Motorclassica reborn, rebranded and relocated for 2024

After last year’s Motorclassica was cancelled just weeks out from the event, a new celebration of classic motoring in Melbourne has been announced. In the same vein as Motorclassica, but larger and more inclusive, ‘Motors & Masterpieces’ is coming to Melbourne this November.

Hundreds of classic cars and motorcycles are expected for Motors & Masterpieces, which will be held at the Melbourne Showgrounds in Ascot Vale on 22-24 November.

Curated by the same team behind Motorclassica, this new event celebrating automotive excellence will bring a new approach to the display themes. Instead of curating for marque and model anniversaries, or narrow themes that limit concours inclusion, Motors & Masterpieces will take a broader view, looking at evolutionary stages of the automobile across eras, continents and motoring styles.

A total of ten themes have been announced for the inaugural event, with concours entrants eligible for trophies within their class, while the Best of Show, People’s Choice and Spirit of Motors & Masterpieces awards will be open to all vehicles in the concours. To encourage the next generation, there will also be a Young Achiever Award for owners under 30 and a Preservation Award for original vehicles.

Entrants can also choose to just display their cars, but these will be ineligible for the concours awards. More than 200 car and motorcycle concours entries are expected, with the same amount or more of display vehicles across the weekend.

The concours themes are as follows:

La Dolce Vita - an expression synonymous with the carefree lifestyle and culture emanating from post-war Italy, this section will be packed with some of the finest Italian engineering – Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Lamborghini, Ducati, Lancia, Moto Guzzi, Maserati - that show the country’s genuine love for all things mechanical.
California Dreaming - focuses on the booming, forward-looking era in the USA that ran from the 1950s through to the ‘70s, when the stars – not just the sky – was the limit. Some of the most spectacular, innovative, powerful and luxurious cars to come out of the USA in this period will populate this section.
Tokyo Lights - Japan may be a latecomer to car culture, but its contribution has been big - and distinctive - with styling themes and trends that started there going on to influence the rest of the world. This section will showcase some of the best Japanese automotive engineering from more recent times.

Swinging London – groovy, hip and shagadelic, this section reflects on the major cultural shift that came to the UK in the 1960s. What started with music and fashion extended to British-built automobiles, leading to style icons like the Mini, Aston Martin DB5, E Type Jaguar and Ford Capri.
Great Southern Land – this section celebrates Australian car culture and a local car industry that may be gone on a volume production scale, but still provides design and engineering solutions for the world. Not just Ford and Holden, but the cars of Chrysler, BMC and other marques that were built here and defined Aussie roads will be on show.

Golden Age – celebrates early automotive pioneers, those that set the path for the industry at the dawn of the motoring age. The spotlight here will be on the unique craftsmanship that European, British and American coachbuilders applied to machines created prior to 1930.
High Society - is the home for cars and motorcycles from the 1930s and ‘40s; a period when design and engineering took great leaps forward. The transformation over these two decades is stark, starting with canvas-topped, wooden-bodied tourers and ending with fully-enclosed, all-steel sedans.

Continental Classics - shines a light beyond Italy to show the best of the rest of Europe, with exceptional examples of automobiles from the post-war period, such as the Mercedes 300SL Gullwing and Porsche 356, set to star.

Chequered Flag - will showcase best-of-breed racing cars from across the competition spectrum, so expect to see touring cars, open wheelers of various formulae and sports cars, while the motorcycles in this section will be just as diverse.

Monaco Glitz – just like the principality, this will be its own distinct section, with its own rules, too. Eligibility for the other classes is capped at the 1993 model year, but this section will welcome new machinery, with a focus on the modern supercar (vehicles in this section will be excluded from Best of Show eligibility).

“By defining the various themes that we will be showcasing, we expect to be able to fill the Melbourne Showgrounds with some of the most beautiful and historically significant machines from these shores and beyond,” said Mark Jansen, Chief Curator for Motors & Masterpieces. “Our aim is to curate a truly unique collection, that will set Motors & Masterpieces apart”.

Jansen adds that, since Motors & Masterpieces was announced, car enthusiasts hungry for a new, major concours event in Victoria have responded with genuine excitement about what’s coming this November.

“It’s clear that there is an enormous demand for an event of this ilk, and it is a thrill to see it taking shape.”

Motors & Masterpieces will be held at the Melbourne Showgrounds on 22-24 November 2024.

Entries for the concours and general display are now open. Display vehicle entry is free, with concours entry $500 per vehicle (which includes VIP weekend passes valued at $1,500). Registration is essential for both options (no roll-ups) and Ts & Cs apply.

Club entries, ticket prices for public entry, opening times and other details will be announced soon.

For more information, go to: motorsandmasterpieces.com