
11/29/2017 at 03:29, STARS: 1
And if she did never did it look so glorious in his ski outfit.
"Jonee" (Jonee)
11/29/2017 at 23:08, STARS: 1
Do they have much skiing in Belgium? Or, do you just wear it all winter instead of shorts?
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
12/01/2017 at 04:57, STARS: 1
No, a bit in the Ardennes. Not much though, mainly flat lands like over here.
I’m getting out my old Sailing gear for winter!
"Jonee" (Jonee)
12/02/2017 at 23:57, STARS: 1
Yeah, that’s what I figured. It’s probably like the ski places we had in New Jersey when I was a kid. Most of those are closed now because they don’t get any snow any more.
Pastel colored plaid shorts and polo shirts?
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
12/03/2017 at 04:03, STARS: 1
I don’t think it’s skiing every season anymore now no. Closest skiing probably is Winterberg in Germany. Might take Josje there this year. But probably not as she doesn’t mind driving.
Pink, Purple and yellow!
"Jonee" (Jonee)
12/03/2017 at 22:19, STARS: 1
What do you mean? She doesn’t like driving, or she doesn’t mind it so you’ll go farther away? How far is Winterberg?
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
12/04/2017 at 04:12, STARS: 1
I meant: She doesn’t mind the driving so Skt Anton is an option ;-)
Winterberg is 4 or 5 hours I think. St Anton can be done within 7. In the Z4.
"Jonee" (Jonee)
12/05/2017 at 00:20, STARS: 1
Oh, Austria. That is better than Germany for skiing. You don’t have a Z4, though. So, 12 in the Pao.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
12/05/2017 at 08:40, STARS: 1
Yeah, I’d better get the Be-1 and make it 11.
"Jonee" (Jonee)
12/05/2017 at 22:52, STARS: 1
I feel like that roof will create drag. The Be-1 might be 12.5. How is that car? Have you used it?
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
12/06/2017 at 07:51, STARS: 1
The Be-1 definitely is the quicker one, canvast top or not. But the Pao draws so much more attention... It’s addictive! And I don’t even like attention!
I use the Be-1. Of course.
"Jonee" (Jonee)
12/06/2017 at 23:22, STARS: 1
Haha. You’ll never drive a normal car again. Welcome to the fold.
How is it? You never talk about it.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
12/07/2017 at 04:11, STARS: 1
It is amazing! I love it. I can’t stop talking about it. Unless I get in the Pao.
"Jonee" (Jonee)
12/08/2017 at 21:22, STARS: 1
Okay, good. It hasn’t made the Insta stream in a while. The Pao is definitely the crowd pleaser of the two.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
12/09/2017 at 03:48, STARS: 1
Only one P-car (Porsche / Pike) a week. Maybe two. Expect a Be-1 next week. First #smallscalesaturday.
"Jonee" (Jonee)
12/10/2017 at 14:13, STARS: 1
No wonder I never see any Peugeots. Or, Plymouths. Or, Pontiacs, Packards. When was the last time you posted a Panhard? The Porkers and Pikes dominate the P’s.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
12/11/2017 at 04:14, STARS: 1
The only Peugeot I posted was that 504 cyclist’s support car. It’s about time I post more different P’s. No Plymouths, Pontiac or Packards though, I leave those up to you!
"Jonee" (Jonee)
12/11/2017 at 22:55, STARS: 1
Where are all your Peugeots? What about Peerless? Or, Pierce Arrow?
There are some Plymouths, Packards, and Pontiacs I like. My favorite is the ‘61 Plymouths, but the only 1:43 I see is this Belvedere cop car.
Pretty cool, though.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
12/12/2017 at 04:29, STARS: 1
Oh, on LaLD I did my share on Peugeots.
"Jonee" (Jonee)
12/13/2017 at 14:01, STARS: 1
Ah, right. Thanks for reminding me. That P4 post is a classic. A pretty good variety, too. It’s been a while, though. Time for another Pug. Maybe a VLV.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
12/13/2017 at 16:49, STARS: 1
Norev made a VLV in 1/43. Good call!
