An elegant drive day for distinguished people!
The AXA Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance is very pleased to announce its first classic drive outing to be run in conjunction with the Concours on Saturday 6th March 2021.
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive https://www.gentlemansdrive.com/ is a themed, charity classic car run dedicated to raising funds and awareness for prostate cancer and men’s mental health on behalf of Movember, and brought to you by the experts behind The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride https://www.gentlemansride.com/ .
As part of the 2021 AXA Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance, The Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive will host the inaugural invitation only drive component that will kickstart a three-year partnership as the Official Charity Partner. But of course the drive is not limited to distinguished gentlemen, ladies and their vehicles will be most welcome too!
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive will develop and co-ordinate all logistics around the drive component. To find out more and request an invitation please contact mark@gentlemansride.com
To find out more about the AXA Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance and to purchase tickets please go to http://www.sydneyharbourconcours.com.au
It’s in the bag!
As an ambassador to the fab motoring clothing brand Suixtil, I am pleased to be taking pre-orders for this excellent and very useful new touring bag. Updated from its original design and now available in the exciting new colour of Forest Green as well as Navy Blue, these cotton canvas and leather touring bags are a must for any classic motorist.
The cost is US$100 including postage and packing. To place your order please email me at james@marinamarini.com.au
What’s in a number(plate)?
If you are fascinated about why some people collect vehicle registration plates, you might like to listen to me being interviewed by Jacinta Parsons, on the Afternoon Show on ABC Radio Melbourne earlier today.
Friends in High Places
My good friend, Nigel Matthews , Global Brand Ambassador for Hagerty, has been appointed chairman of the International Chief Judge Advisory Group (ICJAG), an esteemed body of veteran vintage-car judges who bring consistency and fairness to the world’s most prestigious concours. I last saw Nigel in February in India at the incredible 21 Gun Salute in Delhi, where we were both on the judging panel, as we were at the Zoute GP in Belgium just 12 months ago.
Nigel has been at the pinnacle of his craft for more than forty years. A licensed master technician, he spent much of his career repairing and restoring Ferraris and Rolls-Royces. He judged his first concours in 2003, and by 2005 was already a judge at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and was a founding member of ICJAG in 2016.
Even in this rarified realm, Matthews stands apart. Since 2005, Nigel has judged many of the major concours events around the globe, including serving as Chief Judge at the concours in Pinehurst, North Carolina ; La Jolla, California ; the Canadian Concours in Vancouver ; as well as serving as a class judge at Pebble Beach .
“To be not just a judge but the Chief Judge at some of the most distinguished concours in the world takes an amazing amount of knowledge and expertise,” says Hagerty CEO McKeel Hagerty, “We are so proud to work with him at Hagerty and we join the International Chief Judges Advisory Group in congratulating him.”
In addition to serving as the company’s global ambassador, Matthews is a writer for Hagerty and serves as the Historic Vehicle Association’s Canadian representative to the Fédération International des Véhicules Anciens (FIVA), the worldwide federative association of historic automobile clubs.
Its that time of Yearbook again!
Despite the time of turmoil in which we find ourselves, the classic car market soldiers on and auctions continue to take place. It is important then if you have an interest in classic automobiles to keep your finger on the pulse, and there is no better way to do this than by that invaluable reference and resource, the Classic Car Yearbook produced by Historica Selecta. The 25th Edition of the Classic Car Auction Yearbook will be launched at Auto e Moto d’Epoca at the Padua Exhibition Centre on October 22nd, and as the official distributor for the tome in Australasia I am taking advance orders.
This year’s edition, 416 pages and 960 photographs, the most extensive to date, covers the most important international auctions from 1st September 2019 until 31st August 2020. The 2019-2020 edition covers 5,066 cars listed (among 335 different makes) by chassis number, auction result in euro, US$ and Sterling, a concise history of the car and the price achieved. Enhanced with commentary provided by the department heads of the leading auction houses, this Yearbook has numerous graphs and stats providing in depth analysis of the market, leading makes and the most significant models. The 25th edition also contains a special 54 page section looking back at the previous editions – did you know for instance that in 1994 you could buy a Lamborghini Miura for 49,000 euro and a Dino 246 GT for just 30,000! Or that in 1995 a Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet cost just 79,000 euro!
For further details and to place your advance order please contact me
A GREAT TOUR
The inaugural Southern Classic Drive, taking in the Blue Mountains, Nattai National Park, Jerrawangala National Park, the Great Eastern Escarpment, the Southern Highlands, Saddleback Mountain, Royal National Park.
3 days 1000 kilometres
Plus two track events at Luddenham Raceway and Wakefield Park Raceway.
And lots of great meals and wine!
A good read
Western Australia’s motoring history has received international and local recognition thanks to a new book written by Perth motoring historian Graeme Cocks.
“Claude Deane. Western Australia’s Motor Dealer Extraordinaire” tells the story of Western Australia’s pioneer new car dealer, Claude Deane.
