Sunday 24th March saw the culmination of approximately six months of organization to bring the Shannon's Classic Car Show to fruition. What a day it turned out to be. The weather was a perfect 26 degrees, with blue skies and a gentle breeze to take the edge off. In the lead up to the show we'd had interest from 70 of the CMCs 110 member clubs, registering more than 1050 vehicles of all types. Numbers were lower on the day of course, but this didn't really detract from the show. The clubs used the extra space to put on some fine displays. This year saw some new clubs attend the show, including the Vintage Subaru club and Vintage Caravan club.
My own club, Special Interest Vehicle Association (SIVA), although only a small club of 75 people, fielded 45 vehicles. I usually post photos of the SIVA exhibit at the end but we put on such a great display that I'll start with that. Of course, with 70 clubs in attendance, not all clubs' displays can be covered in this post.
SIVA is all about microcars and we had a fine trio of Messerschmitt cabin scooters on display.
One of our members showcased this unusual Messerschmitt sewing machine with the cabin scooters. Having been banned from building aircraft after the Second World War, the Messerschmitt company manufactured a wide range of household products during the 1950s in an effort to stay afloat.
In the foreground is the Bond Bug, a typically British space age three wheeler from the 1960s. Behind is a Russian Lada Niva. I can remember when these tough Russian four wheel drives appeared on the market in the 1990s. They suffered from inevitable build quality issues that led them being declared a lemon, but all their little quirks were minor and the Australian importers quickly realised they needed to replace Russian wiring and fuses with Australian made ones. Once that was done Ladas proved to be as "strong like Mother Russia." The owner swears by this car for its solid reliability.
A very rare survivor Japanese Hino 1500. Hino started building rear-engined Renault's under license in the early 1950s which quickly evolved into their own independent line of vehicles. Few were exported to Australia but several hundred were assembled in New Zealand. The New Zealand cars differed from the Japanese cars in that they needed to contain a certain percentage of locally sourced parts and fittings. This car was privately imported from New Zealand along with two other models and has been subjected to a nut and bolt restoration. These cars are so rare and so few run that the Japanese Hino club has sought details from the owner about the cars specification. Behind the Hino is an Austin 8. The Austin 8 was a modernised version of Morris' prewar model.
NSU Prinz III and Prinz 1000. German NSUs were surprisingly popular sellers in Australia. They were shipped to Australia as knock down kits and reassembled in Melbourne. The Prinz III sold very well, however exports stoppped after the Prinz 1000 was introduced. Only very few of that model arrived here. This car has recently completed a lengthy restoration. The owner is working on a NSU Prinz Sport restoration now.
Simca 1000. Simca are unknown in Australia today but in the 1960s were surprisingly popular. The larger, front engined Aronde models performed really well in rallying.
Russian Izh Jupiter and the Burman
BSA motorcycle with Burman sidecar.
Piaggio Ape. Shortly after launching the Vespa, Piaggio developed a three wheeled commercial version called the Ape. Originally very similar to the Vespa, the Ape developed into a completely different vehicle. This an early model with a very basic cab. The Ape continues to be manufactured today and remains a popular seller in Italy.
Honda Gyro. Like the early Ape, the Honda Gyro was built as small commercial. The rear tray tilts.
1960 Ariel Leader. Ariel's ground breaking two-stroke twin Leader was introduced to great acclaim in 1958, but within three years sales plateaued and died, taking the venerable Ariel company with it. The bike subsequently gained an undeserved reputation as a lemon.
Volvo PV544 Sport. Early Volvos such as this are rare in Australia. This one had been found in country West Australia
Hillman Imps. Hillman jumped n the rear engined bandwagon with the Imp. They performed very well in rallying and proved to be popular car.
Hillman Imp Californian was a sports version developed for the American market.
Hillman Imp and KDF Kubelwagen
The German war machine - 1944 DKW NZ350 motorcycle and 1943 KDF Kubelwagon.
KDF Kubelwagen. This is a real 1943 military Volkswagen. Built in Wolfsburg in 1943 it was delivered to the Wehrmacht's materiel depot in Kassel. From there its military service history is unknown. After the war it ended up in the inventory of British film props hire company. It definitely appeared in the movie "The Eagle Has Landed" along with many documentaries and TV shows.
KDF Kubelwagon
NSU's rotary engined Ski-craft. NSU trialled their new rotary engine in the Ski-craft.
1972 Citroen DS. Citroen's revolutionary, space-age DS was introduced in 1955. Light years ahead of its time, it was in production for 30 years.
Citroen DS and Bristol 406
1959 Bristol 406. After the Second World War, Bristol Aircraft purchased from Fraser-Nash the rights to build BMW cars in the UK. The first series of Bristols were very closely based on the BMW template but in the 406 model of 1958 Bristol struck out with completely new styling, by Beutler of Switzerland. This was the last model with a BMW derived engine. Only 174 cars were built. This car has been in the long-term ownership of one family.
The sweeping lines of a 1952 Bristol 401.
1952 Bristol 401 and 1952 Tatraplan. These two post-war vehicles represent a pinnacle of the pre-war streamlining movement. The Bristol was closely based on the pre-war BMW 327. Only 287 vehicles were built.
