Contact
Matt Faoro / Joost Vreeswijk
The Lonville Watch Company
Matt: +41799335923 matt.faoro@lonville.com
Pictures & Videos
Click here for pictures or videos
Click here for Classic Cars' Magazine's article about The Lonville Classic
Where
Coul House HotelContin, Ross-shire
Scotland IV14 9ES
(Near Inverness)
Program (subject to refinement)
Thursday 14 September 2017
18.00 – 19.30 Welcome Cocktail & registration
19.30+ Driver briefing & Informal Dinner
Friday 15 September 2017
09.00 Rally starts from hotel
17.30 Return to Hotel
19.30 Dinner & Wiskey tasting
Saturday 16 September 2017
09.00 Rally Starts from hotel
17.30 Arrive at new hotel (with luggage service)
19.30 Dinner & Lonville moment
Sunday 17 September 2016
09.00 Rally starts from hotel
13.00 Lunch and prize giving
15.00 Individual departures
“…it is hard to get used to the daily routine again! Again thanks to all of you for your efforts and hopefully see you for the next event. We are already looking forward to it…” 1962 Austin Healey 3000, Netherlands
Previous Lonville classic events in Switzerland and Ittaly
THE SCOTTISH JOB.
LIMITED TO JUST 16 CARS.
The 7th Lonville Classic will once again bring old and new friends together for a magic weekend where we enjoy our shared passion for classic cars. For the 2017 edition we will enjoy the unique scenery and hospitality of the Scottish Highlands.
La dolce vita with a Scottish twist! You will travel through old villages, along the shores of lochs, winding roads and across breathtaking hills. Timed road stages and tests are interrupted for good food in glorious locations. We take time for the good things in life! On Sunday participants have the opportunity to ‘dress to match your car’ – all part of the fun and competition.
For The Scottish Job we have chosen to limit the rally to a maximum of just 16 participating cars. This preserves that now famous Lonville feeling of being away with 'a group of friends on a long luxury week-end enjoying our shared passion for classic cars'. It also fits the magic of Scotland. We will stay in wonderfull small, luxury country hotels where personal attention to detail and true hospitality are firmly on the menu. Call it a 'boutique rally' if you like...the bottom line is: come and join us, first come first served.
The lonville classic is our passion, it is not our living. This means an enthusiastic event crew that drives with you and a slight overindulgence in fantastic local food, great locations and the feeling of a group of friends!
We are looking forward to seeing you in Scotland!
Gentlemen, start your engines!
The event
Although the Lonville Classic is about fantastic driving, the event is also about enjoying cars with good company. Each of the navigated stages will feature some (mild) competitive elements to both amuse and confuse participants and onlookers. Pictures below from our previous Lonville Classics in Italy and test drives in Scotland (we kept bumping into this well dressed guy and his DB5, so took a quick snap of him too).
The Lonville Classic is a regularity event, all stages use public roads. You will be guided by a roadbook and various road-side instructions from the support team. Below the secret location hotel where we will stay saturday evening - drinks with a loch view, anybody?
To reward your work behind the wheel, we will make time for important things: espresso, long lunches, good dinners, fine wine, some wiskey and chefs that make a difference!
The Lonville team is very excited to organise the Lonville Classic for the seventh year. With a maximum of just 16 cars we will retain the intimacy and informal style of the previous events while adding some of our latest favourite places and those impossible to find glorious roads in The Highlands.
A word on qualifying cars: we are vintage/classic car enthusiasts and that means all cars older than 20 years are welcome. Of course we make exceptions too!
Click here for pictures or videos of previous Lonville Classics, and here is what classic car magazine thought!
Dress to impress
Following last year’s fun, we encourage participants to dress to fit your car (i.e. vintage style clothing) for at least the Sunday stage. Needless to say there will be a special recognition for this! Everyday special dress is even better…
Accomodation
We have made arrangements with Hotel Coul House for the first two nights of the rally. Coul House is ran by Stuart and Susannah Macpherson. Lonville Classic participants can expect a very warm welcome at this historic and listed building.
The house as it currently stands was built in 1821 for Sir George Steuart (unusual spelling of Stuart) Mackenzie, 7th Baronet (1780–1848). It was designed by Edinburgh brothers Richard and Robert Dickson (usually simply referred to as R & R Dickson), acting as architects in Scotland in the early and mid-19th century. Whilst most of their work is typified by remote country houses they are best known for their magnificent spire on the Tron Kirk in the heart of Edinburgh on the Royal Mile.
The brothers designed in a variety of styles from Gothic to Classical. There buildings are both sound and attractive and most are now listed buildings including Coul House which is a category A listed building, primarily due to its ornate plasterwork on the ground floor ceilings and the horizontal plane windows; many of which were changed in the Victorian times but some can still be seen in the lounge bar and most of the ground floor windows at the entrance side of the building.
