The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
Thomas/Christ 1962 Fiat 1500, Gouger Street.
Story and Photos by Vince Johnson
It’s been 30 years since Keke Rosberg won the first Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix held on the streets of Adelaide. To commemorate the anniversary, the Sporting Car Club of South Australia assembled an impressive line-up of F1 cars of the era to headline a 200-strong field of race and road cars for a weekend of sprints in the city’s Victoria Park.
Neil Choi Alfetta Peter Richards Marcos 3L turn 10.
Story and Photos by Vince Johnson
With over five hundred entries track time during the Classic is always at a premium, so the Victorian Historic Racing Register held the briefing for all drivers on Thursday afternoon. Scrutineering was underway before breakfast on Friday and with qualifying done by lunchtime, racing commenced soon after. The celebration this year was for 50 years of the Mustang and it wasn’t hard to guess what would be on the grid in the over 3500cc Historic Touring Car races.
Dino 196 recreation.
Prior to the event, there was an interesting entry online, but the Dutton Garage’s 1959 Dino 196 unfortunately didn’t venture onto the circuit. Tucked away in its pit garage, it turned out to be one of Vincenzo Marciano’s recreations, built in Tuscany around twenty years ago. Fantuzzi would have certainly approved of its lines. Its chassis carried # MV005 and it was fitted with 2 litre Dino V6 #135B-0000001096.
Andrew Cannon Maserati 250S Aubrey Paverd MGTC, turn 9.
Andrew Cannon was back. Last year he drove the late Sir Jack Brabham on demonstration runs around the track in Maserati 250S chassis #1655, engine #2431 and this year it was Sir Jack’s widow, Lady Margaret’s turn. The car also ran in the Group Lb sports category during the weekend.
Paddins Dowling ERA R10B Nick McDonald Elva Courier, turn 10.
Trass Family Motorsport 458 GT3 Turn 1.
Story and photos by Vince Johnson
Clipsal 500 Adelaide, South Australia, February 26 – March 1, 2014
The lunar New Year’s goat may have arrived but the horse was still rampant on the streets of Adelaide at the end of February.
The first round of the V8 Supercars Championship sees the east end of town turned into a concrete-walled, no-holds-barred circuit each year that leaves no room for error. Sadly, the Ford, Holden, Mercedes, Volvo and Nissan teams didn’t have any Italian opposition yet, but Maranello’s finest were still out on the track each day.
The Ferrari Supercar Display had its own air-conditioned marquee just inside gate 1. Headlined by the hybrid 350 km/h La Ferrari, the line-up included 288GTO, F40LM and F50. A second La Ferrari, ready for laps, was garaged in pit lane. Outside the Supercar marquee local dealer Ferrari Adelaide and Ferrari Club Australia – SA members displayed 30 current and classic examples from throughout the decades. Track time each day was described as ‘demonstration’ only, so the lack of serious run-off posed no problems and gave the marshals, as well as the public, time to enjoy the spectacle.
La Ferrari leads 458 Speciale on parade laps.
Corporate sponsorship and public donations to the Clipsal 500 official charity ‘Variety – The Children’s Charity’ saw companies’ logos across the windshields and on the giant screens. Naturally, passenger seats were filled. On Saturday and Sunday morning, the Ferrari ‘Drive for Kids’ Cavalcade gave Variety children the ride of a lifetime. Funds raised support the important work of Variety – The Children’s Charity, the Adelaide Women’s & Children’s Hospital and the Childhood Cancer Foundation. Alongside the Supercar display was Ferrari ‘Kids Zone’. Inside it wasn’t just the youngsters trying out the simulators.
Thirty years ago, the first of eleven Australian Grand Prix races was held on the Adelaide street circuit. To mark the anniversary, Scuderia Ferrari flew two F60 Formula 1 cars direct from the factory, along with the Corse Clienti team, for demonstration laps. Not that newly-signed test driver Jean-Eric Vergne was hanging about. While not officially timed, his ‘demonstration’ laps were 5+ seconds faster than the current lap record.
Jean-Eric Vergne, Ferrari F60, Turn 11.
Richard Creasy and the 1925 Amilcar takes on ‘The Wall’.
South Australia, 5 October 2014
Story and photos by Vince Johnson
The British far outnumbered the French and Italians at the Sporting Car Club of South Australia’s annual vintage hillclimb in the Barossa Valley recently. At just under 700 meters in length it doesn’t take long for competitors to get over the crest at the top and most managed seven runs during the day. Perfect spring weather and a holiday weekend saw the drivers almost as relaxed as the spectators. The entry list included some post-WW2 cars but the invited ‘Come & Run’ category maintained the vintage feel with Jim Scammell’s 1922 Essex 4 Special the oldest car on the hill. [Read more…] about Australia’s Vintage Collingrove Hillclimb
Jason Nichols 1926 Bugatti Type 37 in turn 4. 