The highs and lows of Czech motoring - the 1960 Velorex in the foreground is a budget cyclecar powered by a 350cc twin cylinder Jawa motorcycle engine. In the background, the 1952 Tatraplan was at the luxury end of the market, reserved for party bosses and industrial leaders or exported for foreign currency.
OldsmobileSuper 88. An amazingly stylish piece of American iron.
Oldsmobile with neat little drive in picnic display.
Delorean. An American sportscar built in Northern Ireland with a unique stainless steel body. In its day the car was something of a lemon but gained its iconic status thanks to the "Back to the Future" series.
French luxury - 1949 Talbot-Lago T26 Record.
Renault 750
French and Fantastic Club
A collection of Citroen Traction Avants.
Australian Citroen Enthusiasts
2CVs of the Citroen Club
Citroen CX
50th Anniversary Display
These two MGs attended the very first Classic Car Show in 1969. Both cars are still with their original owners.
The MG TC display at the first Classic Car Show at Kings Park in 1969.
Kicking back and relaxing while the crowds surge around.
Show traders and vendors
All Sports Automotive, Western Australia's Morgan importer / dealership showcased this brand new Morgan Roadster. The car was fresh off the boat, having arrived a few days before the show. All Sport Automotive also do Morgan and specialist sportscar servicing. https://www.allsportsautomotive.com.au/
PlatesWA. WA Licensing had a stall to sell their custom plates. https://www.transport.wa.gov.au/licensing/plateswa.asp
Flexico Flooring. Flexico sell custom modular flooring solutions for garages. They also hire flooring for shows. https://www.flexico.com.au/
Hand Tool Collectors https://sites.google.com/site/handtoolswa/
eBikers electric bicycles https://www.ebikers.com.au
Entertainment for the kids and young at heart - Ultimate Slotcar. https://www.facebook.com/ultimateslotracermobilehire
Viva Photography Balcatta https://www.vivaphotography.com.au/viva_team_categories/wa/balcatta/
Richard's Tyrepower have become a major supporter of motoring events in Perth. They offer a wide range of tyres for all makes of cars and offer a specialist range of classic car tyres. https://www.richardstyrepower.com.au
Bibendum welcomes us!
Auto Resto display. Autoresto is a panel beating and restoration shop.https://www.farracecustomsandclassic.com.au
One of Autoresto's current projects
Renault Melville put five vehicles on display. https://www.melvillerenault.com.au
The most interesting vehicle in Melville Renault's display is the new Alpine A330. It's an outstanding sportscar.
Lowlight Coffee https://www.lowlightespresso.com
Vintage Pram Collectors put on an excellent display
Main Entry Side
Perth's two Corvette Clubs come together each you to put on an impressive entry display.
The two clubs are the Corvettes of WA and the National Corvette Restorers of Australia (WA branch).
Rolls-Royce Club
The Cobra Club did an amazing job of squeezing 24 cars into a relatively small space near the VIP bar.
How they managed to squeeze all the cars in still amazes me.
Speaking of squeezing - the Cadillac La-Salle club had a good space under shade to work with, but then they do have some big cars.
Ascot has added a lot of shade to the grounds since last year.
Cadillac
Daimler-Lanchester Club. Nice to see a few cars from the Daimler-Lanchester club at the show. This was their first attendance at Ascot.
Fiat-Lancia Club. A pair of Fiat 500s.
1974 Fiat 124 Spider
Clubs Trackside
Monaro Club of WA
The Monaro display is always a popular draw card at the show.
Beside the Monaros was the Torana Club.
There are three MG clubs in Perth and all were parked together to create a big display. These are a pair MG TCs.
The MG Magnette is a stately vehicle.
Vintage Sports Car Club of WA fielded a fine array of vehicles.
1940s race specials
The EH Holden Club
The FB/FC Club
Jensen Owners Association
American Car Club
American Car Club fielded a variety of vehicles of all eras.
Triumph Car Club
Rover Car Club
Landrover Club
Mark 1 Landrover
Team 4W showcased some unusual heavy Landrovers.
I've never seen one of these Landrovers before.
Riley Club
An extremely rare, original condition Toyota Corolla. We had an early Mark 1 Toyota Corolla in the Today Tonight video. These cars are very rare these days. This particular car drove in from Darlington.
EK Holden Club
A photo of Shelly and I at the far end of the field. It's a long, long walk to cover the entire field.
Ford V8 Club
Renault Alpine A310
Leyland P76 Club
Porsche 356 racer in the Sports Car Builder Club
Clubs on the Flame Tree Lawn
Perth's three Mini clubs came together to put on a display for the 60th anniversary of the Mini.
Mini sports
Austin 7 Club
Here I am doing an interview
Austin Seven
Vauxhall Club
Volkswagen Club of WA
Kombi fever!
Fine American steel on display in the Buick Club
Buick Car Club
Buick Club
The Bus Museum bought five buses along.
Vintage Caravan club attended with three caravans.
A quite amazing folding streamlined caravan from the 1940s.
A bigger turnout of commercials this year from the Historic Commercial Vehicle Club.
Dennis Fire Engine
A vintage hearse in the Historic Commercial Vehicle Club
Veteran Car Club
Amilcar
1930 Bentley
The amazing America La France Edwardian racer.
The cars begin queuing to leave.
The Bristols pass in the night (or day). Amazing to see two together in the same place, given how few were made.
It was a lot of work but a great day. Until next year....
