REPORT – 2019 Motorclassica
Words: Mike Ryan
Photos: Mike Ryan and Mediacom Services
Motorclassica, the Australian International Concours d’Elegance and Classic Motor Show, celebrated its 10th Anniversary in 2019, with this year’s special show playing host to an equally special display of motoring history and automotive excellence.
Three into Ten
Held over three days – 11 to 13 October - visitor numbers to this year’s Motorclassica were strong, despite the event being held on the same weekend as the Bathurst 1000. To ensure showgoers didn’t miss this year’s Bathurst, organisers made the smart move of televising the race on screens both inside and outside.
Across the three days, there was a lot to see, do and experience, with both the concours entrants and classic motor show display vehicles to see, speeches and presentations from a number of special guests to hear, demonstrations of restoration techniques at the Live Restoration Theatre conducted by Maskells Customs & Classics, the FutureLab interactive space and not forgetting the Club Sandwich outdoor display, sponsored by Lorbek Luxury Cars.
The traditional Tour Classica preceded the event, with this year’s drive of the classics (on 12 October) starting in Alexandra Gardens and passing Melbourne landmarks like Rod Laver Arena, the MCG, the Windsor Hotel and Parliament House before concluding at the heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton, which has hosted every Motorclassica since the event’s foundation ten years ago.
Several concours entrants took part in Tour Classica, including a 1904 DeDion Bouton, Graber-bodied Alvis TA 21, 1965 Nissan Silvia, Alfa Romeo Montreal and a ’56 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL.
Joining the concours and classic motor show cars inside the Royal Exhibition Building were the trade stands (including JUST CARS!), VIP area, a slot car display and the automotive art show, presenting works from the likes of Mike Harbar, Martin de Lang and Simon May.
Milestones and Memories
The growth of Motorclassica over the past ten years has seen it become something of a de facto motor show, too, with prestige and luxury brands presenting their latest product. This year, those brands included Jaguar, Alpine, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Bolwell, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Nissan, Mini and Citroen.
For Citroen, it was a special Motorclassica, as the event saw a celebration of the French marque’s 100th Anniversary, with Citroen Australia CEO Linda Jackson amongst the special guests and invited speakers.
Also marking its centenary milestone this year is Bentley, along with a lesser-known British marque in Alvis, making Abarth (70th Anniversary) and Mini (60th Anniversary) look like young whippersnappers in comparison!
Bentley’s history was retold by Barry Batagol and noted Australian car collector Peter Briggs, while Motorclassica organisers scored a coup in securing the appearance of Rauno Aaltonen to share his memories of the Mini. The Finnish rally driver pedalled many makes and models over the years, including Saab, Austin-Healey and Mercedes-Benz, but would achieve his best successes with Minis. European Rally Champion behind the wheel of a Mini in 1965, Aaltonen also won his domestic rally championship the same year, but his place in Mini’s Australian story was cemented when he partnered with Bob Holden to win the 1966 Gallaher 500 enduro at Bathurst.
Today, Aaltonen remains wedded to Mini as an ambassador for the brand, as well as a road safety advocate.
Also on the special guest list was Lucio Cesario, the Melbourne-born racer who drove in open wheel and touring car events here in Australia before trying his luck on the international stage.
Testing for the Martini Lancia sports car outfit at Monza in 1985, Cesario’s speed on a track he was unfamiliar saw him offered a three-year contract on the spot, racing the team’s Lancia LC2/85s alongside the likes of Bob Wollek, Riccardo Patrese and Henri Pescarolo in the FIA World Endurance Championship campaign.
Outside of these special guests, other speakers covered everything from the state of the classic car market to Japanese sports cars and the evolution of vehicle decals.
Big Dollars for Low Numbers
After mixed results at past Motorclassica auctions, this year saw the focus narrowed to collectable number plates.
Conducted by Shannons, the ‘Rare Heritage Number Plate Auction’ was held on the evening of 12 October and saw a total consignment of 38 Victorian plates.
Low-number plates are big business these days and that was reflected in sequential plates ‘470’ and ‘471’ selling for $108,000 and $102,000 respectively. Plate ‘781’ sold for $140,000, with the single-digit ‘4’ making $150,000.
While seemingly random, the ‘99.888’ combination has meaning in certain cultures and that was reflected in the pre-auction estimate of $25,000 being shattered when this plate sold for $60,000.
Top seller on the night, though, was ‘Q’, which sold for an incredible $181,000.
