Motorclassica, the Australian International Concours d’Elegance and Classic Motor Show, will be staged October 21-23, 2011 at the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne, bringing together more than 100 desirable classic, vintage and veteran cars.
Motorclassica event organisers report applications for entry in this year’s Australian International Concours d’Elegance are up 40% from the inaugural event, including more than 200 from Australia alone. Motorclassica 2011 will have a completely different look and feel to last year, while a number of exciting additions have been made to the program to increase the appeal even further.
Motorclassica Event Director and classic car enthusiast Paul Mathers said he was thrilled by the number of applications and was excited to have many more Vintage and Pre-War era exhibits on show. “The 98 cars chosen so far to be on display consist of the beautiful, the spectacular and the unexpected. The diversity and quality of entries received this year has ensured the event will be even bigger and better than 2010,” said Mathers.
One highlight of Motorclassica 2011 will be a special celebration to mark 125 years of Mercedes-Benz. A large display of these automobiles will be on display, including the oldest genuine Benz in Australia, an 1896 Velo.
The 50th birthday of the Jaguar E-Type and the 60th anniversary of Porsche in Australia will also be celebrated. A parade of Porsches featuring the famous 935 “Moby Dick” and Derek Bell’s Le Mans-winning 1987 Porsche 962 will star on the Concours floor while up to 50 E-Types will gather at the Royal Exhibition Building forecourt.
One of the very special cars of the show this year will be a 1921 Ballot 2L Sports. This preservation class car with a magnificent patina has been in the same Australian family for 85 years and is one of only five remaining world-wide. The Ballot joins a bevy of other forgotten marques including Cord, Delage, Facel, Marmon, NSU, Salmson, SS, Sunbeam and Wanderer, all of which will share the limelight at the Australian International Concours d’Elegance.
Motorclassica 2011 – Additional Highlights
- 1932 Chrysler Imperial Sedan – Formerly owned by infamous US gangster “Legs” Diamond, this will provide a particularly rare sight in Australia, thanks to strict laws that usually prevent USA heritage registered cars from leaving the country. This car has never been restored and is exactly as it would have been at the time “Legs” Diamond owned it.
- 1973 Holden Torana XU-1 – Peter Brock’s first Torana in which he won his first Australian Touring Car Championship in 1974.
- 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Zagato – Affectionately known as the “Mrs Jones” Alfa due to its ownership by none other than 1930s female racing legend Mrs Jones. A genuine piece of Aussie racing history.
- 1914 Victor Motorcycle and side car – Australian company Victor created low-volume, bespoke motorcycles from a small inner-suburban garage. These examples are very rare within Australia, let alone outside the country.
- Start of Constantine Mandylas’ epic journey from Melbourne to Moscow in a Ford Model-T – a journey of almost 20,000 kilometres traversing more than a dozen countries across four countries.
- Automotive art display in the gallery area.
- RACV City to Country Club Rally with up to 150 vintage and veteran cars driving from the city to the RACV Healesville Country Club.
- The ’61 Lounge – enjoy a high tea in the lounge which celebrates some of the great cars launched in 1961.
- Picnic with the Classics – a free event held over the same three days in the adjacent Melbourne Museum Plaza with a great mixture of more than 100 club classic cars and a wide array of food and entertainment.
- Tour Classica – participating cars will drive through the streets of Melbourne from the Albert Park Formula One Grand Prix circuit to their event destination – the Royal Exhibition Buildings, which were completed in 1880 and placed on the World Heritage list in 2004.
Motorclassica, the Australian International Concours d’Elegance and Classic Motor Show, will be held October 21-23, 2011 at the Royal Exhibition Building, Nicholson Street, Carlton, Victoria, Australia (Melway ref: 2B/J10). The event runs 9am-9pm on Friday and Saturday, followed by 9am-5pm on Sunday. Ticket prices are $30 for adults and $20 for children 5-15 years.
For more information or to purchase your ticket for Motorclassica 2011, visit www.motorclassica.com.au.
[Source: Motorclassica]