Chef Garry offers a range of dining options which includes both contemporary Scottish Cuisine and some more traditional favourites. There may be some wiskey on hand as well! We can arrange additional nights for those who would like to arrive earlier.
The third night is at yet another very small and special hotel but we will not reveal that as your roadbooks will guide you there during the rally.
Logistics & Airports
Participants are kindly requested to arrive in Coul House Hotel on Thursday 14 September before 5pm for registration and collection of final program, maps and instructions at 6.30pm. The Lonville Classic starts on friday morning from this hotel.
The closes airport to Coul House Hotel is Inverness airport. Please note that the closest airport to our finish location on Sunday is Glasgow airport, but also Edinburgh is an option.
Preparation
Cars and drivers (!) should be in good working order. Participants and co-drivers do not need to have any previous experience with navigation. Other than a watch (and we can probably help you with that too!), no formal timing devices are required.
'Arrive & Drive' - rent your classic!
For this year's event we have asked HERO (Historic Endurance Rallying Organisation) to support with some local scottish event operations. On top of that, they can provide participants with 'arrive and drive' classic cars. This gives participants from further afield a fantastic option to fly into inverness and have your classic car waiting for you at the hotel, ready to go. HERO is a professional rally platform and given past participants experience with poor quality cars, we have now teamed up with HERO to provide a seamless, high quality service. You can take a look at their website for different rental options. Just make sure you mention that you are participating in the Lonville Classic.
Recovery and Support
A classic car specialist will provide permanent support, emergency recovery and secure storage if needed. Actual repairs and parts are at cost for the participants.
Event Cost
The participation cost of GBP1650 (vat included) per person covers 3 nights hotel (thu, fri, sat), welcome cocktails, three special lunches, coffee stops, three wonderful dinners, wiskey tasting, transfers to dinner location, event documentation, rally shields and all other event services offered. Additional hotel nights can be pre-booked at our favourable rate. Please note that this price per person is based on 2 participants sharing a double room together, unfortunately there are no single rooms available.
Small print Entering the event means you agree with the following:
Closing Date of Applications: All applications must be received by end-May. Final confirmation of acceptance will be issued by the organisers in written from, latest 2 weeks after application. As always, contact us if you get this late, exceptions are often more fun then rules!
Payment: Payment for the Lonville Classic must be made in full 10 days from confirmation of acceptance by the organisers. Cancellations before 1 June are subject to a 50% cancellation charge. Later Cancellations are non-refundable – with such a special small event we unfortunately have very limited flexibility, sorry!
Responsibilities & Disputes: The participants exonerate the organisers of the Lonville Classic from all responsibility for any damage incurred, either directly or indirectly, before, during or after the Lonville Classic. They also expressly undertake to refrain from brining legal proceedings against the organisers of the Lonville Classic for any reason and in any form. The participants hereby confirm that the information contained in this form is correct in every way. The place of jurisdiction for settlement of disputes shall be Lugano, Switzerland.
Lonville is the official time keeper of the Lonville Classic
The Lonville Virage brings Lonville back to the world of luxury watch making after more than 50 years of absence. The 137 year old Swiss brand was founded in 1873 by Johann Kottman, and produced wonderfully decorated pocket watches and wrist watches in small series. During the mid-1950s manufacture of Lonville diminished and Lonville gradually went silent... until now. After ‘discovering’ Lonville in 2007 a small group of watch enthusiasts decided to breath new life into this historic brand, staying true to the concepts of great watch making, small series and understated elegance. Our design inspiration is taken from vintage Lonville timepieces and from our beloved world of classic cars.
Above the Lonville Virage 'kind of blue'. The Virage kind of Blue is powered by the Lonville LV1 micro-rotor movement. This individually COSC certified movement is uniquely finished with a blued rotor, blued screws and blue engraving. Let’s say it is kind of blue too, and thus perfectly complements the exterior of the watch. Each movement is designed and created in and around La Chaux de Fonds, the heart of the swiss watch making valley.
The 40mm diameter case is hand-finished 18ct white gold. It features a polished case front and back, while the central part of the case is manually brushed. The contrast is remarkable and has been repeated for the finish of the white gold deployant closure. Following the manual finish of the case, each unit is taken to the Swiss customs office for it’s gold stamps, you cans them on the back of the lugs. The final stamp on one of the lugs is from our master case maker.
Each of the 18 pieces of Virage GB that we will produce is made to order for its future keeper. This includes the owner’s name engraved under the case back sapphire glass, and the actual watch number x/18 showing which number of 18 this specific model is (not shown on the picture, as this is a first production model for our founder).
Below, Lonville's win at the 24 hours of le mans on the wrist of Gabriele Gardel of Larbre Competition. In 2015 Lonville introduced a limited series of 24 pieces to celebrate this win.