Total sales were $2.4 million; a figure that exceeded many past Motorclassica automotive auctions.
“Interest in number plates continues to grow nationally and [this] result is reflective of that. We had a large number of bidders in the room and online, and some outstanding results,” said National Auctions Manager for Shannons Auctions, Christophe Boribon.
The Great Outdoors
While the concours and classic motor show cars are always a highlight of Motorclassica, there’s often just as much to see and drool over outside, thanks to the ‘Club Sandwich’ outdoor display presented by Lorbek Luxury Cars.
Changes to the structure and presentation of the car clubs paid off this year, with more defined spaces for the exhibiting clubs and more room for the punters to get around the cars. With a rotating roster of clubs across the event, there was something new to see each day, but celebration marques, like Mini, were given multiple days in honour of their anniversaries.
Whether your interest swung to Rover or Fiat, Bolwell or Mercedes-Benz, Saab or Morris, there was no shortage of variety to be seen outside the Royal Exhibition Building, while Lorbek’s provided the eye candy with their presentation of the latest supercars from the likes of Lamborghini, Porsche, McLaren and Ferrari.
Spotted amongst this group was a late model C7 Corvette convertible and Rusty French’s Trans Am Mustang, which was parked alongside a current-generation Mustang GT coupe wearing ‘RFR’ (Rusty French Racing) livery.
Concours Classics
While visitors were enjoying the weekend’s perfect weather outside, concours judges were busy inside, conducting the daunting task of assessing the 140 entrants for this year’s Australian International Concours d’Elegance.
Judging the concours is no easy task in any year and was no different this year, with several worthy contenders.
There were 21 different judging categories for the cars this year (plus 2 for motorcycles), but the most coveted of all is the ‘Best in Show’.
As reported in our retrospective of the past nine Best in Show winners (JUST CARS #286), there’s no magic marque that guarantees concours success, with Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo and even Holden winning past Best in Show awards.
“Each year our panel of judges are forced to make judgements on the most minute of details, as the standard of entries continue to exceed our expectations. This year has been no exception,” said Motorclassica, Event Director, Paul Mathers.
In the end, though, there can be only one Best in Show winner, and that winner was a 1959 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk III.
One of just 551 examples of the Mk III produced, what made this example even rarer was its Primrose Yellow paint; one of only two DB2/4 Mk IIIs so finished from the factory.
Passing through several owners in the UK, the DB2/4 came to Australia in the 1970s and had multiple owners here before it came into the possession of its current custodian, Anna Purcell, 20 years ago.
In 2015, the car underwent an extensive, nut and bolt restoration under the guidance of Alan How at Creative Custom Cars in the Melbourne suburb of Dromana.
Four years in the making and with not a single component or panel left untouched, the restoration was not without its challenges, not least of which was conflicting information about many of the vehicle’s details. From chrome moulds, to material textures, to component positions, it seemed every resource told a different tale.
So, as well as tapping into the memories of past owners, Creative Custom Cars also pored over thousands of photographs covering the car’s history, both here and abroad, in order to ensure the restoration was true to its original specification and appearance.
The surprise and delight expressed by Purcell at receiving her Best in Show trophy was reflected by Creative Custom Cars, as this Aston Martin marked the first time one of their projects had appeared at Motorclassica.
“Anna Purcell’s rare Primrose Yellow Aston Martin DB 2/4 Mk III is a stunning vehicle and a very worthy winner,” said Mathers.
“This is the second time in Motorclassica’s ten year history that an Aston Martin has won the prestigious Best in Show. Such recognition speaks volumes to the collectability of the early David Brown Aston Martins and to the standards at which they are restored.”
While the Aston was the judge’s choice, this year’s People’s Choice award went to the 1971 Toyota Celica GT coupe of Nick Grakini. This stunning red TA22-era Celica also won this year’s special award for Japanese sports cars.
Restoration of the Year went to Derby Works for a 1924 Bentley Speed 3-Litre Vanden-Plas Tourer they restored, while the Spirit of Motorclassica award was won by Ross Morgan, who brought his 1924 Hispano Suiza H6B over from Western Australia for the event and also stretched its legs on the Tour Classica run.
Roll on 2020
With the tenth anniversary Motorclassica judged to be worthy of its special status in the event’s history, attention has already turned to 2020.
Next year’s Motorclassica is locked in for 9 – 11 October, 2020, at the Royal Exhibition Building, with themes, special guests and other attractions to be announced closer to the event.
For Motorclassica updates and further information, go to https://motorclassica.com.au/
