Historic Endurance: Luxury Grid Promises Spectacular Show at the Estoril Classics

The Autódromo do Estoril is set to relive the golden era of motorsport from 3rd to 5th October 2025, with a new edition of the Estoril Classics. Organised by Race Ready, the event will culminate on Sunday with the traditional season-closing race: the Iberian Historic Endurance, the true highlight of the weekend.

With the support of Liqui Moly – a globally recognised brand offering an unmatched range of automotive products, from engine oils and additives to lubricants, greases, maintenance sprays, vehicle care products, as well as adhesives and sealants – the race has established itself as one of the most significant on the calendar. Bringing together drivers and teams from the most prestigious classic racing series in Southern Europe, it features an exceptionally rich and diverse entry list, promising a first-class spectacle with head-to-head battles between Touring Cars, GTs and Prototypes that shaped the history of motorsport up to 1976.

Forty-five cars will take to the track at the Estoril Circuit, with a further five teams on standby. More than seventy drivers from twelve different nationalities will compete on a grid featuring fourteen distinct car manufacturers. The 50-minute race on Sunday will be preceded by the qualifying session on Saturday afternoon.

GDS: Small but Mighty Cars

The GDS (Gentleman Driver Spirit) category, reserved for Special Touring Cars built before 1965 with engines up to 2000cc, and before 1976 with engines up to 1300cc, offers accessible yet thrilling on-track competition. After several years away, Dominique Vananty returns behind the wheel of a BMW 1800 Ti, a model that last raced in the Historic Endurance over a decade ago. Former yachtsman Vincent Tourneur also makes his comeback, piloting a Porsche 911 SWB. Always a class favourite, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti Super, run by Veiga Motorsport, returns after a double podium earlier this year in Portimão with its regular trio of drivers: Rui Bevilacqua, António Magalhães, and Nuno Veiga.

Last year’s GDS winners, João Neves and Francisco Gonçalves, will aim to repeat their success with the same Datsun 1200, an iconic model in Portuguese motorsport history. Father-and-son duo Alberto and Tomaz Velez-Grilo in their BMW 1800 TiSA, along with the Iberian pairing Guillermo Velasco and Francisco Freitas, again driving a Datsun 1200, also figure among the strong podium contenders. Completing the entry list, Nuno Nunes heads into the weekend as a clear favourite following his victories at Jarama and Valencia, piloting his Porsche 911 SWB, expertly prepared by Garagem João Gomes.

H-1965: A Generation of Excellence

In a competition also structured by historic categories, the H-1965 class, reserved for cars built up to that year, is one of the most prominent. Within this group, battles between elegant British machinery and brutal American V8s are a constant. Swedish driver P-A Forsvall will drive a first-generation Lotus Elan, while the Colin Chapman-founded marque will also be represented by Richard Bateman and Roger Barton, two experienced British historic racers. Among the true giants of this category, Timothy Mahapatra will bring one of the most coveted cars on the grid: a Jaguar E-Type Semi-Lightweight. The pairing of Rhea Sautter and Andrew Newall will take a Jaguar E-Type to the track, a car that stands out not only for its colour but also for regularly competing at the top.

American muscle will enjoy strong Dutch representation, led by the returning Bart Uiterwaal, who will race solo in his Ford Mustang, alongside Harmen van Putten and Jurriaan Nederpelt, each in their respective Shelby Mustang GT350s. The classic Ford vs Shelby Cobra rivalry will be on full display with two flamboyant examples designed by Carroll Shelby, one driven by Brice Pineau and the other by Laurent Jaspers.

Not all of the grid is dominated by Anglo-American marques, however, as Christian Oldendorff will pilot a true circuit legend, the Alfa Romeo TZ2, instantly recognisable for its aerodynamic design and the elegant touch of Ercole Spada. In addition to Nederpelt’s Mustang, the Dutch Racing Team Holland will field one of the most spectacular cars on the grid for Pieter and Ricardo Boel: the exotic and powerful Iso Grifo A3/C, designed by Giotto Bizzarrini after leaving Ferrari.

The category’s luxurious entry list also includes two of the purest sports cars ever built: the Porsche 904/6, run by Raul Cunha Vintage Cars Garage squad and driven by Thorkild Stamp and Michael Holden, and the Brazilian Fabiano Vivacqua Jr.’s Porsche 356 B.

Completing the entry list is a charming Ferrari 275 GTB Competizione, one of the most elegant and pure expressions of Ferrari in GT racing. Its V12 roar remains music to enthusiasts’ ears, and the car will be entrusted to the experienced Andreas Rolner and Michael Holden — the latter competing in two different cars in the same race.

H-1971: The Richness of Diversity

The H-1971 category brings together a generation of cars that defined the late 1960s and early 1970s, featuring several well-known drivers from the Historic Endurance series. Among the Touring Cars, Rafael Cerveira Pinto and Carlos Dias Pedro will share the wheel of their Alfa Romeo GT Am, while Domingos Sousa Coutinho has entered his BMW 2800 CS. The renowned RP Motorsport team will also field Luís Sousa Ribeiro in another BMW 2800 CS. Volker Hichert and Arthur Hichert, from Curated Garage, will pair up in an Alfa Romeo GT Am. Additionally, Henry Wegener, of the Hamburg-based Fernandes Racing team, will compete in another strong Alfa Romeo GT Am. Arese’s marque will also be represented by another GT Am, entered by Garagem João Gomes for Alex Nabuco and José Carvalhosa. Rui Garcia has signed up with a rare Italian car, a Fiat 124 Sport Coupé prepared by Mr Wheeler Motorsport.

