The April Classic Cars and Coffee was a relatively quiet affair. There were noticeably less vehicles and visitors. Consequently, I wasn't expecting the May event to be busy either. But I was wrong. There was a huge turnout, which overflowed through to the undercover carpark nearby. The weather was probably a factor, as there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Shortly the weather will turn and then there'll be no events for a couple of months.
Something you don't see everyday in Australia - two Tatras together. Peter G owns the only other Tatra in Perth, a fine 1964-72 Tatra 603/2. This car has been off the road for seven years but it's now ready for licensing. The car had rust in the floor, which has now been repaired with whole new floorpans.
Although I think the Tatra looks better with its boot closed, it was necessary to open it to keep the crowds satisfied. The Tatraplan has a 'small block' 1.9 litre four cylinder boxer engine.
The Tatra 603/2's almost 3 litre V8 engine confused and amazed. The idea of a rear mounted V8 is just perplexing to most Australians. It's great to see this car back on the road.
Another Czech car - 1958 Skoda Octavia. A terrific and rare car in original condition.
This stunning 1934 Bentley is a regular attendee at Classic Cars and Coffee. The car is for sale. Interestingly, the owner worked on Peter's Tatra 603.
Richard's Tyrepower - the place for classic tyres in Perth. https://www.richardstyrepower.com.au/
A beautiful autumn day
Chevrolet FM
Landrover Mark I
Spectacular Rolls-Royce Phantom.
The great thing about Classic Cars and Coffee is that you never know what is going to show up. A first timer at this month's show is this amazing 1974 DKW Wankel. Auto-Union sold DKW's motorcycle division to Zweirad-Union in 1958, where it formed a conglomerate with Victoria and Express. Zweirad-Union produced 50cc mopeds and light motorcycles and, although times were tough, they absorbed Rex and Hercules and eventually merged with engine manufacturer Sachs. In the 1960s Sachs purchased a license for Wankel's rotary engine. They developed this into a 396cc single rotor two-stroke rotary and released it as the Hercules Wankel. For some reason, in the UK and Australia, the bike was sold under the DKW brand name. The DKW name had been defunct since 1965 but maybe they were hoping to capitalize on nostalgia of DKW's motorcycling heritage. The bike was excellent and modern, but failed to sell. They were only manufactured for one year but the slow rate of sales dragged out for years. This bike was one of three sent to WA in 1974. None of the bikes were sold and were put in storage until purchased by the current owner a few years ago. A small amount of fettling and she fired right up. The bike drew a large crowd, especially when it was started up.
Renault's magnificent Alpine 310A
Peter Briggs' amazing Mille Miglia competition 1933 MG Magnette.
Mercedes-Benz 300SL
Volkswagen utility
Jaguar e-Type
Jaguar D-Type replica
Cadillac
Frank Sinatra's 1958 Cadillac Eldorado. Yes, THAT Frank Sinatra!
Fargo ute
1964 Jensen
Germany versus Britain - don't mention the war!
A Porsche 356 in beautiful Meissen Blue
Lotus Elan
1940s Ford V8
Astute observers may note a significant jump in the quality of photographs. This is thanks to my new phone - a Huawei Mate 20 Pro. It's a spectacularly good phone with an exceptional camera. It leaves my old iPhone in the dust in so many ways. Apple's products are so overrated (and overpriced), I won't miss them. If you want to understand the US governments attempt to ban Huawei, the real reason is simply commercial. Huawei produces a better product and is outselling the US IPhone. Huawei also hasn't rolled over to US demands for back door access to spy on phone users like Apple has.
The next Classic Cars and Coffee is on Sunday 16th June