"Jonee" (Jonee)
12/13/2017 at 23:31, STARS: 1
It’s a pretty obscure one and it’s got a good story. The original French Tesla.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
12/14/2017 at 04:14, STARS: 1
The original Tesla Roadster! Just not as quick. Nearly as quick.
"Jonee" (Jonee)
12/14/2017 at 20:22, STARS: 1
Yeah, close. Fastest mail carrier ever.
Which it would have to be because I think it could only carry one letter at a time.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
12/15/2017 at 04:55, STARS: 1
Can you imagine how big “La Poste” was back in the days? And how many VLVs were sold????
"Jonee" (Jonee)
12/16/2017 at 23:38, STARS: 1
All I get in La Poste anymore these days is advertisements. Ze Germans banned the VLV after they built around 400. I’m not sure how many survive.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
12/17/2017 at 14:54, STARS: 1
What, no car magazines?
"Jonee" (Jonee)
12/17/2017 at 23:04, STARS: 1
No, not any more. None of the American ones really excite me these days.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
12/18/2017 at 06:59, STARS: 1
You can get the good stuff? Octane UK is highly recommendable!
"Jonee" (Jonee)
12/19/2017 at 00:12, STARS: 1
Yeah, I could subscribe to something like that. I do like that magazine. The internet has rendered a lot of that stuff unnecessary, but it is nice to hold a magazine in your hands.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
12/19/2017 at 05:33, STARS: 1
I definitely should take more time to read it that way, always calms me down a little bit. I’m off next week so I better catch up on some reading.
"Jonee" (Jonee)
12/25/2017 at 23:12, STARS: 1
I’m doing that myself, catching up on reading. People always ask me to read their screenplays, but I’m usually to busy. Or so I tell them. I’m also a harsh critic, so when I do get around to reading someone’s stuff, they end up regretting it. I used to like reading Motor Trend Classic, but they cancelled that publication.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
12/26/2017 at 06:54, STARS: 1
I’ve already read two last two days. I might need to get that new A110. Autovisie recommends it.
"Jonee" (Jonee)
01/01/2018 at 19:00, STARS: 1
The mags really seem to like it so far, which is great. I think you do need one. And then an o.g. 110. I wish the new one came with a stick, though. And they sold it in America.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
01/02/2018 at 04:24, STARS: 1
You and your forbidden fruits... One would expect your POTUS to end that suffering for at least the rich?
"Jonee" (Jonee)
01/02/2018 at 21:51, STARS: 1
Yeah, seriously. Where’s the exception for cars worth triple digits or more? I guess he figures the folks who want those are pretty much considered above the law anyway now.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
01/03/2018 at 03:31, STARS: 1
Triple-K digits? An Alpine isn’t that expensive?
"Jonee" (Jonee)
01/03/2018 at 22:20, STARS: 1
I figure it would be by the time it got here. How many Euros is it?
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
01/04/2018 at 05:22, STARS: 1
I think they start at 65k. It’s only a 4-pot.
"Jonee" (Jonee)
01/04/2018 at 22:29, STARS: 1
That’s not too bad. That’s $78,000. They could still raise it to 90 and no one would bat too much of an eye. It’s not meant to be high volume anyway.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
01/05/2018 at 05:20, STARS: 1
Remember our ridiculous tax system. I bet it’s under 60k in France.
"Jonee" (Jonee)
01/05/2018 at 23:15, STARS: 1
That’s a steal, then. That car’s going to be an all-time classic.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
01/06/2018 at 05:10, STARS: 1
Yeah, the Première Édition was 58.5K in France and that was “special” so I suppose they’ll start at about 55. In France. It will certainly be over 60 here.
"Jonee" (Jonee)
01/06/2018 at 19:26, STARS: 1
At that price, then, they should figure out a way to sell it here. The GT-R is so old now, this would be a great replacement. It doesn’t have Renault badges on it anyway, so leave it alone and call it a Nissan Alpine for all I care.
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
01/08/2018 at 05:07, STARS: 1
No Nissan, No Renault! It’s an Alpine. Vive Jean Rédélé!