The book has been short-listed for the Royal Automobile Club of the UK’s Motoring Book of the Year Awards which will take place at the Club’s Pall Mall Clubhouse in London on 28 October. Now in their seventh consecutive year, the awards are recognised as the most prestigious to be bestowed in the automotive publishing industry. The book is short-listed in the Specialist Book of the Year category, which recognises books which are a feat of impeccable research and flawless writing regardless of retail cost.
“The Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year Awards have become synonymous with celebrating the best automotive books, authors and publishers,” said Jeremy Vaughan, Head of Motoring at the RAC UK. “The quality of entries this year has been quite remarkable, which is a reassuring sign that the industry is in good shape and the appetite for motoring books continue to be healthy. The rigour around the judging process was very impressive and given the quality of entries it was the toughest judging year yet.”
It was also presented with a High Commendation at the Royal WA Historical Society’s AE Williams/Lee Steere 2020 Publications Prize last week. The Lee Steere Prize was inaugurated in 1948 by a grant from pastoralist and philanthropist Sir Ernest Lee Steere and later supplemented by his son, also Sir Ernest. The Williams Prize honours the memory of historian A.W. (Bert) Williams, past chairman and president of the society, and funded by Bert and his family. In 2020 the prizes were combined to form one annual publication prize for the best new book on WA history.
“My research started with the restoration of one particular car. It was one of the great cars of the early years of motor racing, a Renault Type N, which had been in Western Australia since about 1904. It seemed incongruous that the street version of one of the fastest racing cars from 1903 should be in WA,” said motoring historian Graeme Cocks.
“The name Claude Deane kept showing up in old newspaper articles. In 1935, there was a debate in the local press amongst a couple of early motorists about who sold the first car in Western Australia,” said Mr Cocks.
“Claude Deane said he sold the first car and another pioneering car dealer Percy Armstrong claimed that he, in fact, sold the first.”
“We know a lot about Percy Armstrong but not so much about Claude Deane. I was intrigued”
Graeme’s research trail led from Fremantle to the Goldfields of Western Australia, to South Africa and London, revealing the history of the car and the difficulties faced by the early visionaries of motor car transport. The story which emerged had all the romance of the early motoring pioneers: heading out into the outback astride a De Dion motor tricycle to spread the word of the arrival of the motoring age, driving the first Curved Dash Oldsmobile from town to town in the South West corner of Australia and introducing people who had never seen a car before to the advantages of the motorcar, and setting up a network of sellers and becoming the largest car importer. Then he decided to revolutionise the Perth cab industry by introducing motor cabs with taximeters.
Like many entrepreneurs, it all came crashing down and he dusted himself off and began again. When most people are thinking of retirement, he discovered the virtues of natural medicine and began a second career.
For the first time, the new book tells the story of the rise and fall and rise again of Claude Deane and the circumstances which led to him leaving Western Australia and never returning.
“Claude Deane. Western Australia’s Motor Dealer Extraordinaire” by Graeme Cocks is 208 pages and is published by Motoring Past Vintage publishing, www.motoringpast.com.au.
BAM!
I have always liked cars, boats, photography, and fashion! So I have decided to combine all my likes into a business venture entitled BAM (Barche, Automobile, Moda) or boats, cars and fashion!
All you editors, film makers, and stylists out there please check it out :-
https://marinamarini.com.au/bam/
Ambassador
I am very pleased to have been chosen as an Ambassador for Suixtil – since 2007, Suixtil (pronounced “Swix-til”) has been recreating iconic clothing and accessories from motor racing history and tailoring it for the modern day.
Founded in Argentina in the 1930s, Suixtil racing uniforms were the first of their kind. The national racing team, Escuderia Suixtil, led by the fabled Juan Manuel Fangio, was the first to wear the brand in the 1940s. Suixtil would become the epitome of track day cool through the ‘50s and ‘60s, as more and more champions — Moss, Collins, Trips et al — donned the insignia with style. Tragically, it disappeared as the 1960s came to a close. But it’s back for the 21st century to build on its legacy, with classic, historic designs made with modern quality, comfort and fit. To find out more please go to https://www.suixtil.com
And talking of being an Ambassador, as an International Ambassador for the Bernina Gran Turismo https://www.bernina-granturismo.com/index.php/en/ I should be wearing my new Suixtil gear in Switzerland now for the latest edition of this famous hill-climb first run in 1929. Unfortunately with things as they are, this is not possible. However, the event continues, as does the fantastic Salon Privé, https://www.salonpriveconcours.com , run by my good friends Andrew and David Bagley, on September 23rd -26th.
Have fun everyone and enjoy your motoring!
Brabham, The Movie
If you have not already seen it check out the trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbDdHwwwy6w&feature=emb_rel_err
for this newly launched movie
It looks as though it should make for compulsive viewing.
David Brabham is of course the Event Patron for the AXA Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance http://sydneyharbourconcours.com.au
and it is great to have his ongoing support for the next edition scheduled for 4th-6th March 2021.
