With more than 100 classics, and displays ranging from the oldest Benz in the country to local hero Peter Brock’s Touring Car Championship-winning Holden Torana – plus two iconic Le Mans Porsches and a guest attendance by the men who drove them – Australia’s second Motorclassica is going to be fantastic.
The late Brock’s Torana XU-1 (below), in which he took the ’74 Championship, and an 1896 Benz Velo will go on display with the famous Porsche 935 ‘Moby Dick’ and 1987 Le Mans-winning 962 at the 21-23 October Australian International Concours d’Elegance & Classic Motor Show.
Emphasising the Le Mans theme will be the show’s special guests: five-time Le Mans winner Derek Bell, who will be reunited with the 962 that he drove to victory in the 1987 Le Mans 24 Hours, and 1983 winner Aussie Vern Schuppan.
The Le Mans Porsches will be on display to mark 60 years of the marque in Australia and the Le Mans drivers will take part in panel discussions over the weekend to share their La Sarthe experiences.
The Benz will be a highlight of the RACV Motorclassica’s celebration of 125 years of Mercedes-Benz, while the show will also mark the E-type’s golden anniversary with a 50-strong E-type line-up on the forecourt of the Royal Exhibition Centre in Melbourne.
Other standouts will include an unrestored 1921 Ballot 2-litre Sports that’s been in the same family for 85 years, and a 1932 Chrysler Imperial (below) that belonged to US Prohibition era gangster Jack ‘Legs’ Diamond, while other displays will feature Cord, Delage and Marmon, together with Sunbeam, NSU and Wanderer.
The show will also feature the start of a 20,000km transcontinental run when Constantine Mandylas sets off for Moscow in his Ford Model T.
The attractions won’t be limited to the indoor displays: Motorclassica’s Picnic with the Classics will feature up to 140 classics from Victoria’s various car clubs at the nearby Museum Plaza.
Show organiser Paul Mathers is excited about this year’s Motorclassica: “With many more vintage and pre-war era exhibits on show as well as lots of exciting additions to the program, we have really stepped things up a gear from 2010. Those who thought it couldn’t get any better are in for a real treat!”
