In Filip Baert’s garage: “The Ferrari F40 is my favourite”

Two years ago, Filip Baert (46) was brought to the brink of death when his Porsche 911 GT3 Touring spun at 120 kilometers per hour. “The road was flooded and I was driving on semi-slicks, the sportiest tires on the market. ‘Let me live!’ part-time consultant for our family business.

“In the afternoon, a crushing blow: I didn’t want this job anymore and, oddly enough after such an accident, I wanted to take my love of cars full throttle. Today, I live for cars. No I don’t go an hour without think about it. Since last year, I represent the German company Axel Schuette Fine Cars in the Benelux, a big classic car dealer. For me, it’s in the top 10 in the world.”

“Here is the family collection,” he explains. Baert takes us on a tour of the converted old stables of his square farm. A dozen exceptional cars sit behind a window. “I never say that these are my cars: it was my father who started this collection. Almost 15 years ago, I convinced him to buy the Lamborghini Miura (1967). Through the Lamborghini Classic Club Germany, I obtained the contact details of a single “I lived in a run-down house, with an old Citroën parked in front of the door. When he opened his shed, I almost fell: there were at least twenty Lamborghini! I had never driven the Miura, because I had a problem with my back. To my 40th birthday I did the Miura Tour, in Andalusia, in this car”.

Baert says he places more importance on quality than the size of the collection. “After the sale of the family business in 2017, my passion multiplied. Then we moved on to ‘blue chip’ investments, very valuable models.” He shows me a Ferrari F40 (1992) and a Ferrari F50 (1996). “With the first one, I will soon go to Switzerland with a friend. The car will thus exceed the 40,000 kilometer mark. It is my favourite, my ‘childhood poster’. And it is also the last Ferrari built under Enzo Ferrari. When you accelerate, it’s an incredibly explosive and cunning beast. It whistles in your ears like a rocket. Before I bought it, I’ve seen at least ten of them, in Belgium and abroad: c it’s a treasure hunt.”

Your most valuable car is not in the garage. “The Ferrari 288 GTO (1984) is being restored, because I want to participate in elegance competitions.” Also missing are the Jaguar XK 140 Roadster (1957), the Jaguar XK 150 DHC (1959) and the Jaguar E-Type (1968), as well as the Porsche 911 2.7 RS Lightweight (1973). We see the Bugatti EB110 GT (1995). “It belongs to my sister. With its four turbos, 4×4 transmission and 12-cylinder 60-valve engine, it was a revolutionary hypercar.”

Baert is always looking for the detail behind his classic cars, the history, a particular color palette. “Sometimes I buy them on a whim and, if the excitement subsides, I resell them, like the Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing (1955)”. The Porsche 993 GT (1996) and the Carrera GT (2006) also left: “I don’t feel like paying a fortune to the State to do 500 kilometers a year. No, I never regret it, I always look to the future.” .”

His Invicta S Low Chassis (1931) is one of the most sought after pre-war cars. “Here is the Maybach from the 1930s, which set speed records and won the Monte Carlo rally. I just bought it from a German dealer and am in the process of discovering it. A dream trip! Its 200 hp 4.4 liter engine It’s a work of art. This car really has a soul.”

The Bugatti Type 37 A (1927) with compressor was built in 76 examples, of which about half have a racing background. This is not blue, as usual, but white, the German national livery. In 1928 and 1929 he raced at the Nürbürgring, the most iconic circuit in Germany. “Driving at 100 km/h with it is like driving at 230 km/h with the Ferrari F40. I’ve already driven it to Antwerp. 120 km/h, both hands firmly on the left hand wheel: it’s wonderful. I found it on a collector’s house, through a broker. Invictas and Bugattis are rarely found on the market, but they are traded fiercely.”

“For our investment portfolio, I have agreed with my wife on a distribution key between shares, real estate and cars. But I have room!” Baert exclaims with a laugh.