Story and Photos by Vince Johnson
Click on images to enlarge
The Victorian Historic Racing Register has been presenting Australia’s Phillip Island Classic since 1990 and it was fitting that the event’s 25th anniversary celebrated the achievements of the group’s patron, Australia’s 3-time F1 World Champion, Sir Jack Brabham. [Read more…] about Australia’s Phillip Island Classic 2014
Prettiest pair: Graeme Wright’s Mallala leads its predecessor, the Streamliner of John Becker into turn 1.
Story and photos by Vince Johnson
With the Australian GT Championship missing from the program at the opening round of the Aussie V8 Supercars at the Adelaide street circuit, the only Italians to be found were the club and dealer displays of the two-wheeled variety. Taking the place of the Gallardos and 458 Italias was the Touring Car Masters category. Six years ago, this group of 60’s and 70’s muscle cars held their first race around the streets of the South Australian capital at this event and twenty-seven of them formed up behind the pace car for the first race late on Friday afternoon. [Read more…] about Clipsal 500 Adelaide, South Australia, March 2, 2014
Spectators enjoy the Gambino/Hugues 308GTB at Basket Range.
Targa Adelaide, South Australia, 21-25 August 2013
Story and Photos by Vince Johnson unless otherwise noted.
When Jason and John White’s Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera suffered differential problems on the second day of the Targa Adelaide, the chances of them repeating last year’s win were always going to be slim. Nissan driver Steve Glenney, with Bernie Webb navigating, put his knowledge of the South Australian hills roads to good use, taking the lead early and was never headed.
2011 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, also at Basket Range.
Pur Sang Bugatti Type 35B en route to Angaston.
Story and photos by Vince Johnson
South Australia, 10-13 April 2013. Forty-two members of the Bugatti Club Australia made their way to the Barossa Valley wine country, north-east of Adelaide, for the ‘Five Valleys Run’ in April. Understandably, wineries featured heavily in the itinerary. Interstate members from New South Wales met those who had travelled from Victoria at Stirling on Tuesday evening, not far from Piccadilly Valley in the hills above the state capital.
[Read more…] about Bugattis Tour Australia
Story and Photos by Vince Johnson
Usually the scream of a high-revving V12 engine shouts “Italian”, but the best sounds from the track at this year’s Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport (March 8-10) were from a pair of Matra Simcas. Brought to the Classic by father and son team of Hall & Hall (UK), chassis #1 and #5 each had Le Mans credentials, third places at the 1973 and 1974 24-hour enduro, to go with the sound. They were up against some stiff opponents in the featured ‘International Sportscar Challenge’ races, giving away hundreds of cubic inches to the Can-Am opposition.
[Read more…] about Phillip Island Classic, Australia
Justin McMillan's Lamborghini LP60 GT3, Brenton Griguol's Ferrari 360 Challenge, race 2 turn 7.
Story by Vince Johnson
Photos by Vince Johnson unless otherwise noted.
The traditional Aussie V8 Supercar duel between Holden and Ford gets underway each season after the summer break around the streets of the South Australian capital. This year, however, there were two new makes on the grid intent on sharing the spoils. Nissan Motorsport fielded four Altimas powered by the same V8 that took victory in the 2011 FIA GT1 World Championship, while Erebus Motorsport had a pair of Mercedes-Benz E63AMGs ready to take on the home-grown favourites.
[Read more…] about Clipsal 500, Adelaide S. Australia, February 28-March 3
David Rodd’s 1951 Ferrari 195 Ghia Aigle Coupe.
Story and Photos by Vince Johnson
For Auction results and more information go to Motorclassica 2012
A hundred years ago the first Victorian Motor Show was held in the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne, Australia. To mark the centenary this year’s Motorclassica, sponsored by the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, featured a central display of antique, veteran and Edwardian vehicles that mirrored those present at the 1912 event.
1912 Victorian Motor Show centenary display.
Entries in the 2012 Australian International Concours d’ Elegance numbered 125 cars and 16 motorcycles in 14 categories, from the 1898 Thompson Steam Car to a 1986 Lotus Esprit S3. Things got under way on Thursday with the Tour Classica. Many of those entered took the opportunity to be flagged off from Pit Lane at the Albert Park Formula 1 circuit in the city’s south, for a drive through regular lunchtime traffic to take their place in the display. Built for the 1880 Melbourne International Exhibition, the 19th century Great Hall survives intact. Still in its original Carlton Gardens landscape, it continues to be used as a palace for industry. It was awarded World Heritage status in 2004.
Sir Jack Brabham (left) and Ron Tauranac reminisce on stage.
Twiggy's Miura will be on the auction block. Photo by Vince Johnson.
Vince Johnson, our intrepid correspondent from Down Under, recently reminded the Editor of the up and coming third annual Motorclassica event to be held in Melbourne on October 26-28th. Always ready to make sure our growing number of readers Down Under are aware of events, we thought we’d do a preview. Vince told us that the ex-Twiggy Lamborghini Miura S would be up for auction at the same event. There was the lead-in we were looking for!