Organisers of the fifth annual Motorclassica car show in Melbourne are hailing the event as "the most successful staged so far" with record attendances and more than $2.5 million
Held at the historic Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton, originally built for the Queen of England when Melbourne was the richest city in the world during the gold rush era, Motorclassica saw more than 20,000 people attend the show, the organisers claim. Visitors to the show came to see more than 500 vehicles during the three-day event.
Event Director Paul Mathers said the 2014 car show demonstrated "the high level of interest in the motoring lifestyle that exists now" and also observed that "we have created an event that generates genuine engagement with that audience".
Some of the highlights included significant displays of the Ford Mustang, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, plus Maserati and Lotus had a strong presence.
Several manufacturers were also in attendance, such as Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, Caterham, Aston Martin, Porsche, Morgan and motorcycle brands including Indian, BMW, MV Augusta, Triumph and Benelli.
With the absence of a formal Australian motor show for new cars at present, Motorclassica was deemed a boon by Mathers.
"We're excited too that this was the most successful show ever from a commercial perspective, which is tremendously important for the brands and retailers that attend the show and for the long-term future of the event.
"Motorclassica is now firmly established as a key event nationally and is attracting ever-increasing interest from Europe, the USA and Asia," he said.
The classic car show is home to one of Australia's premier car auctions which is held on the Saturday night, mid-way through the event. Run by Theodore Bruce, the combined auction sales exceeded $2.5 million in 2014, the single most expensive sale was a rare 1954 Bentley R-Type Continental. It went for almost $1.1 million, not including the buyer's premium.
Another highlight was the attendance of Motorclassica Ambassador Gina Campbell, who attracted "huge interest from show attendees as she regularly recalled the exploits of her famous World Speed Record setting father, Donald Campbell," said organisers.
Gina also set a World Water Speed record herself and talked about that and the 50 years since her father set Land and Water Speed Records in Australia.
The International Concours d'Elegance also attracted plenty of attention at Motorclassica 2014, as an immaculate 1952 Aston Martin DB2 (owned by former GP chief Mal Hemmerling) won the sought-after 'Best in Show' trophy.
One thing missing from the show however was a strong presence of Australian classic cars. There was a huge number of European and North American cars, which dwarfed the local metal by comparison.
Nevertheless, Mathers says the 2015 event is already confirmed and will be staged again at the Royal Exhibition Building, between October 23 and 25.
"I am delighted to confirm that we will be back bigger and better next year, with plans already well advanced," he said.