In the Grand Touring category, Garagem João Gomes will field the Spanish duo Ildefonso García and Alfonso García in a Porsche 911 2.3 ST. Meanwhile, Aurora Motorsport brings one of the most powerful and crowd-pleasing cars on the grid: the Chevrolet Corvette L88, entrusted to Pedro Bethencourt and Jorge Nogueira Pinto. The same team, the sporting arm of the legendary Garagem Aurora, will also run Spanish drivers António Castro and Ángel Lanchares in a Porsche 911 2.5 ST.

Veteran and highly respected driver Manuel de la Torre will take the wheel of a Porsche 914/6, the mid-engined German model, while Carlos Matos and Nuno Matos, of MR Auto team, will compete in a Porsche 914/6 GT, an even more radical version of the car.

The number of participants could increase should there be withdrawals before race day. The reserve list includes Manuel Ferrão, of Moutinho Motorsport, in a Ford Escort TC ex-Team Palma, driven by Antonio Peixinho in 1969; the pairing Filipe Carvalho and António Carmona in a Datsun 1600 SSS; and José Oliveira in another Alfa Romeo GT Am prepared by Rosario Classic.

H-1976: Between Stuttgart and Dearborn

The cars in the H-1976 category represent the pinnacle of classic car evolution before the advent of more complex technologies. Buoyed by their victory in the second race at Valencia, Carlos Brizido and Miguel Lobo will tackle the challenge in MRAuto’s red and white Porsche 911 3.0 RS. Garagem João Gomes has entered the duo João Santos and José Carvalhosa in another Porsche 911 3.0 RS, while Aurora Motorsport also fields a pairing in the same model, with Bruno Santos and Tiago Santos sharing driving duties in a second 911 3.0 RS. Robin Ellis, entered by the English team JWA Racing —which competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) over a decade ago— will bring one of the most extreme 911s ever built: the Porsche 911 2.8 RSR, the same car that won this class in the opening round of the first Valencia Iberian Racing Festival.

Due to the unavailability of his Ford GT40, Paulo Lima teams up with Pedro Melo in a competitive Ford Escort RS2000, a car that was already seen earlier this year in the Carrera 80. Completing the line-up, and making his Historic Endurance debut, Neil Merry will compete in a spectacular Ford Capri, still wearing the striking red livery of Gordon Spice Racing.

GTP & SC: Theoretically the Fastest

Finally, the GTP & SC category brings together prototypes and special cars. João Mira Gomes and Nuno Afoito, from Centro Clássico, will bring a clubman classic, the Lotus Seven, which previously triumphed in an edition of the 250 km do Estoril. James Guess and Tom Canning will compete in a Ginetta G10 from Feathers Motorsport, a car renowned for its agility and speed, which has previously claimed victories in Historic Endurance races. Carlos Barbot and Filipe Vieira de Campos will take the wheel of a Merlyn MK4, a small British-built prototype with fond memories at the Estoril Circuit, having won the 250 km there in 2020.

Fast Belgian driver Olivier Muytjens will have the honour of piloting an absolute legend, the Ford GT40, entered by HY Racing, which made its Historic Endurance debut in the last round at Valencia. On the reserve list, Filipe Nogueira, son of Joaquim Filipe Nogueira - a name that wrote several chapters in Portuguese national motorsport - is awaiting the opportunity to compete in a Lotus 23B.

Index of Performance: The True Spirit of the Classics

Under the banner of “Relaxed Historic Racing” and with the aim of delivering thrilling classic car races for Gentleman Drivers at the most prestigious events and circuits in Southern Europe, the Historic Endurance is inseparable from the iconic Index of Performance.

This is a very particular classification, in which the winner rarely coincides with the first car to cross the finish line. Instead, the distinction goes to the driver who best extracts maximum performance from their machine, taking into account factors such as age, engine capacity, and body type. It is precisely this equation that gives the trophy its special prestige, rewarding the driver’s skill in full harmony with the technical specifics of their classic.

In the previous edition, the Alfa Romeo of Rui Bevilacqua and António Magalhães claimed victory, earning not only the applause of the crowd but also a magnificent timepiece from the Swiss watchmaker of excellence with Latin soul, Cuervo y Sobrinos.

For this year’s race, the battle promises to be just as tight, with a highly competitive line-up of contenders. Among the favourites are the agile and charismatic Porsche 356, the popular Datsun 1200, and the elegant and effective Lotus Elan, alongside the potential for a surprise from the irreverent Fiat 124 Sport Coupé.

More than just a race, the Index of Performance is a celebration of the technical and historical diversity of motorsport, a tribute to the passion for machines that, despite their age, continue to write thrilling chapters on European circuits.