One of the finest Swiss car ralliesSwiss Lakes Classic: Vacheron Constantin awards the Prize for Elegance
Montreux, Thursday May 27th 2010 - 8.30 am: the various teams having travelled from a number of different countries for this first edition of the Swiss Lakes Classic set out on a scenic route encompassing some of Switzerland’s most beautiful lakes. The event featured three days of driving along stretches of 250 to 300 km. The first ran from Montreux along Lake Geneva to Grindelwald via Lake Biel and Lake Neuchâtel; the second headed for Lucerne by way of Lake Brienz and Lake Lungern and then on to Interlaken; while the third and last took the 90 participants from Interlaken to Gstaad and then wound through the bucolic region of Gruyère before leading down to the finish in Lausanne-Ouchy.
Vacheron Constantin chose to support the Swiss Lakes Classic this year in order to enable people to discover the beauties of the land of its birth. This rally for prestigious classic cars built before 1975 naturally attracts devotees of fine mechanisms and highlights an enduring attachment to vintage objects crafted in harmony with the finest automobile traditions. These enduring precepts and a sense of safeguarding fine workmanship are entirely in tune with the founding values of the watch brand that is the senior exponent of its art and can legitimately lay claim to an uninterrupted history spanning more than 250 years.
The evening marking the end of the second leg and organised by Vacheron Constantin in the prestigious Victoria Jungfrau Hotel in Interlaken witnessed the official presentation of the Vacheron Constantin Prize for Elegance. The concours d’élégance entitled “Mademoiselle Swiss Lakes Classic” was placed under the responsibility of participants’ wives, who were asked to vote for the most elegant classic car in the rally.
The lucky winner Mr. Jean-Louis Fatio provided listeners with a wealth of fascinating conceptual and historical details relating to the prize-winning vehicle, a 1937 Bugatti – to the delight of the many seasoned connoisseurs in the audience.