FEATURE – 2017 Noosa Beach Classic Car Show
Pebble Beach in California may have the world’s most renowned and picturesque annual classic car show, but for a scaled down and more accessible Australian equivalent a trip to Noosa each October holds rich reward.
The Queensland holiday spot has a large band of locals seriously into their special cars, with many signed up to the popular Noosa Beach Classic Car Club. Its yearly show is its biggest fundraiser and a generous contributor to local charities, and the Club’s members and other invitees put on a sublime show of varied metal right in the heart of town.
Just like Pebble Beach the location is key, and at Noosa the show is right on the water with views of multi-million dollar homes to match the rare and often valuable cars. Unlike Pebble Beach’s blazer, Panama hat and loafers brigade though, spectators at Noosa prefer the more sub-tropical laid-back mode of dressing.
Shorts and Havaianas are order of the day, as are lattes and a Rotary Club sausage sizzle rather than champagne and lobster. Wonderfully, there’s no snobbishness here, and local resident and former F1 racer Mark Webber normally cruises down from his beach house for a nose around.
Around 300 rare, exotic and valuable cars took their place at the town’s Lions Park, just beside the glitzy shopping and dining strip of Noosa’s Hastings Street. Marque of the Year for 2017 was Holden to tie in with the end of the brand’s local manufacturing, with guest of honour one of the most famous Holdens of all.
The local Bowden’s Own Collection displayed Peter Brock’s 1978 HDT A9X Torana which dominated Bathurst in 1979. The famous 05 racer scored pole position, led all 163 laps, set a new lap record and won by six full laps that year.
The team at Bowden’s, as usual, was generous with access to this priceless racer. No ropes blocking it off meant visitors could enjoy a great view of the cabin where the great man did his best work.
Highlighting the long history of the Holden badge, a 1952 FJ in completely original condition was brought by the local Madill’s Holden dealership, the black paint and chrome still looking well after 65 years of permanent road registration.
Being an all-makes car show ensured the variety was superb. The local funeral home brought an immaculate 1923 Dodge hearse and parked it alongside a hot rod hearse, suggesting Sunshine Coasters can make their final journey in rather wonderful style. A well-worn 1924 Vauxhall 30-98 four-seat open tourer was another much-admired early offering, as was a tiny bright orange Austin 7 roadster.
A small contingent of competition cars included hill climb specials, an Indy 500 race replica and California-import midget racer, while a number of valuable classic Porsches, Mercs, Rolls-Royces, Alfas and Jaguars highlighted the affection for classic European marques in these parts. Then again, original and modified Mustangs, Camaros and Corvettes were also thick on the ground, as, of course, was Aussie rare metal old and new.
A personal highlight was a 1976 Holden HX Sandman with original one-off factory fitout including brown tent and striped orange and brown mattress in the wagon back. You wouldn’t have wanted your daughter picked up in one of these in the late 1970s.
The Best Car in Show aptly went to a Holden; Andy Herrell's wonderfully restored 1971 HQ GTS Coupe scooping top honours, much to the delight of its proud owner. Trophies were awarded across numerous categories, including best European, Competition Car and Barn Find. In typical Noosa style, these trophies were shaped liked surfboards, reinforcing the fun nature of this gem of an event.
The Noosa Beach Classic Car Club hosted its first Classic Car Show in 1988 in an effort to promote Noosa’s Hastings Street area. The local traders were trying to drum up interest in the now hugely popular tourist spot with a street party, and the Club was asked to bring along some cars.
Only 17 took part in this first show, including a 1905 Renault, 1926 Bentley and a 1926 Salmson race car. It set the wheels in motion for bigger things however, and the following year 47 cars were on show, then in 1990 some 120 were displayed.
Today’s Noosa Classic Car Show welcomes around 300 vehicles, with numerous judging categories and a host of trophies up for grabs. Pre-event there’s a gala evening at one of Noosa’s finest resorts, with members driving their cars through the streets beforehand to give locals and tourists a taste of what’s to come at the weekend’s show.
