Barcelona's Tibidabo Avenue, the scene of a large exhibition of historic vehicles

“As a sporting event, the success is also very satisfying, as the Benz and the X climbed the tough ramps leading to the Funicular station at a speed of sixty-eight and a half kilometers per hour, and Bonnefoy with his Hispano Suiza, in the tourism category with four seats, reached a speed of sixty kilometers, four hundred and two meters per hour.” These lines were referenced by La Vanguardia in its edition on Monday, May 25, 1914, regarding the Tibidabo Cup car competition, which also included motorcycles, sidecars, and autocycles.

After more than a century, the recent neighborhood association of Tibidabo Avenue has organized to reclaim the prominence of this iconic street. One of the first and most significant actions will be a commemorative event on November 9th marking the 110th anniversary of this motor test, featuring numerous historic vehicles along 650 meters of the avenue. Among these vehicles, there is also the possibility of showcasing a car from the historic Tramvia Blau after the neighborhood association requested it from the City Council, awaiting confirmation. In fact, one of the association's key focuses is on the recovery of the historical heritage of this unique avenue, such as the Tramvia Blau, which was part of the city's urban landscape for over a century, being one of the oldest in Europe. It ceased operation in the distant year of 2018, and its return is linked to the pending redevelopment of the avenue.

“We want to pay tribute to Barcelona with this event by opening Tibidabo Avenue to the city and appreciating and taking pride in its historical heritage from an automotive, urbanistic, and architectural perspective,” highlighted Alexander-Philipp Scheffler, the president of the neighborhood association, during the event presentation at Asador de Aranda restaurant on Tibidabo Avenue."

Citizens will be able to see authentic motor gems on November 9th with more than 250 vintage cars and motorcycles, such as the Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII that participated in the Tibidabo Cup in 1914, and other models like a David Duc de Montpensier from 1917, a Fiat 501 from 1919, a Donnet-Zédel Torpedo from 1922, or a Rolls Royce Salamanca from 1923. There will also be motorcycles from the Montesa, Ossa, and Bultaco factories, as well as the Honda with which Sito Pons won his first 250cc World Championship. For this event, traffic will be closed that day from Kennedy Square to the height of the Dalt roundabout in a public event that will kick off with the arrival of vehicles between 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. They will be on display until 2:00 p.m. Additionally, there will be a hot chocolate gathering, a performance by the Sarrià human towers group, and live music, among other activities.

The event is promoted by the neighborhood association with the support of the RACC and the City Council. Xavier Pérez, the general director of RACC, the entity in charge of organizing the event for the past 110 years, has pointed out that back then the races pursued two “basic objectives”: on the one hand, “to promote the improvement of infrastructure” and, on the other hand, “to have international contact to learn about new technologies”. “It will be the most important open-air museum of motorcycles and cars, at least in Spain, to commemorate a historical event that shaped Catalonia's DNA as a leader in mobility and the automotive industry,” added former pilot Jaime Alguersuari, a member of the neighborhood association of Tibidabo Avenue.